“Raccontare la realtà che cambia”. Third edition of the School of Civic Education, an orientation initiative promoted and organized by honors students at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa
The third edition will take place from Thursday, September 25, to Saturday, September 27, at Villa del Gombo, the former presidential residence in San Rossore (Pisa). Fifty students from all over Italy will discuss key issues of citizenship and current affairs: the Constitution, ongoing conflicts and the need for peace, the European Union, the fight against the mafia, the right to mental health, and the situation in prisons. On Friday, September 26, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi will speak
Fifty students from all over Italy, enrolled in their fifth year of high school, are the protagonists of the third edition of the School of Civic Education, an initiative born from an idea of students at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa and scheduled this year from Thursday, September 25, to Saturday, September 27, at Villa Del Gombo, the former residence of the President of the Republic within the San Rossore Park.
Three days of lessons, round tables, testimonials, and group activities focusing on major current issues, with the aim of promoting civic awareness and active participation in public life among the younger generation: this is the main objective of the School of Civic Education, which this year is once again based on the theme ‘Telling the story of a changing reality’, under the high patronage of the European Parliament and the Department for Sport and Youth of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. University professors, journalists, members of associations, and representatives of institutions will speak to testify to different forms of civic engagement. On Friday, September 26, at 11:45 a.m., there will be a meeting with Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi on the theme ‘Between peace and war’.
The 50 participants were selected on the basis of academic merit and their background in fragile socio-economic contexts, in line with the mission to promote social mobility that the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies has pursued since its establishment. In addition to its educational aspect, the School of Civic Education is also a residential stay, a unique opportunity for boys and girls from all over Italy with different study paths and ambitions to meet and exchange ideas, hosted within the San Rossore Park thanks to the contribution of the Fondazione Il Talento all'Opera Onlus and the Fondazione Luca Cavallini Onlus.
"For three years now, the School of Civic Education has been aiming to introduce high school students to the complexity of institutional, social, and economic reality, raising awareness not only of a specific “course of study” but also of the intertwining of objects, interests, methods, and languages of the social sciences, addressing highly topical issues from different perspectives" emphasizes Luca Gori, the Rector's delegate for the scientific coordination of the project.
The Constitution, peace and war, the fight against the mafia, the demographic crisis, the European Union, the right to mental health, and the situation in prisons: the program of the School of Civic Education
The program addresses civic education from different perspectives, with a particular focus on current events and their interpretation. Among the topics on the agenda for the third edition are: ongoing conflicts and peacebuilding, the origins of our Constitution, legality and the fight against the mafia, the demographic crisis, the European Union, the right to mental health, and the situation in prisons.
It begins on Thursday, September 25, at 3 p.m. with institutional greetings from the Rector of the Sant'Anna School, Nicola Vitiello, and the two foundations Il Talento all'Opera Onlus and Luca Cavallini Onlus. This will be followed by presentations by Prof. Alfonso Celotto (Roma Tre University) on ‘The Birth of the Italian Republic’, Daniele Cinà (Head of Social Media Communications for the Mayor of Rome) on ‘Explaining Politics to Young People’, and Prof. Alessandro Rosina (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart) on ‘Why Italy Can Be a Country for Young People’.
Friday, September 26, will open with a press review curated by Giada Zampano (journalist and contributor to the Associated Press). This will be followed at 10 a.m. by a meeting with Elisa Storace (journalist and popularizer) and Giuseppe Cardamone (Azienda Usl Toscana Centro) on ‘Almost 50 years since the Basaglia Law: where are we and how did we get here?’.
At 11:45 a.m., there will be a meeting with Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, president of the Italian Episcopal Community, who, interviewed by Giada Zampano, will discuss the importance of building peace in a context characterized by numerous violent conflicts and the role that the Church as an institution can play to this end.
The afternoon is dedicated to the functioning of European institutions and the political situation within the Union: Prof. Edoardo Bressanelli (Vice-Rector for Orientation at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies) discusses with Stefano Actis and Pietro Tito Corso (Ambassadors of the Antonio Megalizzi Foundation) the rise of the right wing in the European Parliament. Participants will then be directly involved in a simulation of a European Parliament plenary session, organized by the Ambassadors of the Antonio Megalizzi Foundation.
The final day, Saturday, September 27, will begin with a new press review, curated by Felice Florio (journalist for L'Espresso).
This will be followed by ‘Suspended judgement. Juvenile detention and prisoners’ rights' with Felice Florio (L'Espresso) and Prof. Tullio Padovani (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna and Accademico dei Lincei). Finally, there will be a focus on the mafia with ‘The fight against the mafia between theory and testimony’ with Prof. Anna Sergi (University of Essex) and Tina Montinaro (Antonio Montinaro Foundation), moderated by Rossana Arcano (University of Messina).
‘The main objective of the project since its first edition has been to encourage young people to actively participate as citizens in the life of their communities and to take an interest in the changes around them,’ explain Valerio Lorenzo Cancian and Carlo Cignarella, students at the Sant'Anna School and creators of the project. “We like the idea of offering those who are a little younger than us an opportunity for growth similar to those that Sant'Anna has offered us, so that everyone can find their own path and perhaps a passion to cultivate.”
