by Nina Vaclavikova
Interviews: Roberto Dipiazza, Mayor of Trieste; Margherita Paglino, President of the Equal Opportunities Commission; Francesco Antonucci, President of the association We Believe in Youth
A new initiative aimed at promoting awareness and prevention of violence was presented Tuesday in Salotto Azzurro, part of a broader effort by the Commission for Equal Opportunities of the Municipality of Trieste.
The program, titled “In CORTO circuito, spegniamo la violenza” (“Short Circuit: Let’s Turn Off Violence”), was introduced with remarks from Mayor Roberto Dipiazza, Maurizio De Blasio, the city’s education and family policies councilor, and Margherita Paglino, president of the Commission for Equal Opportunities.
Mayor Dipiazza praised the initiative as a tool to educate young people on both the prevention of violence against women and broader societal violence, emphasizing its role in fostering civic engagement among students and their families.
Councilor De Blasio highlighted the importance of the program in shaping daily habits and attitudes. “Respect cannot be mandated by decree,” he said. “It must be nurtured every day through teaching and education, making these values part of the everyday lives of young people.”
The program, Paglino explained, seeks to position students as active participants in preventing and confronting violence, while also providing a direct institutional presence in schools to offer guidance and support.
The initiative, timed to coincide with International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, involves several high schools in Trieste, including da Vinci, Carli, Sandrinelli, Nordio, Carducci, and Nautico.
In the first phase, participating classes engaged in peer-to-peer workshops, discussing and reflecting on various forms of violence—physical, psychological, economic, and symbolic. The second phase saw students produce approximately 40 short videos, each about one minute long, filmed outside school grounds, involving around 200 students in total. The films aim to convey messages of both denunciation and hope.
The final stage of the project will take place on November 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Sala Luttazzi in Porto Vecchio-Porto Vivo. During the event, seven winners of the video competition will be announced and receive prizes, with the ceremony hosted by professional presenter Igor Damilano of Radiopuntozero. The event is open to the public, subject to seating availability.
The initiative is funded by the municipal Department of Education and Family Policies and organized in collaboration with the youth-focused nonprofit We Believe in Youth and Trieste Trasporti.
