It has reached its thirtieth edition UCSI national Christmas awardpromoted by the Verona section of the Italian Catholic Press Union and named in memory of Giuseppe Faccincani. From dignity through the rehabilitation of work to support for children in theaters of war to the re-appropriation of one’s own person, there are many interesting topics addressed this year too. And, among others, one that concerns us closely also stands out: the social use… of social media. In fact, among the winners there is also a reportage hosted by GreenMe.
The winners were selected by the jury – composed of the president of UCSI of Verona, Stefano Filippi, the vice-president Tarcisio Caltran, members of UCSI Verona, UCSI Trento and UCSI Veneto – among 135 nominations came from national and local newspapers, periodicals, Catholic weeklies, TV and radio stations throughout Italy.
The winners and the reasons
The jury’s special recognition “Journalists and society: the journalistic profession at the service of man”, promoted by the Social Communications Office of the Episcopal Conference of Triveneto (CET), was awarded to Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture and founder of the Cortile dei Gentili, a structure of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, established to encourage meeting and dialogue between believers and non-believers, to “the tireless work at the service of man”.
The Ucsi – Catholic Foundation for the Press Award goes to Rachele Turina of the Gazzetta di Mantova for the article “I got my hands dirty, but time in prison, work and family gave me hope again” on the re-education of prisoners through work, the help of qualified operators and the closeness of their loved ones.
For the Press section, mention goes to Roberto Mazzoli, of the Avvenire newspaper. His piece talks about the daily life of young people with disabilities, their families and a working context that welcomes them through the experience of the “Pesaro Utopia”. The UCSI – Fondazione Cattolica alla TV Award goes to Riccardo Cavaliere, RaiNews24, with the report “Neve Shalom, the oasis of peace”. An eloquent testimony in these times of horror and wars: in the village of Neve Shalom, in Jerusalem, coexistence between Arabs and Jews has been a reality for years; the service shows a path of peace already traveled and viable, which becomes a concrete sign of hope for the future.
The UCSI – Fondazione Cattolica alla Radio Award was instead awarded to Maria Luisa Merolla, for the weekly magazine “Special correspondent” on Rai Radio1, in which he told how, in an abandoned area on the outskirts of Rome, a drug dealing square was returned to the community and transformed into a meeting place for young and old.
The Athesis Plaque of the Athesis Editorial Group, dedicated to collaborators and/or journalists under 30, goes to Filippo Cappelli, 25 years old, student of the master’s degree in journalism and multimedia communication at the Luiss University of Rome, for the article «The children all smile in the same language» published in the magazine ZETA Luiss. A passionate portrait of Claun the Pimpathe clown who has been bringing smiles to children in war zones for sixteen years: a ray of light amidst the devastation.
Special “Women’s Genius” Award
Our editor-in-chief Roberta Ragni, who specializes in issues of inclusion among other things, goes to the special “Genio della Donna” Award from the Banca Popolare di Verona Foundation for her reportage “Bodies that speak: 10 female disability influencers who are changing our idea of normality”an important signal of the value that all of us in the editorial team attribute to the themes of inclusion andempowerment.
With ten portraits, ten stories of women challenge prejudices. Roberta Ragni in her piece highlights how the “female dignity must ignore the canons of beauty and normality dictated by fashion and advertising“.
The article highlights how people with disabilities are often reduced to objects of inspiration (inspiration porn), depriving them of complexity and humanity. Social media, however, have opened spaces for authentic storytelling, where disability is experienced and shown without filters. Influencers like Haben Girma and Alice Wong challenge stereotypes and social structures that create exclusion, showing the diversity of bodies as wealth. Through vulnerability and sharing, they build communities of support and promote inclusion, rejecting pietism.
I hope this is just another step towards a world where uniqueness becomes a value and not an exception”explains Roberta Ragni.
The importance for GreenMe.it of talking about disability
Receiving this award represents not only a personal recognition for our editor-in-chief, but also a significant achievement for the entire editorial team, which for years has been committed to promoting a communication inclusive, sensitive and attentive to everyone’s rights, also thanks to its coordination. Talking about disability and doing so in an ethical way is not simply an editorial choice, but an act of social responsibility, which helps to break the silence around stereotypes and prejudices that are still too deep-rooted.
With this report, in particular, our editor-in-chief wanted to highlight the silent revolution led by women with disabilitiescapable of using social media to build new, authentic and unfiltered narratives. Stories that do not limit themselves to documenting limits, but celebrate the complexity and strength of bodies and minds, inspiring concrete change in society.
The value of this recognition
The award underlines the commitment that Ragni puts in every day in guiding GreenMe.it to give voice to often overlooked issues, demonstrating that an environmentalist newspaper can (and must) also become a spokesperson for social battles, intertwining the themes of environmental sustainability with those of social inclusion.
Receiving such a prestigious recognition gives further strength to GreenMe.it’s mission: building a more equitable and respectful society, capable of valuing all diversity.
Let’s continue like this!
