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English Global education time: an international network of schools learning and acting for sustainable development goals
Today we have Giordana Francia, the Director of the Italy and European Union Geographic Area, answering #5questions for our series. Yet another opportunity to share the stories of the people who bring CISP to life every day. Happy reading!
Read our previous interviews with Deborah Rezzagli, Gianluca Falcitelli, and Luigi Grando. Stay tuned for more upcoming features!
I've been with CISP since 2002. Just after finishing my Master's in Pavia, I started collaborating (and learning) with Carlo Tassara on a research into the funding procedures for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' development cooperation projects. Then, for a few years, I was a project assistant for programmes in Latin America and Italy. In 2006, I became responsible for programmes in Italy. Over the years, I've had the opportunity and the privilege of working closely with Paolo Dieci, focusing primarily on global citizenship education and sustainability. Since 2016, I've been the Area Director for Europe.
It's widely agreed and recognised that education is a vital element for human development. The UN's 2030 Agenda reiterates that, emphasising quality education for everyone throughout their lives as a key objective for achieving sustainable development goals. The mindset shift required by the 2030 Agenda wouldn't be possible without the contribution of culture and education for sustainability and global citizenship.
In every project focused on tackling social exclusion, there's always an educational element, and this holds true for our projects in Italy, Europe, and beyond. This ranges from projects aimed at Afghan people to increase their opportunities for social integration in the Lazio region of Italy, to initiatives in schools like Global Education Time, through which we strive to promote and strengthen intergenerational dialogue, engagement, and youth activism on the major global challenges that affect us all.
As highlighted in UNESCO's recent report, "Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education", “education keeps failing our aspirations". This is certainly true for Italy.
Despite a significant increase in access to education globally in recent decades, multiple forms of exclusion persist, such as discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, language, culture, and ways of knowing. Furthermore, there's a critical issue of relevance: too often, formal learning doesn't meet the needs and aspirations of children, young people, and their communities.
CISP's work in this area seeks to address these trends by supporting inclusive education that is truly accessible to children, adolescents, and young adults, fostering a vision of global citizenship grounded in social, environmental, economic, and cultural sustainability. This perspective is, in our view, crucial for Italy as well.
Many things. Certainly the variety and complexity. This job constantly takes you across different scales, from major international meetings to very local contexts. It involves working with diverse categories of people, looking at problems from different perspectives, and engaging in discussions. Dealing with diversity is a fundamental part of this work.
I find it particularly satisfying to work in partnership with other organisations and in teams with diverse individuals, especially when solutions to problems or the root causes of issues, or indeed new ideas, are the result of an exchange and collaborative effort. I'm lucky to work with incredibly talented colleagues from whom I always learn a great deal.
Absolutely. Some time ago, we created Game Over Razzismo, a video game that emerged from a project involving some lower secondary school classes. At the final presentation event, we played it together, and by chance, the first question posed about the game was one that raised the greatest debate in the classrooms: "How many human races exist?". All the students shouted in unison, "ONEEEEEEEE!". It was very moving.
Another time, a teacher nearing retirement told us that she had never addressed the topic of gender inequalities in her classes due to fear of not knowing how to handle the questions and reactions of the students. However, after participating in one of our projects, she decided to try out our learning units on the subject. She was deeply impressed by the class’ reaction, their interest, and how supported she felt by the proposed teaching resources. It was certainly a positive experience for the class and the teacher, and a great source of satisfaction for us.
