More than 100 students took part in the competition "In Your Shoes – walking together to meet one another," collaborating with local associations and social organizations working in the disability field to create projects that foster social inclusion and meaningful exchange between young people and people with disabilities. The winning entry came from class 4 TUR at the Lepido Rocco Institute in Motta di Livenza, whose project "A Life Like Yours" was developed in partnership with the day center "Il Mosaico" in Oderzo.
The competition was organized by the Provincial Student Assembly of Treviso, the Regional Education Office (Ufficio VI Ambito territoriale) of Treviso, and members of the Provincial Disability Table—open to students from public and private secondary schools, vocational training centers, and the juvenile detention facility in the Treviso province. The goal was to promote solidarity and active citizenship, raising awareness among young people about disability, inclusion, and the value of diversity. Student projects took various forms—training workshops, volunteer participation, collaborative laboratories, short films—and all involved at least one organization or volunteer association working in disability services, bringing together staff and the people they serve.
The winners were recognized by Volontarinsieme CSV Treviso and the Provincial Disability Table of Treviso Province for the social value of their work. The winning class received €1,250 to fund continued inclusion activities and collaboration with local organizations. Honorable mentions and participation awards went to class 1° ipa from the Verdi Institute in Valdobbiadene for the project "Tending the Garden. And All the Other Colors" (with the cooperative ALI and the association LaCharta); class 3 C from the Da Collo Institute in Conegliano for "Beyond Appearances" (with the Piccolo Rifugio and the Fabrizio Viezzer Association); and students from the Nightingale High School in Castelfranco for "Snapshot of Inclusion – We Are All Works of Art" (with the Atlantis center).
The competition is part of the larger initiative "Fruit of Social Support," which backs the work of community residences serving adults with intellectual and physical disabilities across the region. The project is led by the Foundation Il Nostro Domani with support from volunteers with the Consorzio Quartier del Piave. Over the years, through expanding participation on the Provincial Disability Table, the initiative has also launched the "Provincial Disability Day," held the second Sunday of November. Volunteers take to the streets distributing boxes of biodynamic apples, with proceeds supporting the community residences. Since its start in 2001, the campaign has raised over 1.4 million euros.
The awards ceremony took place on Friday, May 25, at the Da Ponte Theater in Vittorio Veneto, following a performance called "Everyone First in Sport"—a project bringing together people with disabilities from Piccolo Rifugio and students from the Flaminio High School. Together they portrayed teams, athletes, and sports fans across basketball, soccer, dance, wrestling, volleyball, and more, exploring the dynamics that play out on the field: the strongest player and the weakest, the one who gives up and the natural leader, the team player and the one who plays for himself, the voices that say certain sports are "for women" or "for men"—and the overlooked worth in each person's effort. But from the conflicts and mistakes came sport's true lessons: the power of teamwork, living in harmony despite differences, accepting each person's strengths and weaknesses, refusing to surrender to hardship, and understanding training and effort as the path to success—or happiness.
Are these not also the deepest lessons for anyone living with disability, or standing beside someone who does? Directors Federica Girardello and Silvio Pasqualetto of the Da Ponte Academy had this understanding at heart as they guided their actors through weekly rehearsals in the Piccolo Rifugio's multipurpose hall, alongside Flaminio High School teachers Angelo Santin and Alessandra Farolfi (the latter also a volunteer with the Lucia Schiavinato Association). "Everyone First in Sport" is also part of the "A Sound Mind in a Healthy Body" initiative, which CSV Treviso Volontarinsieme carries out together with Anffas Treviso and the Lucia Schiavinato Association to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities through shared sports practice.
Source: Treviso Today