UNIRSM News The University of San Marino opens the archives of the Research Center on Emigration for young people on cultural stays

The University of San Marino opens the archives of the Research Center on Emigration for young people on cultural stays

The documents of the families of each participant in the initiative have been identified, with young people from France, the United States, Argentina, Belgium and Italy

There were approximately one hundred original documents, preserved by the Emigration Research Center of the University of the Republic of San Marino, selected and made available to young people living abroad who participated in the 2024 edition of the Cultural Stays, during who explored the reality of San Marino by tracking down family members who, in the last century, left the Titan to move to another country.

Within the framework of the calendar of the initiative, active since 1981 and developed last month over a three-week period, on 23 July the participants attended a lesson in which Patrizia Di Luca, director of the Research Centre, offered an in-depth analysis of two hours on the history of San Marino emigration, intertwined with the experiences of the families of the children present: “The work – explains the academic – began a few weeks earlier when each boy communicated to us the names of their ancestors who left Titan many decades ago. This allowed us to proceed with targeted research in our archives, which collect the files of 11.000 citizens, with also 200 personal letters and a thousand images. Documents such as passport requests and boarding certificates have emerged, in which the characteristics of each person can be read, often with a photo."

The digital version of the selected material was shown during the lesson, which included a general overview enriched by the stories of the relatives of those present, coming from France, the United States, Argentina, Belgium and Italy: "The participants, who are around 20 years old , they first saw images of their loved ones as young people, when they left for a distant country. This had a profound emotional impact on them, which translated into a heartfelt involvement and very high interest,” says Di Luca.

In the wake of the lesson, the children visited the Emigrant Museum, where the activities of the Research Center take place. There they were able to view and touch the material relating to each of their relatives: "Some had never had to deal with documents from the 20s. The wonder that shone from their eyes reflected the value of this kind of initiative. They represent a significant enrichment both for the kids and for us."