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Halfway Down

Halfway Down

Halfway Down

Usually, we are the ones to contact school administrators and teachers to propose activities and projects that will enrich a school’s curricula. And when it works the other way around it always is an extraordinary surprise that fill us with gratitude and joy. This time it was Massimo Pescatori,  a long-time acquaintance who has always collaborated with us with commitment and precision, who shared the work of his students at the Liceo Scientifico Vito Volterra in Ciampino (Rome) with us.

 

For "Volterra in corto" (Volterra in Short), a didactic project on cinematographic scriptwriting, Class 5SA produced a short feature entitled "Halfway Down" with the help of Davide Misiano and Claudio Formica. The movie, which was projected last week at the school, addresses a dramatic issue – suicide – which is the second cause of death amongst young people and youth. Urgent requests made to the Ospedale pediatrico Bambino Gesù, a paediatric hospital, for suicidal behaviour and thoughts have increased twentyfold in 8 years. Luckily, global suicide rates are decreasing, but self-harm is on the rise.

 

“This is a true emergency because this phenomenon still doesn’t receive adequate attention. Parents and schools have problems identifying it and the issue is not sufficiently addressed by the national health service,” explains Stefano Vicari, Director of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry at the Bambino Gesù Hospital. “Attention needs to be raised on this phenomenon to address it rapidly and efficiently. Early intervention is the only means of interrupting this very dangerous situation.”

 

We would like to share this work with all the young men and women who addressed psychological distress through Project Factor J held in collaboration with Janssen.

 

An adolescent is standing on a building’s windowsill, ready to commit suicide, a girl is talking to someone who is no longer alive. In the same place, but at two different times, they seem to be shedding light on the meaning of life.

 

 

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