KINGNEWSWIRE // PRESS RELEASE // MILAN, Italy — 4 November 2026 — Scientology Volunteer Ministers began a week of public activities in Milan on 31 October, offering residents free practical training resources and marking eleven years since the opening of the Church of Scientology’s headquarters in the city’s Bicocca district. The programme includes meetings with representatives of local institutions, information on volunteer assistance and a blood donation session scheduled for Friday, 6 November, in cooperation with AVIS Milano.
The anniversary, held under the theme “Celebrating the Value of Volunteering — Together for the Heart of Our Community,” focuses on the contribution of people who dedicate their time to helping others, whether through emergency assistance, education, environmental protection or support for those experiencing difficulties.
The opening day combined street-level outreach with a gathering attended by representatives of civil protection services, diplomatic circles and local institutions. Together, the events highlighted the working relationships developed between the Milan Church and organisations active in the city.
Practical skills shared in Milan’s streets
On Saturday, 31 October, the anniversary of the headquarters’ inauguration in 2015, Scientology Volunteer Ministers visited streets and public squares to introduce residents to Strumenti per la Vita (Tools for Life), a collection of free online courses intended to help people address common personal and interpersonal difficulties.
The materials cover subjects including communication, conflict resolution, organisation, personal responsibility and assisting others in challenging circumstances.
These courses form part of the international Scientology Volunteer Ministers programme, based on the work of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Developed in the 1970s, the programme provides training for individuals interested in acquiring practical skills for use in everyday situations and volunteer work.
In Milan, the volunteers concentrated on making these educational resources available to residents, explaining their content and how they can be accessed online without charge.
The outreach was followed by an institutional gathering featuring presentations and personal accounts from people involved in community assistance. Representatives of civil protection organisations, the diplomatic community and local institutions participated in the meeting, which addressed the contribution of voluntary service and the importance of cooperation between organisations operating in the same territory.
The opening message emphasised that volunteering extends beyond individual generosity:
“Volunteering is not merely an individual act of generosity. It is also a form of active citizenship, capable of strengthening social cohesion, countering isolation and fostering a culture of care and shared responsibility.”
The yellow tent and the message that something can be done
Another part of the anniversary programme was a public presentation planned for Tuesday, 3 November, in Piazza Antonio Gramsci, under the title Qualcosa si può fare — Something Can Be Done About It.
The event was designed to introduce visitors to the work of Scientology Volunteer Ministers through their yellow tent, a familiar feature of the programme’s public activities in Italy and other countries.
The tent provides a setting for explaining the volunteers’ methods, demonstrating educational materials and discussing the kinds of problems for which their training is intended.
The programme’s motto, Something Can Be Done About It, was chosen by Hubbard to express the principle that people can take constructive action when confronted with difficulties rather than assuming that nothing can be changed.
Beyond public information activities, Volunteer Ministers have participated in emergency responses and community assistance initiatives in various countries. Their work is organised through local Scientology communities and volunteer networks, with training available to people beyond the Church’s membership.
The Milan presentation formed part of the wider anniversary programme, which sought to make that work better understood among residents and local organisations.
Blood donation day with AVIS Milano on 6 November
The week’s concluding initiative will take place on Friday, 6 November, when the Church of Scientology at Viale Fulvio Testi 327 will host a mobile blood collection unit from AVIS Milano.
The event continues an established relationship between the local Church and the Italian blood donor association, which has previously organised collection activities at the premises.
AVIS is one of Italy’s principal organisations dedicated to voluntary blood donation. Its local branches work with healthcare services to support blood supplies for patients who require transfusions, surgical procedures and other medical treatments.
Hosting a mobile collection unit allows an organisation to contribute premises and logistical support while qualified medical personnel oversee the donation procedures.
For the Scientology volunteers involved, the collaboration represents a different form of public service from the educational activities that opened the anniversary week. Instead of distributing information or offering training, the Church provides a venue for an established healthcare-related service that depends on voluntary participation.
The initiative also draws attention to the cooperation between religious communities and specialised charitable or public-interest organisations, an established feature of Italy’s voluntary sector.
Eleven years at Viale Fulvio Testi
The Church of Scientology of Milan inaugurated its current headquarters on 31 October 2015. Located on Viale Fulvio Testi, the building accommodates the Church’s religious activities, educational facilities and spaces used for public information and community events.
Its information centre presents the beliefs and history of Scientology alongside programmes supported by the Church in areas including drug prevention, human rights education and volunteer assistance.
Over the past eleven years, the Milan premises have also served as a meeting place for activities involving outside organisations and representatives of civil society.
The anniversary week follows this pattern, combining programmes organised by Scientology volunteers with activities involving institutions and associations whose work serves the wider population.
Ivan Arjona, representative of the Church of Scientology to the European Union, OSCE, Council of Europe and United Nations, sees particular value in such local partnerships.
“Europe’s principles of solidarity and respect for human dignity become more meaningful when they are part of everyday life,” said Arjona. “In Milan, that means people sharing their knowledge, making time for others and working with organisations such as AVIS. Religious communities have a place in that effort, alongside everyone else who wants to make a useful contribution to society.”
The blood donation session on 6 November will conclude a programme that began with volunteers speaking directly to residents in Milan’s public spaces and continued with exchanges involving people engaged in local service.
About the Church of Scientology
Founded by L. Ron Hubbard, the Church of Scientology is present throughout Europe through its churches, missions, affiliated groups and members. Its humanitarian and community programmes include drug prevention education, human rights awareness, volunteer assistance and initiatives promoting ethical conduct and social responsibility. The Church’s recognition as a bona fide religion and, in several jurisdictions, its charitable status have developed within Europe’s different national legal systems. Its European churches and associated organisations continue to support educational, preventive and community activities in cooperation with local partners.
