“Giornata Mondiale Della Terra” – The Alsop Italian Connection

Alsop High School and partner primary schools received a beautiful video from school children from a primary school in Modena, Italy.

The film celebrates Earth Day and the children share stimulating thoughts about how people can protect our environment and safeguard our planet. 

Alsop has continued to develop a partnership with schools in Modena throughout COVID-19 restrictions. Acts of collective worship and messages of hope have been shared, to stimulate within young people a passion for social justice in pursuit of the common good. 

The assembly focusing on World Earth Day, was shown to students at Alsop and distributed to partner primary schools. “Giornata Mondiale Della Terra” was produced by Classes 111a and 111b at Don Milani School, Modena, in Italy.  

The film was produced by teacher Ms Franca Gambari, co-ordinator of AIMC, an Italian teacher organisation. During 2017 Ms Gambari led a group of teachers who visited Alsop to learn more about strategies used by the school to build character and encourage young people to take responsibility. 

Mrs Gambari wrote: “Dear friends at Alsop, my colleagues and I are sending you this film with English subtitles as our gift to you. We hope young people will have the opportunity to watch it and reflect upon why the United Nations designated April 22^nd as World Earth Day. 

We wish to send best wishes to all at Alsop High School. We feel so privileged that we have been able to maintain our friendship and connections throughout the Covid 19 pandemic.” 

The film has been well received by the young people and it reinforces simple messages about why the planet is so important.  

David E Vittoria holds a card bearing the message: “The nation that destroys its own soil destroys itself.”  

Other children highlighted: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”  

The film was also shown to a class that recently visited Walton Hall Park to plant a wild flower garden and learn more about environmental issues. 

The Italian schoolchildren also sent lovely messages to Alsop. Including:  

“One day we would like to come to Liverpool. The coronavirus must first finish, then we hope to visit your beautiful city. 

We would like to meet you. We believe we could become friends. You are very good at making videos and we could make beautiful videos together. It would be magnificent! We would have fun together! Meeting you would be a fantastic experience. We could learn new words with you. We would read the English of your city. 

Liverpool’s students are really very good and serious and they always manage to surprise us.” 

Mr Brendan Conboy, associate headteacher of Alsop High said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Franca Gambari who produced this lovely film. It was so lovely to watch young Italian schoolchildren share their thoughts and messages of hope. It would indeed be a great pleasure to welcome the Italian teachers to our school and our city as soon as travel restrictions allow.” 

The Earth Day film with English and Italian subtitles can be downloaded here.