THE UNESCO CREATIVE CITIES WILL BE THE PROTAGONISTS OF AIGU’S ITALIAN YOUTH FORUM
The AIGU Forum, now in its fifth edition, took place in Turin from 14 to 16 April and brought together AIGU Members from all over Italy along with national and international experts.
The event, which to date has received the patronage of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO and of the Department for Youth Policies and Universal Civil Service of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, will develop around the theme of the UNESCO Creative Cities. The city chosen to host IYF 2023 was therefore Turin, UNESCO Creative City for Design and the only Italian city within this category.
Browse the outputs of the Italian Youth Forum 2023 here!
The Italian Youth Forum is open to everyone LINK
Temi
The 5th edition of the Italian Youth Forum of the Italian Youth Association for UNESCO was dedicated to creativity as a tool for innovation and change. While the 2022 edition in Cagliari led us to reflect on the established forms of human creativity recognised as Intangible Heritage, the Italian Youth Forum in Turin aims to give space to the dimension of creativity in the making, capable of shaping the city and the citizens of the future. rnWhy Turin? Since December 2014 Turin has been a UNESCO Creative City for Design, the only Italian city within this category; moreover, in 2006 the city hosted the Winter Olympics, embarking on a progressive path of reconversion and change of image, from an industrial city to a cultural city, while maintaining its innovative vocation in the technological field.rnrn
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The Italian Youth Forum is free and open to everyone.
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14 April link
14 April: the opening event
The first appointment on the programme of the Italian Youth Forum was the opening event, held on Friday 14 April at 9.00 pm at the Teatro Giuseppe Verdi and open to AIGU members and the general public (accreditation at 8.15 pm).
During the evening, moderated by Francesca Pastorino, AIGU Regional Representative for Piedmont, and by RAI presenter Marco Carrara, a number of leading guests from the world of culture and institutions took the stage. The event opened with the institutional greetings of Chiara Bocchio, President of AIGU, together with the AIGU Board and Executive Council and the members of AIGU Piemonte, who welcomed the guests, including: Franco Bernabè – President of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO, Michele Sciscioli – Head of the Department for Youth Policies, Carlotta Salerno – Councillor for Educational and Youth Policies, matters relating to education and contact for Torino Creativa, and Francesco Pennarola – Director of the “Giuseppe Verdi” State Conservatory of Music in Turin.
Many more guests and topics followed over the course of the evening. Taking part in the discussion on stage were: Emanuele Bolla – Councillor for Tourism, events, exhibitions and UNESCO creative cities, contact for Alba UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy, Barbara Greggio – Councillor for Commerce and economic development, Productive activities, Tourism, Mountains, UNESCO and contact for Biella UNESCO Creative City for Crafts and Folk Art, Carlotta Salerno – Councillor for Educational and Youth Policies, matters relating to education and contact for Torino Creativa, Renato Lavarini – Chief of Staff of the City of Ivrea and Coordinator of “Ivrea, industrial city of the 20th century” UNESCO World Heritage site, Vittorio Salmoni – Focal Point Representative for Fabriano Creative City.
Then, in the second session, speakers included Denise Bax – UNESCO Secretary General for the Creative Cities, via a video contribution, Alberto Lazzaro – President of the Young Entrepreneurs Union of Turin, Vincenzo Riemma – Presidency Councillor of the CNG, Guido Saracco – Rector of the Politecnico di Torino, and Emma Taveri – Councillor for Tourism, Territorial Marketing and Culture of Brindisi, representing Bravo Innovation Hub.
The opening event was punctuated by various moments of entertainment. Performances included: the student chamber ensemble of the “Giuseppe Verdi” State Conservatory of Music in Turin (Lucrezia Uberto, violin, Cecilia Caminiti, cello, and Matteo Borsarelli, piano) performing the first movement of the Trio op. 70 no. 1 by L.V. Beethoven; Atti Impuri Poetry Slam, a performance on the theme of literature and creativity, freely inspired by the figure of Italo Calvino in the centenary of his birth (1923-2023); the Asterlizze theatre company with the performance “La stanza”, an archival experience in Virtual Reality dedicated to the theme of rights and gender equality; Novis Games, a start-up dedicated to the world of gaming for blind and visually impaired people; and percussionist Michele Annoni, a student of the “Giuseppe Verdi” State Conservatory of Music in Turin, with Asventuras by A. Gerassimenez.
15 April: themes and guests of the scheduled workshops
On the second day of the Italian Youth Forum, Saturday 15 April, four workshops took place:
The themes:
- CITIES AND MEMORY | HANDING DOWN THE FUTURE
This workshop gives space to the cities, which will be able to tell their stories and illustrate their unique features, that is, the reasons why they have been recognised by UNESCO as Creative Cities, channelling tradition and innovation, characteristics that the territories are called upon to communicate and pass on to present and future generations. - CITIES AND DESIRE | DREAMING THE FUTURE THROUGH TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION
This workshop explores the theme of innovation and its creative uses for cities and territories, demonstrating how processes can be cross-cutting and can touch both the scientific and humanistic aspects of Culture. - CITIES AND SIGNS | URBAN REGENERATION IN CREATIVE ECOSYSTEMS
The focus of the third workshop is urban regeneration and the reconversion of spaces within our cities. Reconversion represents a creative process implemented to respond to the needs and requirements of communities and territories. - CITIES AND EXCHANGES | THE COMMUNITIES AND NETWORKS OF THE FUTURE
The final workshop focuses on the concept of community as a founding element for the creation, according to young people, of the creative city of the future. Starting from listening to the community, it is possible to arrive at a shared design of what the cities of the future are and will be.
GUESTS
AIGU’s Italian Youth Forum 2023 received the patronage of: Commissione Nazionale Italiana per l’UNESCO (CNIU), Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri – Dipartimento per le Politiche Giovanili e il Servizio Civile Universale, Regione Piemonte, Città di Torino, Città di Biella, Città di Alba, Città di Ivrea, Università di Torino, Politecnico di Torino, Università di Scienze Gastronomiche di Pollenzo, Rai per la Sostenibilità ESG
The event, which adheres to the RAI protocol No Women No Panel, is organised with the media partnership of Rai Cultura and thanks to the collaboration with the Conservatorio statale di musica Giuseppe Verdi di Torino, Torino creativa e Gruppo Giovani imprenditori Unione Industriali Torino, Moleskine Foundation, Nimrod, Aurora, Officina della Scrittura.
IYF 2023 is made possible with the support of the Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, which has always listened to the younger generations and to their ideas and vision of the future, of the Associazione per la Commissione Nazionale per l’UNESCO – Italia (ONLUS) and of the Camera di Commercio Industria, Artigianato e Agricoltura di Torino.
