We turn to students: do you know the study rooms near the Turin universities? They are not the height of beauty, let’s face it… they tend to be overcrowded, hot in summer and chilly in winter. And if instead of sitting among the tables of some “urban” study room we set ourselves to reviewing the last lesson of law or a chapter of contemporary history in the middle of the greenery in a mountain resort?

Let’s imagine that this was more or less the question that the association of Groscavallo, in Val Grande di Lanzo, Al Cicapui asked itself when, after the pandemic, it thought of participating in an Edisu tender to open an affiliated study room with the institution for the right to study. “The institution really liked the idea of ​​an outdoor study room – Chiara Ferraris of Al Cicapui tells us – because we had been told that, after the pandemic, students tended to look for outdoor spaces in which to study. We have participated in the tender in February 2022 and we were also selected for the courage of the initiative”.

The idea is certainly to bring students to the Valli di Lanzo, but not only: “We have decided – continues Chiara – that for this year we will launch a call for foreign students of English mother tongue, in order to be able to organize a summer camp and in Groscavallo Italian students and English-speaking students. It is also an action of inclusion”. From a lawn to a study room, therefore. Where did the idea come from? “By organizing the summer camp for the children here and doing their homework with them – explains Chiara – we saw that in the midst of nature they concentrated better and that they were less distracted, and older kids also arrived with them”.

To tell the truth, the study room has already existed since last year, and already in the summer of 2022 it had been quite successful. And in itself, looking at it, it seems more than inviting: in addition to the tables for studying, there are also spaces for having fun: swimming pool, basketball court and soccer field.

Now, however, the service will be enriched more and more. It will kick off in the summer period, even if the time “contours” are not yet defined. What is certain is that the classroom will also be easily accessible from Turin.  The student will in fact be able to arrive in Ceres by bus and there will find a shuttle to Groscavallo. Furthermore, if he wants to stop for a few days, he can do so by staying in Groscavallo. In short, the project aims to bring people to the mountains, and to take them there by letting them spend quality time, which is productive but also aimed at experiencing the places and territories.

“The main purpose of our association – explains Antonio Convertino of Al Cicapui – is to try to avoid the desertification of the territories where we lived our childhood, and therefore we think that even the idea of ​​letting them live some experiences in safety will allow guys to come back here and get attached to these places”.

(Art. by Francesco Munafò)