117 OI magazine sible. I took this project as the turning point of my life, it was an all-in, so I made the video editing by myself ››. When the covid19 pandemic broke out in the middle of his journey, he was forced to change his plans. “I was in Atlanta, but I had to interrupt everything and go back to Spain, where I had lived for 5 years. A er the quarantine, however, I decided to return to my family in Italy and resume the journey from here. I made a change of course, but the pandemic hasn’t stopped me. So I traveled from September to November 2020 for all the Italian regions and, unexpectedly, I met exceptional people and characters. Breaking the mold I had set for myself, I spent my 30th birthday in Sicily with my family ››. His journey became famous when he arrived in North Korea, a land di cult to cross and full of pitfalls. e public became passionate about the stories he posted, the consensus began to grow dramatically and the Happiness project began an ascent that seems unstoppable. Pursuing happiness didn’t just mean traveling and looking for it in other cultures. Giuseppe, alias, the “Reporter of Happiness” also worked in the social eld: he was the rst reporter to board the SOS Mediterranee boat, tackling the mission to save migrants in the Mediterranean with the entire crew. “I was the rst Youtuber to get on the Ocean Viking and it was a real honor for me. I spent months and months of chats with the SOS Mediterranee guys, to make them understand that my youthful language could help them communicate to the world how important their mission was. I spent 47 days on board, from April 12th to May 17th, and it was an incredible experience, because I learned a lot. Unfortunately, we witnessed a terrible shipwreck: just before arriving on the spot, a dinghy full of people went down and everyone was dead. It was very touching, to see the bodies in the sea and both the crew and I felt helpless. Fortunately, a er a few days we saved a group of people and I also participated in the rescue not as a reporter. I helped them as much as I could and I am proud and honored to have had this experience. On that ship I did not nd happiness, but hope. For the saved people, being happy meant being able to choose life, a er risking everything ››. SOS Mediterranee was not the only humanitarian mission the happiness reporter participated in. From 15 to 22 July, Giuseppe ew to Iraq with Smiles Emergency. A mission that lasted a few days, but which put a strain on the entire team of doctors and nurses of the Italian organization that treats children and women with severe facial deformities all over the world. At the Habobbi Teaching Hospital in Nassirya, Giuseppe made a stop to document the entire mission, including surgical interventions, in an exceptional reportage. “I didn’t hesitate when asked to leave. e day in Iraq was carried out in a standard way: wake up at 7.00, for breakfast, from 8.00 to 21.30 in the hospital, and then go back to bed. We stayed in some guest houses inside the hospital. Although they were very large houses, they had few amenities, including running water which was o en lacking. ey were very nice with me, because Italians are seen as heroes and treated to the maximum of their possibilities. It was not possible to leave the hospital because it was full of policemen and soldiers who guarded the area. e team of professionals doctors and nurses managed to complete 98 interventions in just a few days. I was there and I could watch, lm and ask for information and they were very helpful. I felt part of a special team: I have never seen greater dedication to work ››. Children with half-smiles, deformed faces and many problems relating to sociability. A thrilling scenario that Giuseppe was able to touch and lm with his trusty camera. It is important to approach people who rarely have contact with outsiders, being marginalized by all due to their appearance. “Children of di erent ages are involved: from infants to 5/6 years children. ey su er a lot, because facial deformities do not allow them to eat well, breathe, speak and lead to social exclusion, as well to subsequent psychological problems. A er surgery, the sedated children are taken away, so it was impossible for me to see them recovered, but I can con rm that even just operated on, the change in the face was evident ››. Travel around the world, people interviewed and experience beyond the limits of the imagination: all of this is the “Happiness Project” still in progress and in constant evolution. But with all the wealth of experience built up, will Giuseppe have found at least some ingredients for the happiness formula? “Yes of course! A very trivial thing, discovered on my skin: THE FAMILY. I was looking for the necessary elements for my project, and I neglected family; I understood, at least, that for me, it is the primary source of happiness. I realized that family might not be everything, but it’s the only thing that matters ››.
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