The Peace Builders Relay on November 7 in Sondrio.

Launched on October 15 from Milan, the "Peace Builders Relay", a project of Districts 2041 and 2042 of Rotary International aimed at students to promote peace, inclusion, and conflict prevention, arrives in Sondrio after Monza and Colico.

The path includes meetings with Olympic athletes and participation in the training program NewGen Peacebuilders.

At the end of this journey, the students will create a Peace Manifesto and receive the Peacebuilder Certificate.

The baton of this relay, a stylized wooden torch, will be passed among the schools involved in the journey: seven stops along an "ideal" road that connects Milan to Bormio, passing through Monza, Garbagnate Milanese, Lecco, Colico, and Sondrio.

During each appointment, outstanding athletes and authorities from the sports world will share their stories, witnessing the deep significance of the initiative.

A training path of high symbolic value that unites the universal Olympic values and the well-known Rotary commitment to conflict prevention and peace education.

The fourth stage of the Relay will involve two classes from the Liceo Scientifico Donegani and two classes from the Liceo Linguistico Piazzi - Lena Perpenti, at the Cinema Excelsior in Sondrio. In the presence of Marco Amelia, Italian footballer and coach of Nuova Sondrio Calcio, bronze medalist at the Athens 2004 Olympics, gold at the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Germany and at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Giulio Gusmeroli, a Valtellinese athlete who participated in four Paralympics and swam across the Strait of Messina in 2024, Ivan Murada, world champion skialpinist in 2002, European vice champion in 2005, students will learn about the opportunities and the value of an initiative designed and realized to build a better future.

The round table "Sport and Rotary promoters of peace" will be moderated by Benedetta Carrara, a young writer and playwright from Valtellina with interventions by Roberto Bottura, a surgeon involved in conflict areas, and Alessandra Rossodivita, with her Planemo website mapping health emergencies due to war worldwide.

Interventions by Fabio Massimo Marchetti, event manager District 2042, and Cesare Sacerdoti, peace relay coordinator District 2041 and project creator.

Dedicated to the new generations, the initiative represents the heart of Rotary's commitment in view of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and aims to create among high school students a positive awareness of peace and proactive inclusion, to educate to conflict resolution, and to consolidate the synergy among school, sport, and active citizenship.

The Peace Builders Relay is organized by Districts 2041 and 2042 of Rotary International, under the patronage of the Lombardy Region and is recognized as a legacy of Milano Cortina 2026. The project is carried out in collaboration with USP Milano.

NewGen Peacebuilders is a global educational program that trains young people aged 14 to 24 in peaceful leadership. Through workshops, practical activities, and local projects, participants develop skills in mediation, communication, and conflict resolution. The goal is to inspire a new generation of peace builders who can act positively within their communities and beyond (newgenpeace.org).

Special Olympics is the sports association that organizes the Special Olympic Games every four years.

The association is a member of SportAccord and recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, in the USA in 1968, it proposes and organizes training and events for people with intellectual disabilities and for every level of ability. Worldwide, there are over 6.7 million athletes registered with this organization present in 200 countries (specialolympics.it).

The Rotary International is a global network, founded in 1905, composed of 1.2 million enterprising women and men, friends, acquaintances, professionals, and entrepreneurs who believe in a world where all peoples come together and act to promote positive and lasting change in nearby and distant communities and in each of us. Rotary members, gathered in 46,000 clubs, share the responsibility of taking action, committed to promoting peace, fighting disease, providing water and sanitary facilities, improving maternal and child health, supporting education, developing local economies, and protecting the environment (rotaryitalia.it).

To learn more about the project: costruttoridipace.eu

For more information:

District 2042 R. I.

Emanuele Napolitano

Assistant to the Governor Group Brianza 1

Tel. 335 5363335 - email: emanuelenapo@gmail.com

Rotary Club of Sondrio

Tiziana Colombera

President

Raniero Spaterna

Assistant to the Governor District Group Adda

Email: segreteria@rotarysondrio.it