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Ever since the creation of DEDICA, the Associazione Thesis has focused closely on the very young, in the belief that getting to know the personages taking part in the festival can play an important part of their life experience. This gave rise to the “LEGGERE CON DEDICA” project, designed to involve both primary and secondary schools.

Secondary schools
This initiative gives secondary school students the opportunity of reflecting on the complexities of modern life by studying the opinions of renowned authors who represent many different cultures and situations.

In line with the festival’s basic philosophy, this project comprises a number of different aspects: lessons describing the guest and their works and held by experts in the field, individual readings, moments for reflection under the guidance of teachers, and essay writing.

In addition, a number of related events offer the opportunity of gaining a deeper knowledge of the world of the author. Especially important is the meeting between the students and the author: if reading is a voyage of knowledge which creates a ‘rapport’ between the reader and the author, then an actual meeting and discussion with the author is, for the young students, the crowning moment of this voyage.

The initiative also features an optional activity: individual or group participation in the ideas competition Words and images for…, in which participants are requested to translate their reading experience into written or graphic format or into multi-media language. The prize-giving ceremony will be held at the Municipal Town Hall, and the festival’s guest writer will award the prizes.

It is a demanding but extremely effective project, which the teachers have understood is a valuable tool in giving the children an appetite for reading, a greater appreciation of literature and awareness of cross-cultural interaction.

The 2019 edition – Dedicated to Gioconda Belli – will see the participation of six secondary schools from Pordenone and the province, for a total of 26 classes and 520 students.

Primary schools
In the case of primary schools, the project aims to encourage the smaller children to start reading, and thus to open up their minds and their imagination to other cultures and ways of life.

As in previous years, this part of the project is handled by Associazione 0432, which specializes in educational activities for very young children.

The project is structured in the form of interactive workshops during which, after a general introduction to the country of origin of the guest writer, her children’s books are read and compared with traditional fables and with other types of stories about her country.

The readings are structured in such a way as to capture and hold the attention of the children, with their active involvement, musical accompaniment and the screening of images.

The project is very popular with the teachers, both as regards its purpose and content as well as for the way in which it is structured: in line with the teaching objectives of the schools, it is also a way of underlining the value of reading and a chance to give to the younger children a broader understanding of the world we live in.

The 2019 edition – Dedicated to Gioconda Belli – will see the participation of six primary schools from Pordenone, for a total of 45 classes and 864 students.