Inter-Religious Dialogue and Peace Education
TEACHER INFORMATION
Name of the teacher
Serena Dominici
Country:
Italy
Subject taught:
Italian and History
Years of experience:
20
SCHOOL INFORMATION
Name of the School:
I.I.S. Signorelli
School Typology:
Upper Secondary School
Country:
Italy
City:
Cortona
Web site:
CASE STUDY
Background and Context:
Our Institute, which includes three realities very different from each other (a Human Studies High school, a Technical-trade institute and a Vocational School for social services) has been facing issues concerning the hospitality and integration of foreign students in pre-adolescent and adolescent age, even during the school year, for many years now.
Most of foreign students attend the Vocational Institute. In total the percentage of foreign student varies between 12% and 14% in the three institutions.
Factual Description:
The project was developed during school year 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-16 and involved an heterogeneous group of students coming from all the curricula, of different religions and with no religious beliefs.
The objectives of the project were:
- to promote integration, dialogue and debate between students and families of different religions living in the territory;
- to prepare and known how to present research material during a conference;
- how to use IT;
- to interact with local authorities;
- how to work in groups.
Cortona Municipality, the imams, the teologist Mauro Pesce, representatives of other faith-based associations in the area, a group of German students Cortona Municipality hosts every year in memory of the Falzano Nazi massacre, they all participated in the organization of the activities.
The students reacted positively to the initiative, although opportunities for discussion among Muslim students and their companions were not missed, as part of the work took place in the period of the terrorist attacks in France. Beside some students not participating in the project, activists of the right wing organisation Casa Pound expressed their disappointment at the invitation to the refugees to participate in the planned activities.
The Project outcomes were very satisfying both for teachers and students, notwithstanding some organizational difficulties.
Activities carried out:
- Research, selection and preparation of multimedia material on inter-religious dialogue for the meeting;
- Participation to the meeting;
- Peace Education workshop class in Rondine;
- Lecture-debate on refugees in Italy with the “Afrotiberina Real de Banjul” team.
The project has seen the deepening of the issue from the point of view of different religious faiths and under the universal standpoint (eg. The reception, the concept of mercy, etc.) and the implementation of multimedia material to be presented at the conference annual on interreligious dialogue organized by the city of Cortona.
The students participated also in a seminar lesson on peace education in Rondine Cittadella (Arezzo) in the context of the reception of the German students from Ottobrun (Cortona twin city in remembrance of the Nazi massacre of Falzano) and in a very interesting meeting with a football team entirely made up of refugees, aged 19 - 30 yrs, who shared their experience from the landing in Lampedusa till the sport initiative they are currently involved in at Città di Castello.
The conference on inter-religious dialogue registered the wide collaboration and presence of students' families as well as the active and effective involvement of the German students and their tutors.
Assessment and lesson learnt:
- Multimedia presentation production;
- Active participation in the workshop lesson in Rondine and the meeting with the football team of refugees;
- sharing experiences of listening, welcoming, integration;
- strengthening the sense of belonging to the school, the community and the region.
The experience has proved very successful for all participants, so that it has been replicating for 3 years now, with different themes and activities. However the impact on Italian students' parents appeared marginal
Description of the Case Study in National Language: