The Puzzle of Commitment

The third-grade students of the Leone XIII Institute in Milan take the stage to present their work. It is a video that they conceived, produced and edited, all by themselves. They are the protagonists, they act in the shoes of people who represent an example of life for them. For example Malala Yousafzai, Giorgio Ambrosoli, Giorgio Napolitano. Then other classmates join them on stage who have created a Memory of responsibility. The faces of people considered witnesses of commitment and legality are glued to the figurines that make up the board game. And then other classes take turns on the stage, each with a project, in a coming and going of good news that triggers applause from the audience at each presentation.

It is a special day, it is repeated every year: the Day of Civil Virtue of the Giorgio Ambrosoli Civil Association, created to focus on issues such as conscience, participation, the Constitution. Classes from all school levels are participating and are candidates for the prize. They come mainly from Milan but also from other areas of Lombardy, such as Brescia, Lecco. Every year there is a theme that students can freely decline, using the means of communication they prefer. For high schools, this year's inspiration was: I am a citizen, responsible and free. So, for example, the students of the Istituto Superiore Giovanni Bertacchi brought an illustrated book for children that tells the story of Lea Garofalo, a witness of justice, a victim of the ndrangheta. The students of the Istituto Severi-Correnti brought a research on the addiction of their peers to alcohol, smoking and pornography. Other classmates told how they reacted to the vandalization of some classrooms in their school that occurred during an occupation.

Others presented examples of peace and rejection of hatred in current contexts of war. Every year, the final puzzle composes a panorama in which hope seems closer. It is there in the eyes and words of the youngest who present the projects in which they have invested energy and resources. In school.

Chiara Vitali
NP December 2024