Testimony of ELENA LIOTTA

Elena is part of the "Youth for Peace" movement within the framework of the Community of Sant'Egidio.

When she had just entered secondary school, she was invited to visit elderly people at an institute in the centre of Rome; she tells her what made her discover this world that was unknown to her "the joy of stopping and listening... to value every moment spent together with those who love you "; another discovery through the exchanges: " what Rome was like before I was born, the hard work of a generation that rebuilt Italy ".

Referring to the months of the pandemic during which the elderly were kept in forced isolation, she concludes that "loneliness can be lethal"; while contacts could be maintained thanks to technology, "it could not replace the beauty and joy of the visits". When the visits were allowed again, she says it took "several minutes to recognize us. So with patience we reconstructed the history of our friendship, the things we did together, before Covid-19 changed our lives, such as the weekly prayer meeting, the walks in the center of Rome".

In the end, Elena calls for this alliance between young and old "the great resource for dreaming a different future, a better future for all".