Learning Not About the Other, But With the Other
May 28, 2026
On Thursday, May 14, 2026, four third-year classes from the Luosi Pico Institute in Mirandola (MO), accompanied by Professor Angelo Tucci, were guests at the “Nel Villaggio” Community in Bologna. The visit took place as part of the Belong project, which focuses on the social inclusion and integration of refugee adolescents.
In the preceding months, the students had delved into the theoretical, legal, and historical aspects of migration. This meeting provided a valuable opportunity to connect and share experiences directly with the unaccompanied foreign minors (UFM) hosted by the community.
Below are some of the reflections left by the students at the end of the day:
“The Villaggio del Fanciullo is not just any facility. It is a place that welcomes unaccompanied foreign minors. Young people just like us, but who have crossed the sea, facing loneliness and fear. Here, they are supported in their growth, including their education.
We met Father Giovanni Mengoli, the director. He explained the laws to us, but above all, he told us stories. Real stories. Stories that get under your skin. Alongside him, the vice-director, Andrea Buccoliero, showed us how the center operates: how they wake up in the morning, how they study, and how they start living again. From ten in the morning until twelve-thirty, we listened and talked. No one looked at their watch. Because when the other person truly speaks to you, time stops.
Then we had a packed lunch in the park. (…) And after that… after that, magic happened.
We played sports. Mainly football, but also basketball and volleyball. And these weren’t just the usual matches. There were mixed game — with us and the boys from the center on the same team — and non-mixed games, just for the thrill of challenging each other as equals. There was no longer a ‘us’ and ‘them’. There were only teenagers running, sweating, laughing, and sometimes getting annoyed over a goal or a foul. Just like it happens everywhere. Just like it happens among friends.
In the end, on the bus ride back, some were tired, others thoughtful. No one spoke much. But in our eyes, we carried something new: we hadn’t just met ‘the other’. For a few hours, we had become the other.
And perhaps that is the ultimate meaning (…) learning not about the other, but with the other. Not watching from a distance, but stepping onto the field — literally.”
