While discussions continue on social networks about the reception of migrants and many are demonstrating racism and intolerance, the mayor of Ventotene, an island that has been a symbol of Europe since Altiero Spinelli conceived the famous Manifesto, is preparing to become the new champion of hospitality, going in the opposite direction of what seems to have become the motto of many, too many people.
The small island municipality has requested the sending of families of foreigners to avoid the closure of the elementary and middle schools of the town due to the lack of pupils.
As Repubblica explains, at the moment there are only two children enrolled in middle school and eight in elementary school on an island that has just under 600 residents and which even drops to 200 in the winter months. For this reason, the mayor, Gerardo Santomauro, has decided to address the Minister of Education, Valeria Fedeli: "Our appeal to Minister Valeria Fedeli - declares the mayor to the newspaper directed by Mario Calabresi - is to guarantee education on the island up to the age of 14 and for this we are ready to welcome migrant families with children and orphans, both Italian and foreign. We can make the home-accommodation for the elderly available to them, transforming it into a family home".
An initiative which will not only be able to save the schools of Ventotene but which will also be able to help dozens of families in difficulty and which also has a significant symbolic value.
