On September 27 and 28, the eleventh edition of Educare alle Differenze took place in Padua, Italy — the annual grassroots, free, and open meeting designed to promote self-training, the exchange of good practices, and dialogue among teachers, associations, and parents from all over Italy. It is the largest national event for those who work every day for a freer, more plural, and inclusive school.
This two-day gathering takes place each year in a different Italian city — recent editions were held in Rome, Bari, Pescara, Bergamo, and Pisa — with a rich program of talks, readings, theater performances, and numerous workshops aimed at promoting projects that counter all forms of discrimination.
The theme of this year’s edition was “Free to Dissent.” The meeting opened with a video sent by the Global Sumud Flotilla sailing toward Gaza and with the denunciation of the genocide during the plenary assembly. Over the two days, more than 600 people took part in the meetings and workshops.
“Free to Dissent” because we need educational spaces where dissent is not only possible but valued as a collective capacity to question norms, transgress roles, and practice self-determination — putting bodies, desires, needs, and relationships at the center.
Because “consent and dissent are not opposed but deeply intertwined: educating about consent means recognizing and practicing the possibility of dissent. No consent is authentic without the freedom to say no. No educational relationship is free without the possibility of withdrawing, creating alternatives, or generating conflict.”
The Zoom Out project was present at the Scosse stand with illustrated posters created by Cristina Zafra for the awareness campaign, an accompanying exhibition, and screenings of animated videos in a public, freely accessible room.
Founded in 2014 from an idea by Scosse, Il Progetto Alice, and Stonewall, Educare alle Differenze is today a network of associations supported by hundreds of activists throughout Italy, working together to share experiences and reflections to collectively build a school that promotes citizenship, equality, and inclusion.Since 2017, Educare alle Differenze has also been a Social Promotion Association, aiming to stand as an alternative to those who fuel gender stereotypes, intolerance, sexism, and homotransphobia.
