(Finance) – Stimulating dialogue between university and high school students, combating educational poverty and promoting the transmission of the values of legality, the fight against corruption, mutual respect, environmental protection and culture, promoting everyone’s talent: the project “Legality and Merit”, born from an idea of the Vice President of Luiss Guido Carli Paola Severino and promoted by the University itself, has reached its sixth edition. To present the winning ideas of the initiative also the Minister of Education and Merit Giuseppe Valditara, Minister of University and Research Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio (via video message), the Vice President of the Superior Council of the Judiciary Fabio Pinelli, the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-terrorism Prosecutor Giovanni Melillo and the President of the National Anti-Corruption Authority Giuseppe Busia.
From the protection of the landscape to the fight against malfeasance, from the responsible use of the web to the fight against corruption, from integration and European citizenship to the exploitation of the person and the commons, again this year students from all over Italy faced in the meetings multiple ideas on the fight against illegality with an exceptional guide, the Luiss “Ambassadors of Legality”. In fact, more than that took part in this year’s edition 170 university students, a record number since the start of the initiative, 28 coordinators including research fellows, doctoral students and Luiss tutors, who have allowed the development of projects and ideas by the young people of 12 schools, 4 penal institutions Minors (Acireale, Caltanissetta, Bari and Florence) and 4 Social Service Offices for Minors (Rome, Trieste, Naples and Palermo).
They were three projects awarded during the final ceremony of “Legality and Merit”. On the podium: the video “Sounds and colors that extinguished my life”, from the “V. Capalbi” high school in Vibo Valentia, a story of hope against self-isolation, dedicated to the redemption of a girl with Hikikomori syndrome; The work of the Juvenile Penal Institute of Bari, “The room of affections” who, with a video, launches the proposal to create a place where young prisoners can meet families and friends more easily, to cultivate personal relationships, combat emotional isolation and encourage the process of re-integration; In the end, the audiobook “United in diversity” of the IIC “S. Livi” of Pratowhich highlights the importance of composing school classes capable of promoting inclusion, to promote the principles of European citizenship between different cultures and nationalities.
“Legality and Merit continues to promote the themes of justice and merit in schools, IPMs and juvenile institutions, encouraging a fruitful dialogue among the youngest on the culture of legality and respect for the rules. It always amazes me how much young people are ready to receive these messages, to translate them into beautiful projects that stimulate their implementation and to remain conditioned by them”, declared the Vice President of Luiss Paola Severinotalking about a new educational model, aimed at inclusion and sharing of values that are more easily transmitted from young to young.
In these six years, “Legality and Merit” has already reached over 4,200 students throughout Italy. Some of them, today, after enrolling in Luiss, have decided to take part again in the project, this time as Ambassadors. An increasingly significant commitment when compared with the data released last December by the Central Directorate of the Criminal Police according to which, in the post-pandemic period, there has been a boom in crimes committed by minors: 14.3% more minors reported and arrested compared to pre-pandemic (Department of Public Security Central Directorate of the Criminal Police, Final Report 2022 Criminal Analysis).
The University has made some available scholarships – two for the winning school, and one for each other school – for the participation in one of the Summer Schools starting next Monday 12 June. Furthermore, Luiss has also planned free training activities for IPM and USSM students, in the belief that all young people deserve the same opportunities and opportunities for growth and training.
Over the years, Legalità e Merito has received the support of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of University and Research, the Superior Council of the Judiciary, the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate and the National Anti-Corruption Authority. The relevance and concrete impact of the project were recognized internationally in the 2022 edition of the Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Awards, the global competition dedicated to innovation in the world of Education, which awarded the initiative with third place in the Regional Award – Europe category.