National competition for schools: to hope and build

Fourth “National Competition for Schools. One city is not enough Chiara Lubich, citizen of the world”.  Awards Day on 17^th May.

The Awards Ceremony for the National Competition for Schools “One city is not enough. Chiara Lubich, citizen of the world”, took place on Friday 17^th May, 2024, in the Auditorium of the International Centre of the Focolare Movement (Rocca di Papa – Rome). It was organized by the Chiara Lubich Centre, New Humanity, the Historical Museum Foundation of Trent and with the support of the Italian Ministry of Education and Merit.

The Competition took place for the 4^th time. It was open to all Italian schools, nationally and abroad and once again provided an opportunity for many primary and secondary school students to reflect on pressing themes such as peace and the sustainability of humanity and the environment. These themes were aligned with the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and inspired by the thoughts and testimony of Chiara Lubich, Founder of the Focolare Movement and advocate for a culture of unity and fraternity among peoples.

About 330 students from 14 schools across Italy including the major islands, participated. They presented 21 diverse projects, which the students carefully planned and executed processes with the support of their teachers.

The award ceremony, included both in-person and online participation from the winning schools and those receiving commendations, was a moment of sharing and exchange. It highlighted not only the creativity of the students but also their strong focus on the contest’s themes. The new generations, often overlooked, demonstrated their ability to observe, reflect and envision a better future and world, proposing viable paths to achieve it.

The VIPS who attended and those who presented the prizes to the winning schools, included Dr. Luca Tucci, Director of Office III (Area of Bio-Psycho-Social Well-being, Transversal Education and Legality) of the General Directorate Student Affairs, Inclusion and School Orientation at the Ministry of Education and Merit (MIM); Dr. Fabrizio Bagnarini, of the Third Office of the Ministry of Education and Merit; Dr. Giuseppe Ferrandi, Director of the Historical Museum Foundation of Trent; Prof. Maurizio Gentilini, historian and researcher at the NRC (National Research Centre); and Dr. Marco Desalvo, President of New Humanity.

In his online greeting before the awards ceremony began, Dr. Tucci reaffirmed the Ministry’s support for this initiative, stating: “Promoting certain values through raising awareness among young people and students is fundamental not only for their growth but for our society as a whole.”

In the Primary School category, first place was awarded to Class 4^ C of the I.C. 2nd Circle “Garibaldi” A. Moro School in Altamura (Bari) for their poetic work “The country of Fraternity“ which creatively expressed key concepts of Chiara Lubich’s philosophy and offered a hopeful vision for the future of the world.

In the Lower Secondary School category, second place went to Class 1^ C of the I.C. “San Nilo” I. Croce School in Grottaferrata (Rome) for their innovative news program “Let’s Build Peace! Peace TV News” a project that showcased the class’s concrete experience and daily commitment to peace. First place was awarded to Class 3^ D of the I.C. “Filippo Mazzei” in Poggio a Caiano (Prato) for their project which was a game, “Origami for the environment“, an activity that transcended play to become a tool for reflection and concrete action in favour of the environment.

In the Upper Secondary School category, second place was a tie between Classes 2^ and 3^ C of the A. Doria Classical High School in Genoa for their digital project “The common home“, which proposed a reflection-based educational path on the aforementioned themes and Estelle Le Dauphin from Class 5^ I of the I.I.S. A. Bafile High School in L’Aquila for her textual work “Love that enlarges heart and arms“, a reflection on Chiara Lubich’s philosophy focused on the concept of gift, also inspired by French anthropologist and sociologist Marcel Mauss.

First prize in this category went to the photographic project “Horizons” by Giulia Bilardello, Sara Marino and Chiara Parrinello from Class 3^ G of the P. Ruggeri Scientific High School in Marsala (Trapani). Their work conveyed a message of peace and the hope for a horizon where sea and sky unite, symbolizing collaboration to build a more fraternal world.

Maria Grazia Berretta