Research: The Joint Memorial Ceremony as a practice of third narrative, between (re)modeling memory and future-making. Stories of compassion, connection, and courage in Israel-Palestine.
Ilaria Olimpico is a PhD Researcher in Peace Studies, a facilitator of social arts and of the Work That Reconnects, mother of two daughters, and a Focusing trainer.
She graduated with honors in International and Diplomatic Sciences (old system) with a thesis in Islamic Studies from the University of Naples L’Orientale.
Her research project explores stories of connection, compassion, and courage in the Israeli-Palestinian context, examining the Joint Memorial Ceremony — promoted by Combatants for Peace and The Parents Circle Families Forum — as a practice of third narrative between (re)modeling memory and future-making toward collective liberation.
With over fifteen years of experience in group facilitation — at the intersection of peace education, conflict transformation, deep ecology, and community building across borders — she has developed the methodological framework “Stories that Reconnect.”
She has collaborated with the CISP of the University of Pisa, the DSPS of the University of Florence, and the University of Würzburg-Schweinfurt (FHWS). She has worked as a facilitator and consultant for ANCI Umbria in the European FAMI projects PUZZLE and LIFE, focused on conflict transformation, social inclusion, and capacity building, collaborating with newcomers and institutions. In recent years, she has designed and facilitated workshops, both online and in person, in collaboration with international facilitators such as Elena Boukouvala, Arundhati Samudra, and her mentor Héctor Aristizábal.