'Art in the Light' poor kids project

(ANSA) - Rome, December 1 - The battle to fight cultural poverty among Italy's underprivileged children is starting in the country's south with the Arte alla Luce (Art in the Light) project, the first result in a collaboration between the Culture Ministry and Save the Children that aims to increase young people's contact with and enjoyment of art through creative methods.
    The initiative, set to take place in Palermo, Gioiosa Ionica and Bari, will involve about 50 teenagers between 13-17 years old guided by artists Massimo Grimaldi, Domenico Mangano and Adrian Paci in three-day art workshops preceded by two weeks of meetings and education.
    The activities will take place at Save the Children "Punti Luce" (Light Points) - socio-educational structures opened by the non-profit, currently in nine regions throughout Italy for a total of 16 centres.
    The project will kick off in Palermo on December 18-20 with Mangano, followed by Bari on January 8-10 with Grimaldi, and Gioiosa Ionica on February 26-28 with Paci.
    The importance that a project like this can have in Italy is evident when looking at the Save the Children Atlas of Infancy released in November, which shows that about two out of three children (64%) between 6 and 17 years old haven't ever been to an exhibition or a museum, haven't read a book other than a school textbook, don't use the Internet, don't attend the theatre or concerts, and don't do any physical activity.
    It's a percentage that's difficult to accept, and further increases when looking at Italy's south.
    In Sicily, 79% of children are in a situation of cultural and recreational deprivation, with Calabria at 78.4% and Puglia at 74%. "We have to make up for lost time. Now it's time that the country invests in the periphery - public and private, associations, citizens and cultural sector professionals have to work together," said Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.
    "Millions of people live outside of cities, and that's where the real challenges of today are. The road will be long and difficult, but we have to manage to see the beauty that exists in the outskirts".
    What's for sure is that the artists and professionals involved will have to find a channel of communication with the teenagers, overcoming their distrust and directing their mistrust, apathy and aggressiveness towards the discovery of beauty.
    "These young people are gifted with great resilience and we have to have faith in them," said Raffaela Milano, Save the Children's Italy-Europe programs director.
    "We have to give them the opportunity to build their own future in an open way and regardless of their family situation".
    "This isn't a top-down project," said Federica Galloni, culture ministry general director for contemporary art and architecture and urban peripheries.
    "Our approach is one of great humility, because we want to rebuild the pact of trust with citizens," she said.
    "It's not by chance that we chose these three artists, because they've done it and can be an example".