Sport and education: memorandum of understanding signed by the Municipality, the University of Insubria, the local schools office, Varese Scientific High School and the Varese 1 Comprehensive Institute.

The aim of the signed protocol is to enhance the value of sport, together with the themes of health and education, as tools for civic aggregation and social cohesion, in line with the guidelines of the European Union White Paper, which recognises the social, educational and cultural functions of sport. The agreement also aims to support initiatives that promote the spread of sport and healthy lifestyles in schools, for the wellbeing and health of young people. To achieve these goals, the signatories have undertaken to jointly plan activities and projects that promote sport in schools and across all age groups. Initiatives will also be organised to integrate physical and sports activity programmes into primary schools.

“The brand-new educational and sports facilities make Varese even more strongly sport-oriented,” said Mayor Davide Galimberti and Councillor for Educational Services Rossella Dimaggio. “The investment has been substantial and will benefit the whole city. Thanks to the agreement we are signing today, we are launching a major project to promote sport from nursery school through to university. Young people will thus become protagonists of change and of the spread of sports practice among the new generations. Education and sport are increasingly connected. This is why promoting sports practice and wellbeing from the earliest years is essential. Today Varese can do this in concrete terms thanks to the new facilities and schools we have built, and to the synergy we have established, which will bring together skills and professionalism for the common good of all.”

“The signing of this protocol confirms the value of collaboration between local institutions in promoting the wellbeing and growth of the younger generations,” explained Rector Maria Pierro. “Sport is an extraordinary educational tool, and creating a pathway involving schools and the university means offering girls and boys concrete opportunities for education, social interaction and personal development. The University of Insubria is taking part in this project with conviction, making scientific and educational expertise available through its degree programme in Sports Science. In this way, it also helps to strengthen Varese’s role as a youth-friendly university city, where schools, university and sport work together to improve the quality of life of those who choose to study here.”

“Sport at school has significant educational value,” said Provveditore Carcano, “as it contributes to the overall development of students, both physically and personally and socially. Through sport, pupils learn the meaning of commitment, discipline and respect for rules. Sport also fosters the development of essential relational skills, such as collaboration and teamwork. During sports activities, students learn to cooperate with their classmates, support one another and pursue common goals. Finally, sports practice in schools promotes a healthy and active lifestyle, contributing to the psychophysical wellbeing of young people. For these reasons, the activities envisaged by the protocol represent a fundamental educational tool in the growth and training pathway of students at these important institutes in the city of Varese.”

“As a Scientific High School with a sports pathway, we believe that sport represents an educational dimension of great value, one that goes beyond physical practice alone,” said Marco Zago, Headmaster of the Scientific High School. “Sporting activity contributes to the harmonious development of the person, promoting fundamental values in young people such as respect, collaboration, a sense of responsibility and attention to psychophysical wellbeing.
From this perspective, we consider particularly significant the agreement that brings together different institutions – schools, the university and local authorities – with the aim of promoting and spreading a culture of sport among children and young people. The construction of an educational pathway that accompanies students from nursery school through to university is a highly important element, because it makes it possible to ensure educational continuity and to offer structured opportunities for growth through sport.
For our high school, the protocol also represents an important opportunity for collaboration with the University of Insubria and with local educational institutions, strengthening the link between school education, sports practice and the university sphere.
We are convinced that promoting sport means investing in the all-round education of students and in their future. For this reason, the Ferraris Scientific High School in Varese is joining this initiative with conviction, contributing to the development of an educational community increasingly focused on the balanced and conscious growth of the younger generations.”

The Headmistress of the Varese 1 Comprehensive Institute, Caterina Gioia, said: “Years ago, a journalist wrote that ‘sport is the playroom of life’, and through play sport teaches our students that every result comes from discipline, perseverance and the ability to face effort without becoming discouraged. It teaches that goals are not achieved by chance, but through commitment, method and tenacity. Through team games, young people learn respect for rules, the value of collaboration and responsibility towards others. Through individual activities, they discover their relationship with themselves, with their own limits and with the possibility of overcoming them. Above all, sport is a fundamental safeguard for health, wellbeing and psychophysical balance, at a time when sedentary lifestyles and isolation represent real risks for the younger generations. By signing this protocol, we are choosing to work together, to bring together resources, skills and spaces, in order to offer our students richer and more inclusive opportunities.”

The cooperation established will focus on implementing sports activities in the different school levels involved. In the new 0–6 years hub, the Municipality of Varese, together with educators and pedagogists, will launch pathways aimed at promoting individual and group sports activity from early childhood. Psychomotor skills workshops will be activated in the primary school classes that will enter the new Don Rimoldi school hub. “Bridge” sports projects will also be launched between nursery and primary school.

The Local Schools Office will also request staffing for an expert teacher in physical activity to be added in order to strengthen sports activities at the “Don Rimoldi” lower secondary school.

As regards the Ferraris Scientific High School with a sports pathway, the school will allow its students to experience work-related learning, as part of the PCTO programme, aimed at integrating theoretical education with practical experiences in the world of sport and helping students orient themselves towards future university or career choices.

Another key role will be played by the degree programme in Sports Science at the University of Insubria which, as part of a “vertical” integration pathway, will see students support and carry out mentoring activities for students at the Scientific High School and those at the Don Rimoldi Hub.

The agreement also provides for students of the Scientific High School with a sports pathway, in agreement with the Don Rimoldi School and the sports office of the Municipality of Varese, to use the new sports centre, particularly the climbing gym. The Municipality will also promote agreement-based solutions for transport and mobility of students between the different school sites.