“Stories of Hope” is a long-term project. I meet ordinary people that carry a message of hope, a fragment of the future”
— Luca
Story#2 - Carla
Little by little. Every week.
Carla Diaz, Nice Plogging
“Plogging” is an expression which describes the activity of jogging combined with the pick up of trash that you find along your way.
It started as a civic movement in Sweden several years ago.
Last April, while in Nice during one of the confinements, I came across a group of volunteers that gathered on a Saturday morning in ‘Opera beach’ (Promenade des Anglais).
I engaged in a conversation trying to udnerstand the meaning of a big glass recipient full of cigarettes’ butts. Well, I confess, I had got an hunch, but I wanted to learn more.
Clara Diaz, volunteer from Nice Plogging showed me the result of the latest Plogging:
“The ‘plogging’ is a simple and constructive way to build a cleaner environment, waste-free. It help raise awareness on the impact that an apparently banal behaviour can have on our planet, looking at the immediate impact on our city”.
“We know: this will not solve the problem, as we need to promote behavioural change on all our lives. But we are convinced that, little by little, we can help the people living in Nice and the tourists that come here, understanding that it is important to preserve our beaches, our nature. We own it to the future generation.”
The Instagram account of Nice Plogging demonstrates the energy, the passion and the motivation of this group of volunteers, tireless operators of hope.
STORIES of HOPE. Simple stories of ordinary people that carry a message of hope, a fragment of future. I have been meeting incredible people, that transmit energy, passion, engagement. I talk to them and try to find their message of hope.
Story#1 - Thierry
I will return on stage
"Stories of Hope" starts from the culture, one of the sectors most impacted during COVID: theatres, music, museums, arts, in general, are precious treasures, and we have been deprived for many months.
Thierry Lopez is an actor based in Nice, South of France.
Thierry Lopez, Nice
We met in front of the ‘Theatre National de Nice’, a symbolic place for an artist. I could immediately feel how much Thierry missed the theatre, the stage, the public.
“Two years without public. The stage, the show, the spectators: all this is a need for an actor.
It is a life which is missing”.
Thierry
He mentioned that several actors found a different jobs, even if a temporary occupation; others decided to work on long term projects, learning new parts or writing new ‘peaces’; some performed on YouTube, but it is not the same.
“You can’t replace the emotion and the energy of the public in front of you”.
One of his concerns was the difficulty of planning the following months and the uncertainties of the seasons.
Nevertheless, he carried a strong motivation, the desire to get back on stage, the willingness to return to auditions and find new artistic ways. His motivation was an example for me, reminding how much is important to focus on what is important to us.
“When theatre will open again, everything will explode, it will be like a big party. People need to laugh, need emotion and we will be ready.”
Good luck Thierry! Thank you for your energy and motivation: I imagine you now performing on a stage, giving emotions to many spectators.
STORIES of HOPE. Simple stories of ordinary people that carry a message of hope, a fragment of future. I have been meeting incredible people, that transmit energy, passion, engagement. I talk to them and try to find their message of hope.