There is a Sardinian boy among the 28 Standard-Bearers of the Republic chosen by President Sergio Mattarella.
Inerio Vacca, a fifteen-year-old resident of Arbus, was chosen by the Head of State because last summer he saved a friend who was unconscious after a dive into the sea .
The Quirinale's statement emphasizes the young man's "promptness" and "lucidity," the protagonist of a "commendable" gesture. "Realizing the grave danger facing a friend who was unconscious in the water after a dive, he intervened without hesitation to rescue him. With composure, he first dragged his peer to shore, then administered first aid and managed to revive him. A conscious act of responsibility, altruism, and courage," the reasons given by the Quirinale read.
The certificate of merit, the Quirinale explains, went to young people who in 2025 distinguished themselves for "behavior inspired by civic duty, altruism, and solidarity." This year's theme is "Experiencing and Communicating Solidarity."
Adolescents, the Quirinale statement reads, "confirm themselves as the most surprising and spontaneous interpreters of this value. Despite the persistent cliché that portrays them as distant from social engagement, the reality shows that these young people are capable of participation, empathy, and a desire to help ."
Solidarity takes many forms: "Supporting a classmate in need, caring for the environment, mobilizing during an emergency. These gestures demonstrate how, for adolescents, solidarity represents a genuine way to feel part of a community. It's a profound sense of sharing, expressing a desire to contribute to improving the conditions of those experiencing difficulty or vulnerability."
The awarded young people "are active protagonists of a society that aspires to be more inclusive, responsible and attentive to the common good , capable of facing the challenges of the present and the future with greater cohesion."
And "making this legacy of altruism and sensitivity visible means promoting the spread of a positive model of civil coexistence and encouraging others to follow its example, helping to fuel an increasingly contagious solidarity."
(Unioneonline)