The proposal for Verona open city is in the hands of Tommasi
INTERVIEW – Jessica Cousins coordinate the group Verona open cityone of the eleven working tables of the center-left coalition for administrative 2022 led by the mayoral candidate Damiano Tommasi.
– Cousins, where are we with the work of the eleven tables from which the electoral program of the center-left coalition should be born?
Cousins. «All the documents will be closed by mid-February, someone has already delivered the final summary wanted by Tommasi, we will deliver it in these days. Then there will be a moment in which the documents will be presented to the city: only the modalities remain to be defined ».
– Tell us about your work table
Cousins. «My table deals with civil rights And social, one of the least problematic groups because the center-left is aligned on these issues. It is composed of 4 thematic sectors which are obtained respectively by organizers Lgbt +, disability, equal opportunities And migrants.
The members of the group are expressions of the movements and parties of the coalition, except Niki Leonettistrongly wanted by Damiano Tommasi. we meet on linebut a difference from other tables we have given ourselves the political method of listening ».
– Explain this method to us.
Cousins. «Each thematic sector meets various representatives of the territory, from trade unions to associations such as Planet Milk or Circle Pink in order to then be able to draw up a final document of 3 pages to be delivered to Damiano Tommasi.
We have decided to use an appropriate language, on which a document will also be produced ad hoc which can then become a vademecum of the Municipality for the use of a gender-friendly language ».
– What are the priorities for Verona?
Cousins. «The goal is to expand the culture of rights. For example, when it comes to foreigners, asylum seekers immediately come to mind, because perhaps they are the most visible in the city and politics has mainly dealt with them.
But more than 30 thousand migrants reside in Verona without making news. Most are women from the east who are in care jobs. The same is true for 25,000 people employed as foreign labor in the Veronese countryside, mostly Romanians and Moroccans ».
– Besides the migrants, who are the other invisible ones?
Cousins. «We had meetings with the LGBT + reality of the city, whose activities are not mentioned. Yet in 2021 they have 253 contacts of children and families who needed support. As of January 20, these contacts are already 37 (given by the Milk Association).
In short, there are realities of the territory that make up for the well-being that must be state, with social services that must deal with gender discrimination and sexual orientation with an office within the Municipality “.
– The social is also closely linked to cultural policies: what idea did you get?
Cousins. «The Municipality should be the leader and lead by example – as with the project Here in Bologna – by connecting the Equal Opportunities Office to the Education Office and organizing meetings and activities also in the school. Then, there is work to be done on language, which in itself builds reality: if a woman becomes a councilor, she must be called councilor “.
– Speaking of communication, what do you think about the electoral campaign?
Cousins. «Efficiente is a campaign that speaks to everyone. The press often reports the news without giving prominence to the real protagonists of the themes. We want to involve all the realities that have remained on the margins, to dare to give their voice ».
– Often the “voiceless” people you describe are not interesting for politicians, also because some do not vote …
Cousins. «The Council of Immigrants – deleted by Flavio Tosi – is a proactive and listening body that can bring a glimpse into the life of the Verona neighborhoods. Migrants must be given the opportunity to learn the language and access services in their own language, such as in the school curriculum involving children.
With Tommasi we said to ourselves that “politics is getting out of it together”, as Don Milani used to say. If you want to be the mayor, you have to be the mayor of everyone and everyone ».
– With what projects?
Cousins. “For example, we discussed the possibility of having schools open beyond 16 to transform them into educating communities, with language or theater courses and the elderly involved in the activities. It is a project also designed to make up for the difficulties of women and families who accept all day and not a babysitter.
And then we must think of the children, who in the last two years have had to give up sport, cinema and meeting places: we must offer them the opportunity to meet to give an answer to the lack of relationships, as well as to educational poverty “.
– What idea did you have of the major themes of Verona: Airport, Fair, Arena Foundation?
Cousins. «I know very little about economics, I’m waiting to see what the other tables will produce. But I know what there should be in the neighborhoods: the post office, the bank, the services for those who live there… Surely it is necessary to monitor to define the needs, and the choice of the destination of the PNRR funds must also be based on this criterion.
I would not like, for example, that the PNRR funds destined for the Paralympics ceremony in the Arena were used to make the opening of the affected area accessible, forgetting what is outside the “showcase”. A broader project is needed that works on mental as well as physical barriers ».
– How to evaluate the experience of the working groups of the center-left coalition?
Cousins. “At the tables as people with specific knowledge, and it was not expected. This is the real “Verona laboratory” made up of skills. A factory of Damiano Tommasi’s political program ».
Annalisa Mancini