High-Level Dialogue on Multilateralism and Education at Villa Ormond
On April 16, 2026, at Villa Ormond, EIP Lab participated in a high-level discussion with Roberto Balzaretti, Ambassador of Switzerland to Italy.
The event brought together institutional representatives, including the Mayor and the President of the Institute, alongside students, to reflect on the role of multilateralism and international law in an increasingly complex global landscape.
The discussion highlighted the importance of viewing current global challenges as an opportunity to promote a more equitable and balanced international order – one that places fundamental rights at its core and redefines the frameworks of global cooperation.
A particularly meaningful moment of exchange took place when our President, Anne Bamford, raised a question on the role of education, arts, and culture in shaping the future. In response, the Ambassador emphasised the need to adapt education systems to emerging challenges, while preserving depth, critical thinking, and intellectual rigor.
EIP Lab is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a timely and forward-looking dialogue.
It’s official: Sanremo is becoming a City of Peace!
On 2 April, the Sanremo City of Peace Group was officially launched at the Teatro dell’Opera del Casinò. The network now brings together 20 organisations, including associations, schools, and cultural institutions, working across human rights, intercultural dialogue, solidarity, and active citizenship.
Municipal Councillor Vittorio Toesca highlighted the initiative as an opportunity to enrich Sanremo’s identity, alongside its internationally known Music Festival and Flower Parade, with a strong commitment to peace. Vice Mayor Fulvio Fellegara emphasised the importance of building cross-sector civil society networks as a key tool for cultural and social development, capable of generating long-term impact.
Claudio Dondi underlined the role of the four working groups, which now meet regularly and serve as the operational engine translating shared vision into concrete initiatives.
A particularly anticipated moment of the launch was the video message by artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, who accepted the role of honorary president. He introduced the concept of “preventive peace” as a response to logics of conflict prevention through military means. His symbol of the Third Paradise will be integrated into the network’s visual identity, representing the possibility of reconciliation and balance between opposing forces.
Today, the Sanremo City of Peace Group is not only discussing peace – it is actively building it through collaboration, participation, and shared responsibility.
Berlin Meeting for DECITEL
The DECITEL partners gathered in Berlin for a three-day Transnational Project Meeting dedicated to advancing Citizenship Education within Local Learning Ecosystems.
The meeting provided a valuable opportunity for partners to exchange experiences, share good practices, and reflect on the progress achieved so far at local level. Particular attention was given to the challenges encountered in designing and delivering effective Citizenship Education initiatives in diverse contexts.
Building on these discussions, partners worked collaboratively on the co-design of prototype learning pathways for teachers. These pathways aim to support educators in addressing key themes such as critical digital citizenship, democratic participation, inclusion, and community collaboration, equipping them with practical tools and approaches adaptable to their local environments.
The meeting also played an important role in strengthening collaboration across the partnership, fostering mutual learning, and ensuring alignment on the next phases of the project.
We would like to thank all partners for their active engagement and valuable contributions throughout the meeting, as well as DARE for their warm hospitality and excellent organisation in Berlin.
Strengthening Citizenship Education at Civil Society Week 2026
The EIP Lab took part in Civil Society Week 2026 in Brussels, contributing to discussions on inclusion, youth engagement, and citizenship education.
During the session “Educating Citizenship for Resilient Societies”, Claudio Dondi highlighted the crucial role of educators in shaping active and responsible citizens. He also emphasized the potential of the Teacher Academy as a key tool to support teachers in developing these competences.
Following the panel, EIP Lab co-facilitated a dedicated session on the DECITEL project together with EPA and OBESSU. Participants engaged in a collaborative discussion to identify key challenges affecting Citizenship Education across Europe. Among the main barriers highlighted were fragmented policy frameworks, limited assessment tools, and the insufficient integration of a global dimension in school curricula.
These insights will directly contribute to strengthening the project’s ongoing work and future outputs.
EIP Lab would like to thank the European Economic and Social Committee for hosting the event, as well as all partners and participants for their valuable contributions and inspiring exchange!
Stay connected with EIP Lab to follow the next steps of this work and upcoming initiative!
Peace Games day in Genoa
The EIP Lab training on Peace Games continues! On 24 January 2026, the EIP Lab facilitated training sessions on Peace Games at the Nautical Institute of Genoa, commissioned by the Barbiana School Network. For several years, one of our core missions has been to promote creative game design and game-based learning in both formal and non-formal educational settings, with the aim of developing citizenship, democratic, and social competences.
The sessions began with an introduction to the importance of play and to how essential skills and knowledge can be acquired through gaming. Participants were then divided into groups and, in rotation, were invited to experience three different Peace Games, allowing them to firsthand explore what it means to develop competences such as respect, listening to others, self-awareness, intercultural understanding, and exchange through play.
This was followed by a more hands-on workshop phase. Participants were asked to write on post-it notes what came to mind when hearing the word “game”. The ideas were then collected, and participants were divided into groups to design their own Peace Games. These games were subsequently developed and presented to the rest of the group.
Teacher training is fundamental to preparing children and young people for respectful and collaborative participation in society. This approach helps to expand the school’s educational focus on citizenship through gaming and provides teachers with new pedagogical tools. The impact of this training day, which involved already different schools in our territory, is significant, as it will have a cascading effect on many students and begin to plant the seeds for more active and democratic participation. If your school or institute is interested in joining our training or learning more about Peace Games, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
From ideas to action: Sanremo gets to work for peace
Sanremo is continuing to build its vision as a City of Peace!
In January, the Sanremo City of Peace Group met at Villa Ormond, bringing together local associations and organizations to develop concrete initiatives related to peace, citizenship, and democracy. This meeting was of fundamental importance, as it concluded with a list of ideas to be developed into concrete projects.
In the first part of the meeting, the discussion focused on the importance of finding a permanent headquarters for the group, and we warmly thank the Vice Mayor for attending and discussing this topic with us.
The central part of the meeting, as planned, took the form of a Policy Lab, building on a need analysis conducted in a previous session and gathering everyone’s ideas on collective initiatives that could be organized to give coherence, impact, and visibility to the concept of Sanremo as a City of Peace. The Policy Lab format, which draws on Design Thinking, follows a confidentiality rule during proposal and discussion sessions, applying the Chatham House principle (the content and outcomes of the discussion are public, but individual positions are not publicized).
The meeting concluded by organizing the proposals into a “generative core” and four thematic areas, each corresponding to a working group, leaving the core for reflection and collective development. Sanremo is therefore actively shaping a culture of peace.
Molassana Lab: Where Peace Meets Participation
On a lively January day in Genoa’s Molassana district, educators, citizens, and community leaders came together to turn local challenges into collaborative solutions through the De.Ci.Tel (Democratic Citizenship Teaching and Learning) Policy Lab.
The EIP Lab facilitated the Policy Lab, a participatory workshop format in which participants are actively involved in the process. The methodology is structured into four alternating phases of divergence and convergence: an exploration phase (in which ideas and needs are expressed), a selection phase (where ideas are collected and mapped), a design phase (participants are divided into working groups), and finally a testing phase (where small pilot projects are implemented). The Policy Lab in fact draws on the Design Thinking approach and applies a confidentiality rule during proposal and discussion sessions, in line with the Chatham House Rule (the content and outcomes of the discussion are public, while individual positions are not attributed).
This activity is part of the actions envisaged under Work Package 5 of the project, entitled “Local Learning Ecosystems”, which focuses on extending Citizenship Education beyond schools by engaging civil society, local administrations, and local communities in participatory activities that foster citizenship competences among teachers, students, and citizens.
In Genoa, the first two phases were carried out: participants from heterogeneous backgrounds, all committed to the needs and challenges of the local area, were brought together, a wide range of ideas was collected and working groups were formed. The groundwork was therefore laid for moving forward with the design and experimentation phases. You can also watch part of the workshop clicking here.
2nd Transnational Project Meeting of the project GOTALK
On April 23-24, 2024, the second international project meeting of the CERV project GOTALK took place in Reggio Emilia. The IIHL and the other partners shared pilot experiences and discussed inclusiveness, sustainability, and policy impact in children’s activity on participation. They focused on re-planning and re-contextualizing methods for the second year to prepare for cross-border piloting. Currently, partners are analyzing first-year data to refine methods and re-plan. This aims to develop a structured plan for transferring experiences to partners and interested actors, supported by focus groups and interviews with territorial actors. The involvement of local and international stakeholders remains crucial for needs assessment, activity evaluation, and future planning.
Save the date: Policy Workshop in Grenoble on June 5th, 2024!
The workshop, hosted by the Grenoble-Alpes-Métropole, foresees a day of stimulating discussions centered around the theme of “Co-designing Local Integration Policies as an Experiment of Participatory Democracy“.
Throughout the day, participants will have the opportunity to actively engage in a series of thought-provoking sessions designed to foster dialogue, share insights, and co-create innovative solutions. From the introductory sessions to participatory policy-making and peer learning moments dedicated to local elected representatives, the workshop will encourage active participation and interaction among all attendees.
Participants will be able to enjoy further exchanges during the buffet lunch and a social dinner in the evening. In the mean time, you can check the travel and stay advice document, where you will find a series of suggestions for your time in Grenoble
Please note that the venue will be communicated to registered participants via email closer to the event date. If interested, you are kindly invited to register by May 20, 2024.
Arguing at SchooL: Multiplier Event in Lyon on March 13, 2024
On March 13, the Multiplier Event “Children acting for wellbeing in an open-school” took place in Venissieux, France. During the Multiplier Event, several speakers from Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, France and Malta took the floor to share their experiences on conflict transformation in educational contexts. The ME also included a World Cafè Session which included tables:
“1) how to open the collaboration between schools and parents? 2) how to open the school to the city and bring back the city into school?”. The session allowed for new insights and inputs for the project and for its future developments.
