‘Don't use it? Swap it!’

‘Don't use it? Swap it!’

Good habits starting in school? An initiative to give objects a second life and teach the circular economy.

‘Don't use it? Swap it!’ is an initiative launched by several classes at a secondary school in Mestre to give objects a second life and teach circular economy. The activity has been very successful and has saved numerous objects from the rubbish bin.

Environmental sustainability, multiculturalism (almost all of the students involved have foreign families), and entrepreneurial skills (the students designed and managed the initiative entirely, from advertising to the final statistical analysis of the data) are the strengths of the project.

The design was only supervised and guided by the teacher in charge, but the responsibility for the choices was given entirely to the students, who had to work according to criteria of collaboration and democracy. The project name, logo, rules, location, timetable, shifts, advertising, inauguration, monitoring tools and results analysis are the technical activities related to the day-to-day management of the project.The initiative immediately represented a great opportunity for inclusion and a valuable lesson in sensitivity and integration, reinforcing the idea of a “community” school and involving families and staff alike.

The project certainly raised awareness and created a new mindset. The children said that they now think carefully before throwing anything in the bin and that they also talk about it with their families. They also expressed their dream of setting up a system to reduce waste in the school canteen.

The results achieved have prompted the nursery school to launch a spin-off project involving the exchange of clothing for young children. In addition, during the primary school's Spring Festival, the class running “Don't use it? Swap it!” was invited to organise and run a stand where clothing could be taken for free. Many families do not have significant financial resources, and these are great opportunities for inclusion. The organising class has already devised and proposed improvements and possible developments for the continuation of the project, which has become part of the school's planning.