"The Meeting is the place where my life is built. The encounters and exhibitions always offer a broader perspective on any topic they address, like a wide-open window to the world. The Meeting allows me to breathe. All my longing for beauty and justice finds a place here. That’s how, at a certain point, I said to myself: ‘I want to help build it.’ The Meeting is a friendship that accompanies you in building a part of your life. And by building the Meeting it feels as if I am building myself. We are one and the same thing."

For Chiara, the Meeting is a friendship that builds, in every way. A dedicated nurse from Florence, she met her future husband, Gibi, an engineer from Lugo (Ravenna), during her first year as a volunteer in 2015.

During the Pre-Meeting, Chiara and Gibi act as the "guardian angels" of the so-called “Banco Lavori” (worksite desk), the station in the south hall from which all operational projects are coordinated in the days leading up to the Rimini Meeting. “In the work of the Pre-Meeting, there is a great desire, an equally great ideal, that takes shape precisely within a friendship. The most surprising thing is that, when you are there, you are never alone in your work: there is always someone doing it with you. It may seem like a small detail, but in reality, it is everything, because it feels like someone is helping you take one more step, perhaps in learning to do something well. And this dynamic applies to life too: who wouldn’t want the same kind of support in their everyday work? For me, the Pre-Meeting is a continuous building of myself. Every year is different, yet I have never thought: ‘What an effort to dedicate this time instead of resting!’”

Chiara and Gibi contribute to building the Meeting not only through their volunteer work but also as donors. Why? Gibi responds: "The Meeting is a place that builds bridges, that fosters dialogue. Over the years, there have been extraordinary encounters about the Holy Land, moments of discussion among Christians, Muslims, and Jews, in contexts where dialogue seemed impossible. It is a place that helps build peace. That’s why it’s important to support it: an experience like this cannot go unsupported. Of course, no one is obligated, but those who have experienced it know that it is a work worth preserving and growing. The Meeting is always relevant because it touches people's hearts. And that is what makes it so unique."