Guatemala City’s Municipal Council held “Acto Civico”, a public event in honour of Italy, which was attended by students of the capital’s main schools. The appointment was part of the current celebrations of Italy in Guatemala. In his speech, the Mayor of Guatemala City, Alvaro Arzu, recalled the great generosity of Italy, which through the Munijoven programme, run in partnership with the city council and the local mission of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has for many years provided professional training courses to many young people living in the capital’s poorest districts. In his speech, the Mayor of Guatemala City, Alvaro Arzu’, recalled Italy’s great generosity in continuously offering vocational training courses to many young students living in the most destitute areas of the city through the Munijoven Programme, co-managed with the Municipal authorities and the local representatives of UNDP.
In response, Italian Ambassador, Edoardo Pucci, told the students: “A few months ago I realised a dream, that of becoming Italian Ambassador to Guatemala. I am currently Italy’s youngest ambassador. When I was your age I had many plans: I wanted to be a doctor, a centre forward for my favourite football team Juventus, or precisely a diplomat. At your age it is essential to dream, to set goals, even if they seem unattainable, because only the dreamers who think they can change the world really change it. In the past there have been great dreamers who have made the world a better place in which we can all live together: Albert Einstein, who revolutionised physics; Gandhi, who wanted a world without violence; Amelia Earhart, who wanted to fly and Martin Luther King, who dreamed of living in a country where his children were not judged by the colour of their skin but by their capabilities, and finally I would like to quote Steve Jobs who, with his inventions that you all know, revolutionised technology, the world of computers and how we listen to music. The inventor of the iPhone liked to tell his students to ‘stay foolish, stay hungry’. Staying hungry means having a desire to learn because a person grows through study. The more a person knows, the more he or she is ready to play an important role in life or just be a better citizen who respects his/her neighbour, mother and father and the public property.” Ambassador Pucci concluded: “I can assure you that, in my young life, I have seen that ignorance breeds fear and hatred in people, while culture and study make life more joyful and boost enthusiasm. Indeed, study turns us into free citizens, aware of our capabilities.”