Prof. Silvia Magistrini - Italy

A native of Verbania, Silvia Magistrini teaches literature at the Cavalieri High School of Verbania; she is the Local Minister for Education and Culture, as well as youth politics.

Since many years, she has been developing educational projects with the students of the Piemonte region schools, in memory of the Partisans, the Deportation and the Shoah. In collaboration with the survivors of the camps, she accompanies the students on educational journeys, as part of a regional contest which is promoted yearly.

As representative of the Local Authorities, she takes an instrumental part in the activities of “Local services for Peace” in order to promote a culture of peace in schools and in Cities.

Through the establishment of the “Local Youths Council”, in existence in Verbania since a few years, she generates and supports concrete action in compulsory school classes, to inspire the youngsters to live important and constructive experiences in the field of management and conflict resolution.

She is Professor of Literature at the University of the “Terza Età”
(Third Age), where she has been working for many years on inter cultural collaborations towards the promotion of a “wholesome” culture in a changing world.

She organizes the local Theatrical Seasons for the “Kids” theatre (since twenty years in existence), as well as “Literary cafés”. She collaborates in the organizing of the yearly Musical Season as well the other cultural activities promoted in the City.

She is a fervent advocate of the “Volunteer Culture” through “Mappamondo” , a project which introduces the various associations situated in the area and gives them the opportunity to meet with the students in their schools. This year alone, over 7’000 students had the opportunity to listen to and work with volunteers.

"Do not live on this earth as a lodger..."
To grow up and raise the young in harmony with nature.

In his "Last letter" to his son, the poet N. Hikmet, from his prison cell, wrote a kind of moral testament to help the child he had never seen nor raised, to love the earth, to weave good relations with creation, and most of all, to place man at the very core of everything, without separations or censure.

To grow up and raise the young to have a good relationship with nature, it is necessary to begin with: sense the fundamental importance and responsibility of man in raising the new generations towards respect, care and mutual love, which is - essentially - love for humanity. We, the adults are the ones called to an educational and cultural assignment, which we must assume as a priority with eyes wide open as to the future. We must be able to greet and sustain “creation in a caress”, as Leonard Bloff says, and offer it to the generations to come.