Turin (Italy). During the month of May 2023, the students of Mary Mazzarello Professional Formation Center in Turin, of CIOFS-FP Piedmont, created an environmental-themed mural inside Sacred Heart Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of the Piedmont Province Mary Help of Christians (IPI), where the Center is located.
Inspired by the Agenda 2030, goal No. 11 was taken into consideration – Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, long-lasting, and sustainable – chosen among the 17 in the document because everyone, even the youngest, can help achieve it. The young people carried out this ‘writing’ activity, with the help of an Urban Artist whose works show his attention to the environment. Mr. Fijodor, pseudonym of Fijodor Benzo, is active in Turin and known nationwide.
The journey that led to the production of the graffiti began with a reflection on active citizenship, on the contribution that everyone is called to give with concrete actions – “what can I do?” – to collaborate in making the environment sustainable, starting with the little things: a light turned off immediately after use, a tap turned off while brushing your teeth, a shorter shower, recycling, using a bicycle or public transport instead of the car…
The approach to the 7 Laudato si’ Objectives was immediate, in particular with regard to the adoption of sustainable lifestyles, a tangible sign of respect and protection of creation. Among the students of the CFP, many belong to different religions, some are non-believers and others are children of the consumerist and secularist society, but the ecological discourse unites everyone. There is no ‘planet B’ and everyone is called to the commitment to look after the earth and deliver it in good condition to future generations. Unfortunately, however, the habitual behavior of the population leads to a higher consumption of the available resources.
The mural represents a polluted city in which some signs of eco-sustainability make their way: trees, wind turbines, and solar panels on the roofs of the houses. But above all, a strip of light that crosses the whole work, a sign of the positive current generated by the commitment of everyone to make the world more livable. The workshop was carried out as part of the “Community in Action” project, funded by the social enterprise Con i Bambini, a non-profit company set up to implement the programs of the Fund for the fight against child educational poverty, of which CIOFS-FP Piemonte is a partner together with other institutions and schools.
Many countries, including Italy, with less than half of the current year passed, have already reached the Overshot Day, exhausting the annual resources that the Planet has made available and are drawing on those reserved for the future. It is as if we needed from this point on, another Earth. This is why the environmental education of young people is essential. With this and other projects, Mary Mazzarello Professional Formation Center wants to contribute to this task, forming citizens who are aware of their responsibility in society and in the world.
