ERO UN BULLO la vera storia di Daniel Zaccaro

**S**taged at Spazio Rossellini on February 9 at 9:00 PM, the performance "I Was a Bully" is a play adapted from the bestseller by Andrea Franzoso about the true story of Daniel Zaccaro, a boy who went from juvenile detention to working as an educator. Designed specifically for young people aged 11 and above, the show – dedicated to second chances – is produced by the Aida Foundation and addresses key issues in the school environment: bullying, youth deviance, gang violence, school dropout rates, as well as the educational responsibilities of adults and the possibility of redemption.

Daniel's story: from Beccaria to education
"No one would have bet a penny on Daniel," explains Franzoso, quoting the words of Don Claudio Burgio, the chaplain of the Beccaria juvenile prison. "Yet what seemed like a preordained destiny takes an unexpected turn after Daniel meets credible adults. We talk about pressing current issues: bullying, youth deviance, gang violence, school dropouts, but it is also a call to action for adults: what example are we setting for our kids, how can we intervene, what should we do and what shouldn’t we do?”
“Maybe out there is a boy or girl who can read their life through my story and feel less alone," says Daniel Zaccaro. "In life, there is no pre-written script. Until the very end, you can decide to change the ending."

Daniel lives in Quarto Oggiaro, a suburb of Milan. The atmosphere at home is tense, with little money and constant arguments. He grows up in the courtyards of public housing, loves football, and is the strongest on the field, to the point that at ten years old he plays for Inter Milan. Expectations of him are very high, and he does not want to disappoint them. But when, during a match, Daniel misses the decisive goal, his dream of becoming a famous footballer is shattered forever. In middle school, Daniel is a feared bully, full of anger and aggression. He feels that the only way to earn respect is to instill fear and not be afraid of anything, not even of robbing a bank. And indeed, he commits robberies for real, until he ends up in Beccaria, the juvenile prison. He is considered a lost cause, irretrievable.

The turning point comes with the meeting with Don Claudio, the chaplain of the prison. Daniel is entrusted to his community, which welcomes "problematic boys," and slowly learns to see things from a new perspective. He is also looked after by a retired literature teacher, Fiorella, who volunteers in the prison. Daniel resumes his interrupted studies, graduates, and then decides to enroll in university. He earns a degree in Educational Sciences from the Catholic University, and present at his graduation is the prosecutor who had sentenced him. Today, Daniel works as an educator at the Kayrós community in Milan.

Bullying, a widely spread phenomenon sometimes downplayed, emerges as an issue that requires greater awareness, especially in an era where technology and online life play a predominant role. Cyberbullying has spread rapidly, largely due to the ease with which one can hide their identity online. According to Istat data, more than 50% of interviewed boys and girls (ages 11-17) have experienced incidents of bullying, with 19.8% being frequent victims, suffering abuse more than once a month. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent during early adolescence, with a significant incidence among females. The show aims to be a path of awareness and resistance against bullying and all forms of discrimination through the strengthening of inclusion and, above all, through the power of a true redemption story.

A sociologically valuable play directed towards everyone, especially high school students, families, teachers, educators, and all those who believe that it's never too late to start over, perhaps right from our mistakes and failures.