ABITO Culture at school for responsible citizenship
Abito is a civic education path that accompanies middle school students in a journey towards responsible citizenship, through the universal languages of art and culture. Abito employs the languages of art and culture to communicate with young students in a perspective of genuine equality, to fight stereotypes and build a citizenship that is attentive to the individual growth, respectful of other people and active in the construction of collective opportunities for interactions.
Local
Italy
Milan, Lombardy region
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): Le Dimore del Quartetto Srl Impresa Sociale Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Francesca Last name of representative: Moncada Gender: Female Nationality: Italy Function: President and Sole administrator Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Carlo Torre 28, Town: Milano Postal code: 20143 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 339 794 4120 E-mail:info@ledimoredelquartetto.eu Website:https://www.ledimoredelquartetto.eu
Name of the organisation(s): Museo Teatrale alla Scala Type of organisation: Private museum institution First name of representative: Donatella Last name of representative: Brunazzi Gender: Female Nationality: Italy Function: Director Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Filodrammatici 2 Town: Milan Postal code: 20121 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 02 8879 7473 E-mail:museoscala@fondazionelascala.it Website:https://www.museoscala.org
Name of the organisation(s): Fondazione Arnoldo e Alberto Mondadori Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Marta Last name of representative: Inversini Gender: Female Nationality: Italy Function: Director Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: via Riccione 8 Town: Milan Postal code: 20156 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 02 3927 3061 E-mail:info@fondazionemondadori.it Website:https://www.fondazionemondadori.it
Name of the organisation(s): Fondazione Italia Music Lab Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Nur Last name of representative: Al Habash Gender: Female Nationality: Italy Function: Director Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Giovanni Omboni, 5 Town: Milano Postal code: 20129 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 02 3824 6204 E-mail:nur@italiamusiclab.com Website:https://www.italiamusiclab.com
Name of the organisation(s): Triennale Milano Teatro / Fondazione CRT Teatro dell'Arte Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Carla Last name of representative: Morogallo Gender: Female Nationality: Italy Function: General Director Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Viale Alemagna, 6 Town: Milano Postal code: 20121 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 02 724341 E-mail:info@triennale.org Website:https://www.triennale.org
Name of the organisation(s): Equaly srls Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Sara Last name of representative: Colantonio Gender: Female Nationality: Italy Function: Sole administrator Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Appia Nuova 572 Town: Roma Postal code: 00179 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 339 653 0830 E-mail:equaly@pec.equaly.it Website:https://www.equaly.it/
ABITO is a civic education path that accompanies middle school students in a journey towards responsible citizenship, through the universal languages of art and culture. ABITO dialogues with students in a perspective of genuine equality, to promote the uniqueness of each individual, fight stereotypes, build a citizenship that is respectful, responsible and active. ABITO turns students into responsible protagonists of an empowering, inspiring and brilliant path to discover the value of culture and their role in society. A society in which dialogue, diversity and inclusiveness represent a strength of communities. From the Latin habĭtus -us, habere, as in “behaving”, the name ABITO holds a double meaning in Italian. The Italian verb “abitare” means “to live”, to “inhabit” that inspires the aspect of feeling at ease in a place, in harmony with the society but “abito” also implies “dress”, “gown”, which inspires the idea of putting oneself in someone else’s shoes. Abito has a third meaning in Italian, “habits”, “customs”, at times “stereotypes”, which are pillars to understanding the behaviors and biases that guide us through the ABITO journey. The result is a civic education path that promotes music, theater, dance, writing and the transformative capacity of arts and culture, putting it at the service of young people and the City. It is the occasion to discover one’s own city and the cultural organizations under a fresh perspective. A project for everybody, built by cultural institutions together with teachers and professors, starting from the needs and citizenship requests of teenagers. For young people, school is a fundamental place of construction and experimentation of citizenship. Middle school represents a “bridge” between childhood and adulthood in which young people find themselves for the first time in the position of taking conscious decisions, important for their future. ABITO is built to be scalable in terms of number of schools and organizations involved.
Responsible citizenship
Art forms
Self-consciousness
Equal and inclusive society
Social innovation
Social responsibility stands at the core of the concept of sustainability and sustainable development. In compliance with the objective 4 of the 2030 agenda, ABITO proposes itself to rethink the educational offer in terms of quality, equality, inclusiveness and innovation. Cultural institutions play a fundamental role in society as citizenship builders and sustainable development promoters: by discovering new artistic languages, ABITO challenges traditional behaviors, stimulating the imagination and fostering connections within the group. The target 4.7 of the 2030 agenda recognizes the fundamental role of culture in the perspective of sustainable development, as a means to promote the respect of human rights, gender equality, culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and diversity in all its forms. In these terms, ABITO is shaped by projects promoting the role and responsibility of each individual in a society, the value of each individual as a human being, the importance of collaboration, respect, listening, the culture of dialogue, collective consciousness and the sense of belonging to a community. All these values are conveyed and put in practice through performances, workshops and engagement of the students in diverse cultural and artistic activities, such as string quartet rehearsals and concerts, the process of writing and editing of a book, the experience of a disco, theater and opera, dance, the art of peaceful protests. These art forms become “means”, rather than “ends”, through which ABITO educates and promotes collective citizenship to children and teenagers, in other words, the future generation of responsible citizens. Therefore, ABITO gives schools and students the tools (knowledge, sensitivity, empathy, sense of responsibility) to understand each person’s role in a community and to support the growth of a conscious citizen.
ABITO’s priority is to offer high quality artistic and educational content. It is ensured by the work of cultural organizations experienced in the development of educational activities and of renowned artistic directors. ABITO seeks to promote every art form as a transformative force that transcend prejudices and stereotypes, stimulating changes locally and subsequently throughout society. The program currently consists of the following modules: METAFOUR by Le Dimore del Quartetto, concert-conversation in which a professional string quartet is a metaphor of collaboration, respect, inclusion and dialogue through musical performances and team-building workshops; addressed to students in their 1st year of Middle School. EPIC OF EVERYDAY LIFE by the editorial supplier Fondazione Mondadori, brings 1st-year students on a journey through the book supply chain, discovering which and how many professions come into the picture when creating a book and how crucial teamwork is to the success of the task. NOBODY NOBODY NOBODY It’s ok not to be ok, dance and movement by Triennale Milano addressed to 2nd-year students; from a professional dancer’s autobiographical experience and the creation of a solo, the project is an open process that investigates the memories and marks left on the body by bullying, toxic masculinity, violence and offense; it is conceived as a series of protest actions, arising from solitary and meditative practices. PROMENADES by Museo Teatrale alla Scala proposes a guided tour at the museum of Teatro la Scala, through the memory of musical theater and the history of the city itself, to overcome stereotypes and raise awareness on social sustainability; addressed to 3rd year students. LET’S PARTY is a simulation of a party on a dance floor with a professional DJ to reflect on individuals’ behavior in places of leisure and entertainment, and create a safe and comfortable environment; by Italia Music Lab and Equaly, for 3rd-year students.
ABITO is created out of the necessity to educate young students in terms of social inclusion in a metropolis, Milan, that counts over 1.300.000 inhabitants of which 21% are foreign residents (Data from the Municipality of Milan, 2021). Inclusion, respect of diversity and sense of belonging are therefore crucial to ensure a safe, prosperous and open ground for exchange. At the same time, Milan is the capital city of fashion and design, rich in art forms, cultural organizations and institutions. ABITO merges in one network some of the most important cultural organizations of the city to promote every art form and educate young students to the development of civic sense. In compliance with the values that ABITO conveys and is based on, the project is aimed at all students aged 10 to 13, gathering all nationalities, cultures, genders, physical or mental disabilities. Through the active collaboration of professors and school directors, ABITO includes every single student in activities, meetings and workshops, and fosters their participation. ABITO is free of charge for students and up to now it has been completely financed by private foundations with the aim of developing an educational tool (through the creation of media kits and training of trainers) that can be freely used by schools. ABITO aims to grow in terms of number of schools and cultural organizations involved, and aims at creating a platform where specific training and educational courses can be bought by schools, to make it available to more and more students all over Italy and Europe.
Finally, the organizations that have founded ABITO are now working to create a committee (for a legal recognition) with the aim of not having a single person or organization managing and being responsible for the project, but a group of entities working together, in an inclusive way, for a common goal: culture as an educational tool in school, for responsible citizenship.
ABITO is currently addressed to Middle Schools in Milan. It is designed for and with professors, schools, municipality of Milan, artists and cultural organizations, directly involved in the development of the educational modules. Cultural institutions play a fundamental role in society as citizenship builders and sustainable development promoters. Culture is a means to promote respect of human rights, gender equality, culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and diversity in all its forms. ABITO is shaped by projects promoting the role and responsibility of each individual in a society and as a human being, the importance of collaboration, respect, dialogue, collective consciousness and sense of belonging. The direct involvement of artists and professionals in the fields is crucial to the project’s success. This allows all the people involved to get in touch with new generations, understand their necessities and their points of views in order to better build future modules, activities and workshops. School is a fundamental place of construction and experimentation of citizenship. ABITO focuses on middle school students because this specific period of life represents a delicate moment of growth: it is a bridge between childhood and adulthood in which young people find themselves for the first time in the position of making conscious decisions, important for their future. This is the best moment for them to acknowledge the role they have as individuals and as part of a community, to teach them the values of collaboration, inclusion and citizenship. ABITO’s impact is about giving the opportunity of experimenting a real human exchange, a place where everyone can explore their personality, and put themselves in relation with the Other. A place of discovery of the Self and the Other. By discovering new artistic languages, ABITO challenges traditional behaviors, stimulating the imagination and fostering connections within the group.
ABITO’s design and implementation involved 6 cultural organizations based in Milan, operating at local level (Triennale Milano, Museo Teatrale alla Scala), at national level (Fondazione Arnoldo e Alberto Mondadori, Equaly, Italia Music Lab), and at European level (Le Dimore del Quartetto). It is about gathering cultural organizations from the entire sector, finding connections and collaborating, to achieve a broader goal together. The innovation lies in the variety of outstanding stakeholders creating a cultural content of extremely high quality, to serve a civic education purpose. Since the beginning, the project included an active dialogue with the Municipality of Milan, in particular the area related to culture and intercultural projects, and with two schools in Milan (Istituto Comprensivo Rinnovata Pizzigoni, Istituto Comprensivo Tommaso Grossi) with which ABITO’s pilot editions are implemented, thanks to the support of Fondazione EOS - Edison Orizzonte Sociale. ABITO involves professors and schools in the development and designing of the modules. All these stakeholders are in touch to define the real needs of young students and schools in terms of civic education. In fact, the teaching of civic education in Italy has become mandatory since 2020 for all schools, from elementary to high school. The pillars of this subject are: the constitution (law, legality, solidarity), sustainable development (environmental education and preservation of heritage) and digital citizenship. Although the objective is very clear, there has been a lack in providing professors with the tools to implement this educational content. ABITO was created to fulfill this need, by becoming a powerful tool for civic education through culture and arts. The most particular aspect is that there has been no actual need to invent something new: all that was needed is to bring cultural and artistic forms and contents in schools, presenting them to students in an innovative way.
ABITO is founded on the collaboration and integration between different cultural organizations and art forms. ABITO’s pilot editions have been designed around the following themes: the value of the person as an Individual, the relationship with the Other, living in time and space. It consists of the following educational modules: METAFOUR, concert-conversation in which a professional string quartet is a metaphor of collaboration, respect, inclusion, dialogue and team work; it includes musical performances and team-building workshops; led by creative enterprise Le Dimore del Quartetto, it is addressed to Middle School's 1st-year students. EPIC OF EVERYDAY LIFE, by the editorial supplier Fondazione Mondadori and addressed 1st-year students, brings students on a journey through the book supply chain; students discover the roles of writers, editors, graphic designers to better understand how many professions are involved to create a book and how crucial teamwork is to the success of the task. NOBODY NOBODY NOBODY It’s ok not to be ok, is a dance and movement activity by the milanese institution Triennale Milano Teatro addressed to 2nd-year students; from the personal experience of a professional dancer, the project is an open process investigating the memories and marks left on the body by bullying, toxic masculinity, violence and offense; it is conceived as a series of protest actions, arising from solitary and meditative practices. PROMENADE by Museo Teatrale alla Scala, proposes a guided tour at the museum of Teatro la Scala, a walk through the memory of musical theater and through the history of the city itself, to overcome stereotypes and raise awareness on social sustainability; it is addressed to 3rd-year students. LET’S PARTY is a simulation of a dance floor with a DJ playing to reflect on individuals’ behavior in places of leisure; organized by Italia Music Lab and Equaly, it aims to create a safe and comfortable environment for all.
What makes ABITO so unique and innovative is the power of the network: gathering diverse cultural organizations from the entire sector, finding connections and collaborating, to achieve a broader goal together. The innovation lies in the variety of outstanding stakeholders creating a creative cultural content of extremely high quality, to serve a civic education purpose. It is extremely rare to see such prominent cultural institutions, reaching schools and bringing such performances and workshops to students. To this day, schools have always autonomously organized school trips in cultural places, museums, theaters. Sometimes the responsibility lies in the hands of professors who attempt through their connections to activities and testimonies to sparkle their student’s attention.
Furthermore, in Italy, the school system still follows a very classical mainstream teaching style, with a 60 minute teacher’s monologue that can become obsolete in today’s area of digital, fast-paced content. ABITO offers schools a new high quality, engaging content with a structured workshop, through a shared and well-thought strategy, thanks to the involvement of numerous diverse artists, institutions and professionals.
Another important aspect is the scalability and transferability of the project: it is a dynamic business model that is able to easily reach increasingly more schools and students, and the possible partnership and programs to develop with cultural and artistic organizations all around Europe are endless.
Finally, this project represents a very effective way of hiring young professional artists (musicians, dancers, choreographers, writers,...) as part of innovative projects, helping them build a career that is diversified and that doesn’t depend only on the traditional performance.
ABITO can be easily replicated and transferred because:
- It is open to any cultural and artistic activity and organization; ABITO currently includes 6 cultural organizations but the network is designed in order to grow both in terms of numbers of partnerships, and in terms of the variety of workshop proposals.
- There is no limit in terms of schools and students that can be involved. A clear need for innovative civic education tools has been identified and schools are highly interested in finding new opportunities to bring high quality cultural contents in the classrooms.
- The project is inclusive and potentially addressed to every person, respecting their own characteristics and specific needs.
- The format of the project is transferable throughout Italy and Europe, by adapting the partnerships to the location and local cultural heritage.
- The contents can also be addressed to different targets and in different locations, for example by creating an open-to-the-public performance, including different art forms.
In addition, ABITO partners are already working to create free digital tool kits to professors and schools in order to train the trainers and make the preparatory meetings smoother and less expensive (in terms of resources employed and economically) both for the organizations and for the schools.
ABITO’s approach has always directly involved the group of professors and schools in the development of the project and in the designing of the modules. Each activity is built for it to be dynamic and engaging, and every student is actively involved in the workshops and performances, and is encouraged to share their own point of view, both anonymously and publicly, depending on the topic. ABITO is a place of human exchange where each student is invited to listen to themselves and to others, to understand their role in relation to others, respecting each other's differences and point of views. ABITO’s modules are interconnected and constructed avoiding the classical format of the teacher giving a lesson, and the students learning. The idea is to move the student from their natural classroom role, by developing their interactions and exploring the concept of Freedom with a community. ABITO aims to digitize the introductory and preparatory meetings, and to train professors to introduce the contents of the project. Physical participation and presence remains a fundamental part of the project. Each partner leads with a different artistic language, offering an opportunity for students to explore through theater, dance, music, movement, storytelling and visual arts the importance of the individual actions and responsibilities within a community. Each partner proposed a content balancing the discovery of student's own identity through powerful metaphors, with an analysis of social interactions. The first piloting editions of ABITO have been designed around the following themes: for the sixth grade, first year of Middle School: “The value of the person as an Individual”. For the seventh grade, second year of Middle School: “the relationship with the Other”. Finally, for the eighth grade, third year of Middle School “living the time and space”. Throughout the entire project the goal is to promote the development of an equal and inclusive society.
In compliance with the UN Agenda 2030 of Sustainable Development Goals, ABITO is founded on the belief that social issues can be overcome starting from school, as it is the very first gathering place that any human being experiences. ABITO is an educational program that promotes and values diversity as the strength of a group and not as the weakness of an individual (SDG4 Quality Education, SDG10 Reduced Inequalities). ABITO creates an opportunity for students to experience the values of respect, non-discrimination, collaboration, listening, empathy, altruism, starting with students from the sixth grade. All workshops tackle diversity in some form, for example the metaphor of the string quartet is a powerful example of collaboration and team working within a team that merges different genders, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds, that excel thanks to diversity, passion and respect for one another (SDG16 Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies). These values are then carried on with seventh grade students with the collective experience of dance, movements and choreography that investigates and raises awareness on the culture of control, bullying, toxic masculinity, violence and offense (SDG4 Quality Education, SDG5 Gender Equality). Finally, with eighth grade students, the development goals are addressed by the simulation of a party during which students are taught to respect one another and the place in which they find themselves, and promote civil coexistence (SDG11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable). These are just a few concrete examples of how, during our workshops and meetings, social issues are tackled directly with students. In addition, ABITO is the result of a partnership between cultural organizations and institutions that promote networking and collaboration as a tool to achieve the above-mentioned sustainable development goals (SDG17 Partnership for the goals).
ABITO was implemented as a 1st pilot edition at Istituto Comprensivo Rinnovata Pizzigoni from September to December 2022, involving the entire middle school for a total of 400 students, throughout 20 appointments. The 2nd pilot edition is implemented from February to May 2023 at the Istituto Comprensivo Tommaso Grossi with 3 classes, for a total of 60 students. These pilot editions are financed by Fondazione EOS - Edison Orizzonte Sociale and the financing will cover two further editions with Istituto Comprensivo Rinnovata Pizzigoni with the objective of making sixth grade students complete the ABITO path during their seventh and eighth grades. The first pilot edition is now being analyzed and surveys are about to be sent to test the level of satisfaction both from the professors’ and the students’ point of view. In general, high levels of satisfaction have already been demonstrated through direct feedback. A very representative comment has been received from professor Noemi Morrone “Your enthusiasm and professionalism have created a unique atmosphere filled with shared beauty. We thank you for this and we recognize it as ours.” The partnership is currently working to include more cultural organizations and to scale up the project: from gathering information to create a committee (from a legal perspective) to preparing tool kits and planning the training of the trainers, including looking for foundations to further support the development of the project. The team is designing project proposals that can be valuable in terms of content and format, while being economically sustainable for schools: the plan includes the organization of major events in theaters, open to every school, in which ABITO modules, performances and workshops are proposed to larger audiences of students; another proposal includes the design of smaller thematic paths (e.g. gender equality, bullying, inclusion, sense of belonging, responsibility, green transition).
Social responsibility stands at the core of the concept of sustainability and sustainable development. ABITO gives schools and students the tools (knowledge, sensitivity, empathy, sense of responsibility) to understand each person’s role in a community, which is that of respecting the others and the world we live in, actively fighting against discrimination and injustice not only when it is about people, but also animals, nature and our world in general. By strengthening the individual actions and focusing the attention of the students on the impact of their behavior, ABITO provides the correct tools to support the growth of a conscious citizen.
While the government directives regarding climate change and sustainability are crucial to lead the change, it is even more significant for individuals (as citizens, workers, entrepreneurs, politicians) to understand and value their active engagement to make the change.
It is fundamental to teach students as citizens, the urgency of these matters and the tools to support the change. This is why civic education is so crucial and why such topics should be addressed from the early stages of one person’s life.
