Piedmont, for the under 35s: climate and migration, living libraries, educational events, poetry competitions, festivals

ROME – An entire region, Piedmont, is involved throughout the year in European projects on the theme of climate change and migration. Mobilized young people, a vague concept which, in this case, includes the under35, but which will involve entire communities. It’s about Mindchangers (Youth and Agenda 2030) which, having reached its third year, having overcome the obstacle of CoVid, arrives throughout the Piedmont area, in all its eight provinces, with 16 approved projects, 3 promoted by Local Authorities (Municipality of Moncalieri, Municipality of Cambiano, Municipality of Beinasco ) and 13 by Civil Society Organizations. A practical declination of how local and global are connected on the horizon of Agenda 2030 and of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) decided by the United Nations.

The entire Piedmontese territory is involved. Pasquale Pellegrino is the manager and contact person of the European project for technical support and monitoring on behalf of COP, Piedmontese NGO consortium (32 associated NGOs and non-profit organizations) of the Italian part, where the Piedmont Region leads. Six regions of the continent are involved: Spain (La Rioja), France (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), Belgium (Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles), Germany (Baden-Württemberg), Romania (Dolj County) and Italy with Piedmont. “We have gone – says Pellegrino with satisfaction – from 11 projects and only a few provinces affected, to this involvement of the whole Piedmont area where 28 projects were presented and 16 financed with a maximum of 35 thousand euros. Throughout Europe they have activated this period more than a hundred projects with the aim of stimulating young people and involving them as protagonists”. Knowing, acting, changing are the three keywords and the tools are local realities, communities, associations, NGOs. “Various researches – including that of Eurobarometer – indicated young people as more sensitive and able to get involved and become active promoters of initiatives together with civil society organizations willing to provide information and provide tools. And so it happened”.

The living library. The inventiveness of the various projects uses tested tools and ideas, true good practices, to understand climatic and migratory phenomena, communicate, dialogue, create connections. Clear example is “Course change” (Friends of the World – World Friends Onlus, Growing Together Cooperative) in the province of Asti, Alessandria (Canellese, Acquese and Casalese) and Vercelli, a project which includes an appointment Living library, the direct testimony of human stories and events in the field of climate change and migration. Presented in these days it will be held in the village of Fontanile, Sunday 2 April from 4 to 6.30 pm in the premises of the Municipality, with a final aperitif. It is a model that has already been tested in small communities to make the unknown “knowable”, to give a face and humanity to the Other who can be frightening, to explain the seemingly inexplicable.

Looking for stories to tell. The so-called booksellers go in search of stories and willingness to tell them, the “people-books” tell each other face to face with an invited public. The experience was born in a Danish community 23 years ago and then developed and refined all over the world. It is not the only project that adopts this type of initiative: the Cultural Association Eufemia APS, with the GASP!-Youth, Activism and Participation Strategies project, which concerns Turin, Alpignano (TO), Savigliano (CN), Verbania (VB ), GravellonaToce (VB) and neighboring municipalities, offers the living library only in some of the various areas involved.

Thematic events. “Change of course is exactly the example of an involvement and activation of young people – adds Pellegrino – along the lines of our seminars open to project promoters who treasure the research of the Romanian University of Craiova, a practical guide to participation, and the Pyramid of involvement The project provides support and continuity projected into the future with a hackathon, a challenge to solve a concrete problem linked to climate change and migration and communication, with the winners who will be able to follow a training course in Europlanning to participate in tenders on the same issues. This is exactly what Mindchangers wants to do: multiply the message by allowing other young people to become autonomous and capable of creating sustainable initiatives well beyond the duration of the project”.

Festivals, news and meetings with poetry. So – always tells the manager of COP – many other projects include festivals to involve people. Also interesting is the involvement of experts to give young people the tools to bring some causes to the fore, not only from a communicative point of view through social media and various media, but also from the perspective of legal actions. As CORN Ong (among the founders don Fredo Olivero) with the project called YouAct! – Youth Action for climate change has found a partnership with Climate Justice Now! And Friday for Future to produce nine news programs that tell the story of the territorial nodes and resilience capacities in the face of epochal changes in the various continents and countries, from Senegal to Guatemala and in Piedmont, linking the local and the global.

The poetic competition.Then, there is Doctors for Africa-CUAMM (Slam for future) for Turin, Biella and Novara who designed a masterclass for poetry slam, improvised poetic competition, as a bridge between Uganda and Piedmont. Or the Abel Group (FormTOInform. Spaces for training and information for young people in the Turin area), in Turin and in the Municipality of Avigliana, which includes courses in investigative journalism and courses in environmental cinema on global warming with a focus on Valchiusella. Or the CISV (CLI.MI. – Youth and climate migration) which triggers a virtuous dynamic between Turin, Biella, Cuneo and Senegal with media partners, radio in particular, through various local events.

Promoting Municipalities. Three projects financed and promoted by local authorities, out of six presented. In Beinasco (Drop by Drop) together with the Network of Municipalities for Peace (CoCoPa) to involve the entire citizenry on the issues of climate change and migration and the Objectives of the 2030 Agenda. On the aspects of individual awareness and changes in habits it is interesting the project of the Municipality of Cambiano (Challenges for Youth -Challenges for Youth 2.0) which takes up and makes the transition from plastic to biodegradable or washable provisions in everyday reality more aware. An ideal continuation of the “Youth Challenge” which led to the banning of plastic from the Sagra dell’Asaparago di Santena, also in the Turin area, a festival which this year, in May, reaches its ninetieth edition. Awareness and taking charge in the first person is also the objective of the project of the municipality of Moncalieri. The title is the program: BeTheChange_Be the protagonist of change.