When school becomes a trampoline towards a better future.
How can we summarise these two project years in just a few words?
- “Innovation”
- “Nice and interesting”
- “Two difficult years, but all the hard work paid off”
- “Opportunity”
- “Teamwork”
- “Future”
- “Trust the process”
School is a laboratory of life, a space in which to experiment with ideas, cultivate passions, meet people, and develop talents. It is an environment in which young men and women learn not only to solve problems, but also to observe, analyse, understand, and face them with creativity and a critical spirit. Looking at the world with new eyes means reaching beyond what is apparent, discovering hidden connections and imagining innovative solutions. This is how school becomes a trampoline towards the future, a place in which the curiosity and commitment of students are transformed into tools to build a better society.
On Tuesday, November 19, the Galdus School in Milan vibrated with excitement. Twenty-seven students studying marketing were about to present the results of two years of work and commitment. The occasion was the conclusion of Mind the Gap, a project funded by the Agency for Territorial Cohesion and promoted with ActionAid Italia (lead partner), Junior Achievement Italia, and the City of Milan.
Not just a simple school activity, but a formative experience that, over the course of two years, has allowed the students to act as true innovators and imagine concrete solutions to real problems in their daily lives.
The project, which began last year with a series of theoretical modules, aimed to provide students with the tools necessary to tackle the second phase: designing and developing an app prototype that would respond to a community need. And on Tuesday morning, the six groups of students presented their ideas to a jury composed of representatives of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and Coach Monica Cauduro, who worked with them on the project.
The proposals were varied and well-developed. Some teams worked on an app to guarantee a hot meal to people living in difficult conditions, even in a large city like Milan, while others addressed the problem of night-time road safety. Yet others focused on more everyday but equally important issues, such as potholes or highly relevant social issues like allowing a second chance to complicated youth and helping them reintegrate into society. Among all the ideas, the project “Hole in One. Our Road, Our Mission” earned the highest score. The project title, which refers to a perfect golf shot, encapsulates the essence of the app. It would allow citizens to report potholes on the roads and help the council monitor the most critical areas and improve road safety. A simple idea, but one capable of offering a solution to a significant issue, and that also demonstrates a great capacity for observation of everyday reality and attention to the community.
But, perhaps, the most significant and valuable moment of the morning was the final one: a comparison and collective reflection on the issues that emerged from the projects. The students shared their initial fears, the difficulties encountered in working on subjects and issues they had never truly addressed, and what then guided them towards the solutions. It was a sincere and profound moment, in which all their maturity and their ability to read the world with new eyes emerged.
“Mind the Gap” was not just a project, but an experience of personal and collective growth that also led students to the awareness that, sometimes, observing what surrounds us with attention and sensitivity can bring to great ideas that can make a difference. The morning, therefore, did not end with a simple applause and the proclamation of the winner, but with the concrete awareness that the future is in good hands. Young people know how to look beyond and imagine concrete solutions for a better future.
Thanks to the Director of the Galdus School, to Prof. Jelena Ciarloni for having embraced the project and, above all, to Andrea B., Matteo B., Daniele B., Mirco C., Cristian D., Leonardo E., Maylis F., Cristian G., Mattia G., Gabriele G., Christian G., Giulio G., Caterina G., James M., Stella M., Federico M., Caixun M., Eleonora P., Nicholas P., Matteo P., Jordan P., Stefania P., Niccolò R., Matteo S., Alexia S., Riccardo T., Alessandro V., Gyro V., and Joshua V. for their commitment. They showed how collaboration, determination, passion and true stubbornness can transform essential needs into useful community projects.
Do you have any other comments to share?
• “These two years were very nice”
• “Nothing but satisfaction”
• “It was a very useful, fun, and educational experience”
• “I got along really well with my teammates, with whom there was an incredible understanding and collaboration, and with Monica, our coach, who helped us step by step until we created a real Mind the Gap Project.”
• “It was a very interesting journey, and I am happy to have participated. So, thank you for everything.”
This is the true meaning of our work.
by Elisabetta Gramatica, Project Officer
