Students from the Carlo Urbani Institute in Ostia join Walce Onlus in the fight against smoking
As part of the Fattore J project, organised by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Italia, four students from class 4D of the Carlo Urbani high school in Ostia took part in volunteer activities promoted by Walce during the Esci dal tunnel. Non bruciarti il futuro (Get out of the tunnel. Don't burn your future) initiative, which took place on 22 and 23 May in Piazza San Silvestro in Rome.
The students Alessio, Marco, Annalisa and Andrea, led by teacher Cristiana Mangiacapra and supported by association representatives Cristina Destro and Federica Ferraresi, enthusiastically helped run the Walce information stand, contributing to activities aimed at raising awareness of the harmful effects of smoking and lung cancer prevention.
Since 2015, Walce has been promoting the travelling campaign “Esci dal tunnel. Non bruciarti il futuro” (Get out of the tunnel. Don't burn your future), aimed at citizens, the media and institutions, hosted in major Italian and European squares. At the heart of the initiative is a large cigarette-shaped stand, 14 metres long and 3 metres high, which houses a multimedia museum divided into four areas: reception, information, prevention and a medical area for free spirometry tests.
During the event, the students worked alongside expert staff in welcoming visitors, distributing information materials and promoting healthy lifestyles.
‘The event went very well,’ said Cristina Destro of Walce. ‘The students were cooperative and showed a strong spirit of initiative by participating in the activities and disseminating information.’
‘Personally, I really enjoyed spending time with your staff and working with Walce over the last two days,’ confessed Marco to Walce managers. ‘It was definitely a unique experience that allowed me to understand what really lies behind the threat of smoking, and it allowed me to share what I learned with people I came into contact with during my time at the stand.’
Annalisa was also delighted to have taken part in the awareness-raising activity: ‘It really opened my mind, helping me to better understand the difficulties that anyone faces in life, even through a vice such as smoking, and it helped me to empathise more with the public. It was a great experience, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.’
The initiative is a concrete example of how the Fattore J project brings young people closer to health as a social value, strengthening their sense of responsibility, empathy and civic engagement through direct experiences in the field.
