Italy
Numerous Feeding Minds Fighting Hunger activities are taking place in Italy.
An Italian Committee for Feeding Minds Fighting Hunger, composed of prominent academics, nutritionists, NGOs, and the Italian National Commission for UNESCO, has been formed to promote the initiative throughout the country. In October 2001, the Committee, with the participation of the Italian Ministry of Education, held a press conference to launch its activities; in November 2002, under the auspices of the Italian government, it organized a Euro-Mediterranean Forum in Southern Italy (Calabria) on the Feeding Minds initiative. Education and nutrition experts from 17 Mediterranean countries - Albania, Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey - participated, with the technical collaboration of FAO and the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet).
The aim of the Forum was to introduce the FMFH initiative and teaching materials to countries in the Mediterranean Region, review country-level application and experiences, explore how to promote and encourage the use of the FMFH lessons in the participating countries and identify possibilities for future inter country collaboration and cooperation.
Contact: Prof. Mario Giancotti, President
E-mail: medipolis@tiscalinet.it
Another major initiative is being carried out by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, which has implemented a pilot project involving 12 schools in Rome. Since March 2002, classes from primary, intermediate and secondary levels in the participating schools have been working with the FMFH lessons. The work produced by the students and teachers was presented to FAO at a special World Food Day celebration organised by the Ministry and the participating schools at the Coliseum in Rome on 16 October, 2002. Some of this work is featured on the FMFH website.
www.istruzione.it
The Italian National Commission for UNESCO, ASPnet, initiated in 2002 a pilot project using the FMFH materials in selected schools around the country. The project is still on-going and this work is also being featured on the FMFH website.
www.unesco.it
The Italian NGO New Trends, in collaboration with the Lazio Region and the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, organized in September and October 2002 a drawing, poster and slogan competition on the topic of world hunger for students and teachers from schools in the Region. Over 300 schools, from pre-school through high school, participated, producing more than 2,400 works of art on the theme. Some of the participating classes also collected funds for country micro-projects through the FAO TeleFood campaign.
The competition culminated in an official celebration held in Rome in November 2002 involving 4500 participating teachers and students, families, celebrities and local authorities, as well as FAO. The organizers will select some of the best art works to reproduce as greeting cards; any proceeds from the sale of these cards will be designated for the FAO TeleFood Campaign.
www.newtrends.it
Since November 2002, WAGGGS-AMGE youth groups (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts/ l'Associazione Mondiale delle Guide) have been working with the FMFH lessons creating activities on the topic of nutrition (for example, discovering regional products; discovering biological agriculture; writing a cook book with a balanced menu for summer camp.) As part of their "Thinking Day 'activity held in February 2003, the best selected work was presented to all participating groups and was awarded the FAO-WAGGGS Nutrition medal.
Italian Scout Federation (FIS)
www.wagggsworld.org
Associazione Guide e Scout Cattolici Italiani- AGESCI
www.agesci.org;segrint@agesci.it
Another Feeding Minds Fighting Hunger school event took place in Monterotondo, just outside of Rome on 20 May, 2003. The event was organized by the Istituto Comprensivo Via XX Settembre, one of the 10 schools participating in the FMFH pilot programme launched in Rome by the Italian Ministry of Education (MIUR) for the school year 2002-2003. The Istituto, which includes elementary and middle school, involved 21 classes, covering all grades, in using the FMFH didactic materials during the school year. The event was organized to celebrate the culmination of the student's work and to present the materials that students and teachers produced on the topics of hunger, nutrition and malnutrition. These materials were presented to FAO and to the Ministry of Education for diffusion in other schools. Many interesting charts, posters, essays and fact sheets were elaborated by the students, as well as a PowerPoint slide show on the topic. As part of their work (Lesson 3: What can we do to help end hunger?) all classes raised funds and selected a local or international charity group to receive the funds.
The event itself, held at the City Hall of Monterotondo, was attended by 250-300 people, including teachers, students and their families, local and regional authorities, representatives from the Ministry, University "La Sapienza" of Rome, and the FAO Food and Nutrition Division. The work of FAO in fighting hunger and malnutrition was highly praised, and the opportunity that the Feeding Minds materials provides schools to participate in helping create a world free from hunger was greatly appreciated.
