Network in the Mediterranean Sea for Youth Education

From April 29 to 30, the “Centro Internazionale studenti Giorgio La Pira” opened its doors to welcome project partners from Croatia, Egypt, Italy, Lebanon, France, and Spain to share experiences and working methods as part of the Erasmus+ project “M.E.D.I.T.erraNEW.” With New Humanity NGO as a partner, the project aims to inspire each other, broaden mutual horizons, and create a strong collaborative network across the Mediterranean Sea to transform it from a basin of death into a cradle of life and cooperation.

The first day’s work session focused on intercultural aspects. The “Centro Internazionale studenti Giorgio La Pira” presented to the partners the vision of Mayor Giorgio La Pira, its operational mechanisms, and the “Crescendo” project, which is an intervention in global citizenship education in secondary schools. International colleagues had the opportunity to attend an interactive presentation of the “Crescendo” project and were also actively involved in the project experience. As the guests admitted, the presentation made them realize the deep-rooted stereotypes in our minds and society and the resulting narratives, which often lead to conflict situations.

As Anna from the “Living Peace – International” organization concluded:

“It is very important to work with conflicts and live through them, (…) they are part of our life; we cannot simply close our eyes or run away. It is important to experience them together to better understand it and ourselves. Stereotypes create prejudices, and this cannot lead to peace. Only by living together can we all understand this better, which is a crucial preventive step for further conflict escalation.”

Our French partners added:

“To maintain peace, it is essential to work and educate our children to help them grow and become human beings capable of conflict management and aware of the importance of peace.”

During the second day’s work session, the center shared the teaching method of the Italian language and culture “Italian in Florence,” a language school with a specific intercultural and inclusive methodology. The guests were introduced to the Center’s long-term project where language is seen as a key tool for integration and a crucial aspect of creating dialogue. Our foreign guests had the opportunity to look behind the scenes of the Italian language courses and, for those with no prior knowledge of Italian, to learn something new.

“Mare Nostrum” or “Our Sea” was the Roman name for the Mediterranean Sea, encapsulating a sense of regional belonging. Only by creating networks, improving dialogue among people, and focusing on humanity and collaboration instead of competition, can we strengthen the sense of broader regional inclusion. The “M.E.D.I.T.erraNEW” project held two work sessions in Florence, which created new collaborative networks across the sea and made some steps towards transforming the Mediterranean Sea from a basin of death into a more inclusive Mare Nostrum.