Students from TRED high schools across Italy come together to study a model of Integral Ecological Development inspired by the Mediterranean Diet
Pollica, June 30, 2023 – At Paideia Campus in Pollica, the Future Food Institute launched an immersive program dedicated to students taking part in the first year of the TRED High School pilot program. TRED (High School for Ecological and Digital Transition) is a four-year educational program that combines the humanistic and scientific tradition of the Italian high school system with the essential knowledge needed to actively address the digital and ecological transitions currently underway.
The educational pathway focuses on developing technical and scientific skills — increasingly relevant for future professions — while integrating them with the enhancement of soft skills such as emotional intelligence, interpersonal abilities and communication.
Students from Liceo Malpighi in Bologna, Liceo A. Vallone in Galatina (LE), I.S.I.T. Bassi – P. Burgatti in Cento (FE), and Liceo Battaglini in Taranto took part from May 27 to June 1; students from Liceo Pascal in Pompei, I.I.S. A. Omodeo in Mortara, and I.I.S. A. Volta della Val Tidone in Castel San Giovanni attended from June 4 to 9; and finally, students from I.I.S.S. Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa in Montefiascone, Liceo Fulcieri Paulucci di Calboli in Forlì, and I.I.S. Umberto Masotto in Noventa Vicentina joined from June 18 to 23.
These were the TRED students from across Italy who, by taking part in the ELIS (Education, Work, Training and Sport) project “Green Mindset: school as a training ground for adopting green and sustainable behaviours and promoting skills and awareness related to ecological transition and climate change among younger generations”, participated in the Trame Mediterranee Boot Camp.
The Boot Camp was conceived as a genuine experimental field created by the Future Food Institute, in collaboration with the Municipality of Pollica and the “Angelo Vassallo” Mediterranean Diet Study Center, to prepare the citizens of tomorrow for the Mediterranean way of life and to help them understand, through direct experience, what it means to grow according to a model of integral ecological development.
The Green Mindset summer camp included within the TRED program aligned perfectly with the educational project of the Future Food Institute, Trame Mediterranee, which was designed to give students the opportunity to put the knowledge acquired in the classroom into practice in real-world situations, while encouraging their willingness to act in global contexts.
The Trame Mediterranee Summer Camp offered a unique opportunity for direct exchange with the guardians of knowledge rooted in millennia of history, as well as traditions, values, flavours and forms of creativity that are characteristic of the Lands of the Mediterranean Diet — a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and the foundation of a model of Integral Ecological Development.
The program was structured around four learning pathways: Sea and Care – The Mediterraneans; Resources and Energy – The Circular Thinkers; Biodiversity and Forests – The Green Thinkers; and From the Land to the Table – The Regenerators.
At the end of the program, students were challenged through a hackathon to position themselves as active agents of change across each of the four themes.
“When addressing the ecological transition, we can no longer separate it from the digital dimension. But if we truly want to help save the planet from the climate emergency, we also need to change our lifestyles, develop systems thinking, and combine science and creativity to identify concrete and innovative solutions.
This is why Trame Mediterranee represented an extraordinary opportunity for enrichment not only for the TRED students, but also for us. By immersing themselves in the Mediterranean way of life, the students were able to experience a virtuous model capable of building a deep awareness of the relationship between nature and human beings. And through Paideia Campus, we at the Future Food Institute had the opportunity to contribute to the valuable education of a generation that — even through the choice of its educational pathway — already expresses a desire to build a future better than the present it is being asked to live in. Their determination is an important lesson for all of us,” said Sara Roversi, President of the Future Food Institute and Paideia Campus.
“Welcoming TRED students to Pollica during the first year of their program was a great joy.
For some time now, the Municipality of Pollica has been implementing specific policies and actions aimed at protecting resources and enhancing the Mediterranean Diet heritage, understood as a way of life. This represents a genuine model of integral ecological development and a tangible example for younger generations, rooted in a territory that is the cradle of our culture, a model for biodiversity enhancement and a symbol of the fight to protect the environment. All of these elements make this educational experience in Pollica truly unique.
Over the years, we have created strategic partnerships and found travelling companions such as the Future Food Institute, which shares Pollica’s values and mission. With the creation of Paideia Campus, we found the right path to multiply the impact of actions dedicated to integral ecology. Today, Pollica has become a living laboratory where young people from Italy and around the world come to learn and experiment with solutions for building a fairer world. And now it has also become a new home for TRED students,” said Stefano Pisani, Mayor of Pollica.
“What do we mean when we talk about transition? How can we better understand this complex issue, which has now become essential for the world that we need to rebuild and regenerate? 3-S — ‘Feel, Know, Sustain’ — is one of the pedagogical models developed by the Future Food Institute and was also used during the Green Mindset Summer Camp to help TRED students observe, smell, touch and taste the elements at the foundation of the Mediterranean Diet and integral ecology. Above all, it was used to help them turn their ideas into something tangible and move from theory to practice. We support young people in becoming designers of the present and citizens of a sustainable future,” said Sonia Massari, Director of the Future Food Academy.
