Il Futuro nelle nostre mani

The need to present this project arose from the perception of the tragic historical context that has profoundly shaken our certainties, confronting us with the awareness of our fragility. This realization, particularly painful and difficult for young people, was intended to represent the starting point for a positive change, where schools have the duty to be at the forefront of guiding young people to embrace their fragility and approach the world around us in a proactive and empathetic way. The practice of solidarity, civic awareness, and respect for the rules for the common good that this emergency has taught us can become values and practices in our daily lives as citizens and show us the path to truly empathetic interaction with others and the environment. Our FRAGILITY must enable us to grasp that of the environment we are part of and trigger virtuous behaviors and practices, in the absolute certainty that we are the environment around us. EMPATHY must become a practice of existing in presence, generating solidarity and responsibility towards others, the environment, and future generations.

Our partnership aimed to contribute to the achievement of some important strategic objectives, both those mentioned in the Europe 2020 growth strategy and those mentioned in the Record Fund 2021-27 and in particular in Next Generation EU in issues related to sustainable development and climate change, Green Economy policies and the promotion of European values. The concrete results expected were: A local and international communication campaign (in the local language and in English) aimed at raising public awareness of the environmental critical issues emerging from the research work, including dissemination on social networks and traditional media, through: - Paper and digital publication of a dossier of the reports drawn up by each school regarding the topics addressed during the mobility weeks; • Joint production (group work) of audio and video spots both for information and denunciation, and for the promotion of sustainable and virtuous behaviors; • Joint creation (group work) of brochures on best practices; • Creation of posters to raise awareness of the importance of the project themes and encourage discussion on the main topics addressed.

Students, with the guidance of their teachers, identified a critical environmental issue in their local area on which to produce a journalistic reportage, which was presented during each week of the mobility and published in various media. Implementation activities took place during the mobility sessions by sharing the topic proposed by the host school and included discussions, meetings with organizations, and the production of brochures, videos, podcasts, and posters. Activities common to all partner schools during the preparatory phase included: analyzing the local area and studying the identified environmental issues, consulting with experts, journalists, universities, or artists as appropriate; translating the findings of the study into communication strategies and/or local actions, involving the press, local media, and social media; meeting with experts and sharing the findings with the participating classes or classmates; visiting scientific institutions and public bodies affected by the specific critical issues; and producing communication materials, such as flyers, brochures, video clips, and maps.

The project engaged teachers and students from the five partner schools in identifying critical environmental issues in their local areas. After studying their history, characteristics, and problems, the project generated a local and international communications campaign aimed at raising public awareness of the environmental issues identified by the research. This work was disseminated on social media and traditional media through: the print and digital publication of dossiers of reports compiled by each school on the topics addressed during the mobility weeks; and the production of audio and video spots, brochures, and posters, both informative/denunciative and promoting best practices.