KINGNEWSWIRE // PRESS RELEASE // BOLOGNA, Italy, 3 September 2026 — A travelling yellow tent by the Scientology Volunteer Ministers opened in Bologna’s Piazza Lucio Dalla, showcasing an exhibition of practical methods for overcoming everyday challenges, along with photos and stories of emergency volunteer work both in Italy and worldwide.
The initiative launched on Sunday, 30 August, attended by about 100 people, and will remain in the square until 8 September. Inside the yellow pavilion, panels and videos offer approaches on communication, relationships, studying, work, marriage, parenting, and handling unsafe or challenging environments.
The opening featured local guests who had interacted with the Volunteer Ministers during emergencies in their communities: Luca Vecchiettini, Mayor of Pianoro; Fabrizio Lazzarini, a restaurant owner from Pianoro; and Andrea Ferrarini, former president of the Radio Club Contea Nord civil protection group in Bondeno.
Their stories linked the educational content with the behind-the-scenes work following floods, earthquakes, and other crises: clearing debris, supporting relief efforts, helping restore damaged areas, and assisting communities in returning to normal life.
Pianoro: a relationship born after the 2024 floods
Mayor Vecchiettini discussed the bond formed between Pianoro and the Volunteer Ministers after the severe flooding in Bologna’s metropolitan area in October 2024.
The floods disrupted Bologna and neighboring areas like Pianoro and Val di Zena, which faced repeated extreme weather in 2023 and 2024. The Emilia-Romagna regional authorities documented the recovery work in Pianoro and surrounding regions.
Vecchiettini, responsible for civil protection and community affairs, described at the Bologna event the friendship that grew between his administration and the volunteers. His official duties are outlined by the Municipality of Pianoro.
Fabrizio Lazzarini shared personal memories. His restaurant was flooded with mud after the October flood. Scientology volunteers helped clean up, and the restaurant became an informal base for relief workers arriving in Pianoro.
During the opening, Lazzarini recalled the challenging days post-flood and his gratitude for the aid received by his business and community.
The third narrative reached back to the 2012 earthquake. Andrea Ferrarini recounted the aftermath and the volunteer support in Bondeno and Medolla.
The earthquake spurred extensive civil-protection and volunteer response region-wide. PROCIVICOS, associated with Scientology, records formal recognitions for volunteer efforts post-disasters, including acknowledgements for the 2012 earthquake response in Medolla.
The three speakers provided the human aspect of the Bologna opening, highlighting relationships formed during crises extend well beyond the immediate emergency.
From emergency response to everyday difficulties
After the ribbon-cutting, visitors explored a photographic display of Volunteer Ministers’ activities and material explaining the broader program purpose.
Though their yellow shirts are often associated with disaster responses, the Volunteer Ministers program was not solely created for such situations.
Founded in 1976 by L. Ron Hubbard, the program aims to provide practical help for personal challenges.
Supported internationally by the Church of Scientology, training materials cover topics like communication, study, relationships, marriage, parenting, work issues, stress, and personal goals.
Over the years, an international Volunteer Ministers disaster-response network has developed alongside community activities, with volunteers aiding in relief operations post-earthquakes, floods, fires, and other emergencies.
This mix — readiness for extraordinary events and focus on everyday human issues — is central to the Bologna exhibition.
Rather than focusing solely on disaster imagery, the displays present methods to enhance communication, resolve problems, and tackle challenges constructively.
This approach reflects the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program’s broader purpose: offering practical help from personal difficulties to large-scale emergencies.
Ivan Arjona, representative of the Church of Scientology to the EU, OSCE, Council of Europe, and UN, remarked:
“European communities depend not only on public institutions but also on citizens ready to help when individuals or neighborhoods face hardships. What’s remembered in Bologna — from Pianoro floods to Emilia-Romagna earthquake response — is practical solidarity. Helping people regain communication, organization, and progression ties to human dignity, civic duty, and the values forming peaceful, resilient communities.”
The event in Bologna also highlights how a religious community-developed program can engage with municipal authorities, civil protection, businesses, and individual citizens for practical community assistance.
For speakers at the opening, that partnership was rooted in direct interactions during times when extra aid was essential.
Their presence in Piazza Lucio Dalla lent the exhibition a regional dimension, connecting the Volunteer Ministers program’s international history with events directly experienced by Emilia-Romagna communities.
The inauguration and the tent’s presence in Bologna were also reported by BolognaToday.
A travelling program across Italy
The Bologna installation is part of a travelling initiative bringing similar Volunteer Ministers exhibitions to various Italian cities.
Inside the tent, visitors can see photographic documentation of humanitarian and community actions, and learn about Scient
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