Backpack-free school: The national network has grown to over 120 schools (video)

SCHOOL WITHOUT A BACKPACK –

Backpack-free school is increasingly becoming a real option in Italy, for elementary school children and older kids alike. The project, which began in Tuscany and is hosted on the website senzazaino.it , now involves over 120 schools nationwide, from north to south . All schools can be found on the map published on the website.

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SCHOOL WITHOUT A BACKPACK PROJECT –

Eliminating backpacks and allowing students to arrive at school with small, lightweight bags (like in the old days) has many implications. First of all, there's the savings effect , as it's an item that often has considerable costs. And the savings, before the family budget, concern the health and backs of children and teenagers , forced to go to school with real millstones on their shoulders.

But then there is a very interesting educational and pedagogical component . The schools that join the Senza Zaino network, in fact, strive to improve all the environments where students spend their days . Starting with the classrooms: more spacious, brighter, more attractive and more accessible. The pedagogical basis of this project is inspired by the extraordinary experience of the schools created by Maria Montessori, and the model has three cornerstones: community , responsibility, and hospitality.

WHAT IS SCHOOL WITHOUT A BACKPACK?

A good school, in fact, must help create a sense of community, inside and outside the classroom, cultivating a sense of "being together" rather than the hyper-individualistic drift of recent decades. A good school , free from slogans and clichés, must be welcoming, hospitable, and livable . And not dark, dirty, poorly furnished, and perhaps, as often happens in Italy, even dangerous. A good school , also through projects like Senza Zaino, teaches responsibility combined with freedom: two things that go together.

Finally, it's interesting to note that, aside from the project's inspiration, former elementary school teacher and current headmaster Marco Orsi, the entire Senza Zaino promotion committee , with the division of roles by type of school, is made up of women . They, too, are the driving forces behind highly effective, useful, and inspiring change.

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