The “Schools Beyond Regions and Borders” project is an associated Partner of the ARENAS project, and its participation has had a significant impact on the development and distribution of ARENAS research material for and to young people.
Led by Giuseppe Zorzi, a former teacher of History and Philosophy with teaching experience in both Italy and abroad, and Daniela Ferrari, an English teacher and freelance translator for EU institutions. Thanks to their complementary skills and close daily collaboration, they have been coordinating the project for the past four years, managing every aspect – from selecting the umbrella topics and webinar speakers to handling public relations with national and international institutions, and from running fundraising campaigns to overseeing external communication. Over time, the project has evolved into a vibrant network of 32 high schools across 12 European countries, supported by several partner universities and national and local institutions.
The project is funded by the Autonomous Region “Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol” and private donors, and receives the scientific backing from the University of Trento. The organisation’s activities include two series of monthly webinars per year on topics such as the EU institutions and policies, the challenges of Agenda 2030, Generation Z and social media, and other relevant topics. After attending the webinars, students work on related topics either in class or in collaborative cross-border projects. In addition, the project organises an annual in-person event where delegations meet and present their work. During this event, friendships are made while teachers devise a variety of other bilateral initiatives like school exchanges or bespoke projects. Combined, these activities benefit an approximate number of about 500 pupils and educators per year.
The collaboration with the ARENAS project has been twofold. On the one hand, the ARENAS consortium contributed to an entire webinar cycle on the topic of extremist narratives, offering insights into the historical development of hate speech and suggestions on how to mediate and remediate hate narratives in schools and in our everyday life.
On the other hand, the ARENAS scholars organised workshops in a number of SBRB partner schools to test their educational materials aimed at equipping students with the knowledge and skills to identify and resist harmful discourse, fostering critical thinking and promoting tolerance. More specifically, they conducted their research in our partner schools in Spain, Italy, and Latvia.
In August 2024, the project’s impact was recognised by the Assembly of European Regions, which awarded the MYFER prize (Most Youth-Friendly European Region) to the Region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, thanks to the Schools Beyond Regions and Borders project. Among the most relevant aspects mentioned by the jury members were the project’s pan-European dimension, the involvement of young people at a core moment of their education, their direct and concrete inclusion in the project activities, the knowledge-sharing, peer-learning, exchange of best practices and capacity-building dimension, the opportunities for youth mobility and teachers’ mobility, the multilingual and intercultural dimension, and the inclusion of linguistic minorities, rural/remote areas, and young people with fewer opportunities.
In the future, it is hoped to enlarge the project to other European countries, while strengthening the direct engagement of students in the project’s activities.
