The three days of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Gianni Rodari’s visit to Forlì end with a boom in attendance. In fact, 5 thousand people participated in the numerous meetings that animated the program of the exhibition ‘Educating communities and creativity at the service of children’ promoted by the school and sports service of the department of educational policies led by Paola Casara.
It was January 1974 when Gianni Rodari, teacher, writer and pedagogist, visited local children’s services, praising their quality and foresight in educational choices. Always attentive to creative processes and the art of inventing stories, Rodari has trained many generations of teachers and educators, including local professionals. Forlì wanted to remember that meeting with artistic workshops, animated readings, street artists, dances, traveling exhibitions and theatrical performances.
“In January – explains Mayor Gian Luca Zattini – a packed conference in the town hall kicked off a large program of events dedicated to the memory and work of Gianni Rodari, which ended with the ‘Rodari tra i benches’ festival : the city of fantasy'”.
For three days, the Candle Factory was transformed into a center of creativity where children of all ages and their families were able to learn together while having fun.
“It was an opportunity – continues Zattini – to showcase what various classes of nursery, primary and secondary schools have achieved during the school year in collaboration with the numerous associations that have given their contribution to allow students children to express their imagination”.
Not just a festival to celebrate and remember but also a true educational project that has fascinated many institutes: “The event was also proposed as the culmination of the ‘creativity among the schools’ project – concludes the mayor – which the boys and girls of schools from Forlì followed, involving around 85 classes. The process was carried out in compliance with what was the greatest message that Rodari left us: placing oneself at the service of the little ones, of their imagination, stimulating and cultivating it with every possible means”.
Among the organizations that collaborated on the initiative: From scene in scene (network leader), Cosascuola, InArte, Collego, Fantariciclando, Sedicicorto, Compagnia Bella, Orto del Brogliaccio, CompagniaQuelli della Via, Teatro delle Forchette, Grandi Manovre Associazione Culturale .
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