Beauty is a “we” that reveals the “I”
At the Teatro Sociale in Como, the conference “Fatti”… per il bene was held, featuring, among others, important contributions from Cardinal Matteo Zuppi and Professor Mario Calderini of Politecnico di Milano.
During the event, focused on the person and their aspirations, a study by Triadi, a spin-off of Politecnico di Milano, was presented, quantifying the social impact of Cometa’s work for people and the local area.
Nearly 400 people attended this morning at the Teatro Sociale in Como for the conference “Fatti”… per il bene. An event focused on the person, their desires and aspirations, and on how it is possible to build a “common good” in a concrete and supportive way, giving life to those “intermediate communities” made up of people who care about responding to the needs they encounter, driven by a passion for the human person in their uniqueness and wholeness.
The conference was an opportunity to present the study carried out by Triadi, a spin-off of Politecnico di Milano, on the social impact generated through the work Cometa has carried out over the years for people and the local area. Before a substantial representation of foundations, donors, people who contribute through their support or their work to Cometa’s daily life and development, and local organizations and institutions, the speakers on the theme of the meeting, moderated by Barbara Stefanelli, deputy editor-in-chief of Corriere della Sera, were Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), and Mario Calderini, professor at the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano.
Cardinal Zuppi emphasized the importance of being seen, of walking together with someone: “When no one looks at you, you make up anything to get noticed and you ruin your life. When, instead, you find someone who looks at you, you find yourself. The beauty is that I and we are communion. We find the I through the we. Beauty is salvific. As Cardinal Biffi used to say: whoever creates beauty is Christian anyway. This morning we saw and felt beauty, and it is very human, made also of wrinkles and dents. It is the beauty of God.”
Professor Calderini, on the other hand, spoke about the relationship with Cometa and the challenges that organizations of this kind will be called upon to face in the near future. “Our collaboration with Cometa, which began almost ten years ago with Tiresia, the Research Centre of Politecnico di Milano, continues today with Triadi, a spin-off of Politecnico di Milano, which preserves its research-oriented approach. The results achieved over these years demonstrate the transformative power that Cometa has been able to exercise over time, responding to emerging social needs with innovative models. The work to measure the impact generated by Cometa from 2019 to the present represents the culmination of this journey and, at the same time, the first step in addressing a crucial challenge that organizations like Cometa will be called upon to meet in the coming years: moving beyond an impact-measurement approach based on individual projects, by integrating tools capable of assessing and managing, systematically and continuously, the additional value generated by the entire organization for the local area and communities. A fundamental step for impact-native organizations such as Cometa.”
The professor thus introduced the study on Cometa’s impact on people and the local area conducted by Triadi and presented by Valentina Tosi, head of the Sustainability & Impact Assessment area of the Politecnico spin-off. In the Como area, every year, there are 75,000 students. Of these, 43.2% have been victims of bullying, 11.3% leave school before obtaining a diploma, and 7.8% have specific learning disorders. Over the last 5 years, Cometa’s educational commitment has supported 1,616 students between the ages of 6 and 19, including 225 with SLDs and 111 with disabilities.
Thanks also to the 260 projects implemented, involving 80 schools in the area, three out of four students increased, or at least maintained, their self-esteem and socio-emotional skills, discovering that they were capable of doing things and relating to others. “From a human point of view, Cometa completely transformed the way I look at reality,” said Giulia, a former student and now an educator in Rapallo. “First of all, I felt loved, and this allowed me to let all the masks of a deviant and disillusioned girl behind which I was hiding fall away. The way tutors and teachers looked at me was a look of hope: they believed, much more and much earlier than I did, that I could be happy. From a professional point of view, my desire is to be able to pass on to the young people I work with the hope and love of life that were given to me.”
A second level of the research concerned the impact on reducing inequalities. In Lombardy there are 2 million people with SLDs and disabilities, just over half of whom are under 65 and are therefore of school or working age. 16% of the population is at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Through training programs and internships aimed at job placement, Cometa has included 81 vulnerable people in its six social enterprises over the last 5 years, 28 of whom have disabilities. “I was born in Romania, but grew up in Messina with adoptive parents,” says Victor. “I attended art high school, but I did not feel comfortable there. I received little support and my classmates left me alone. I was looking for work, but I could not find it, and I felt nervous and sad. I moved to Como with my parents to look for work and my life changed color. I found it at For&From, a Cometa footwear and accessories store. Now I am happy, I like the work and I get along well with my colleagues. People are different here and I am making new friends.”
The aim is to welcome people so as to give everyone the opportunity to fulfil themselves through work. And in a provincial context in which there are 17,657 unemployed people, a NEET rate of 13.8% and 47,149 foreign residents, in its vocational courses alone Cometa trained 1,178 people in 5 years, including 293 of foreign origin, involving 400 companies every year. Of these people, 55.8% found employment, while 34.3% are still in training. “I arrived in Italy 7 years ago,” says Ibrahima, who gave his testimony together with Antonio Corengia, an entrepreneur whose company has played a leading role in Cometa’s training courses. “I immediately began studying Italian. I attended the CPIA in Como and managed to obtain my lower-secondary school certificate and complete the first two years of upper-secondary school. After taking short training courses, in December I had the great opportunity to attend a one-month course for window and door installers. At the end of this interesting and well-organized course, I was able to undertake a 6-month internship and was then hired under an apprenticeship contract. I am enjoying the work. I am truly happy and will always be grateful to Cometa for this opportunity, which has allowed me to grow professionally and personally and to begin making my dreams come true.”
The starting point, the origin of Cometa, was described at the beginning by Erasmo Figini, who recalled how everything began from the desire for communion with his brother Innocente, their wives Serena and Marina, and their sister Mariagrazia. Alongside him, Giacomo Castiglioni, former president of Fondazione Comasca, recalled his encounter with Cometa, explaining how everything began with a “five-star breakfast” and “one hundred eyes” looking at him. The origin of Cometa is welcoming. Foster care was the point from which Cometa’s entire story developed, expanding to 70 foster families throughout Lombardy who welcome around 103 children. From this came the Oliver Twist School, with more than 400 students, and work initiatives designed to support entry into the world of work, especially for young people facing difficulties or vulnerabilities. Today around 1,300 people enter Cometa every day.
Quotes from the institutional greetings
Deputy Mayor Nicoletta Roperto: We are happy to be here. We want to emphasize the professionalism with which Cometa, through its projects, brings added value to the community. Its activities range from the foster-care service to the day center, and every day it works with us to seek,
together, the best strategies.
Prefect Andrea Polichetti: “On December 11, the Prefects were received by the Pope, who quoted Saint Ambrose: the times are bad, they are burdensome, they are difficult; live well and you will change the times. A motto that can be applied to the commitment of prefects to ensure that everyone can live well. This day bears witness to the fact that the drive to live well must be shared at the personal, social and institutional levels. Removing obstacles and achieving stronger social cohesion is a commitment in which we must participate with unity of purpose.”
President of the Province Fiorenzo Bongiasca: “The research on Cometa’s social impact is a unique opportunity. Every testimony is concrete proof of how educational intervention can transform lives, offering new opportunities and hope to those who had lost them. These are the intermediate communities, made up of active and caring citizens. This is where change is created, where the common good becomes tangible.”
President of Fondazione Comasca Angelo Porro: “I should say that the Foundation is close to Cometa, but it is Cometa that is close to the Foundation. We are a facilitator. Cometa helps us understand what is needed in the local area. We are the ones who say thank you.”
Fondazione Cariplo – Enrico Lironi: “Services to people are the area to which our action is directed that absorbs the greatest resources. In 2023, a total of 177 million euros was made available to all the organizations operating in Fondazione Cariplo’s reference area (Lombardy and the Piedmont provinces of Novara and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola). It seems like a drop compared with the needs, but it becomes important when it reaches the third sector, which multiplies it, producing much more effective results.”
Cardinal Oscar Cantoni: “The purpose of this meeting is not a desire for publicity for Cometa, but to offer a humble yet fruitful testimony, of which the people of Como are the first beneficiaries, but which goes far beyond our territorial boundaries. The people of Como, myself included, believe their eyes more than their ears. But even though Cometa is not publicized, we recognize it as a flagship of the Como community and we are grateful for its active presence and for the ever-new initiatives it is able to propose for the benefit of the poor and needy. It stems from a religious conversion. If you know Jesus and follow him, in deeds and not only in words, then everything changes.”
The following also took part in the opening greetings, taking the stage:
Marco Calì, Chief of Police of Como
Giuseppe Colizzi, Provincial Commander of the Carabinieri of Como
Michele Donega, Provincial Commander of the Guardia di Finanza of Como
Monica Testori, Central Charity Commission of Fondazione Cariplo
Alessandro Fermi, Regional Councillor for University, Research and Innovation