Project sponsored by Adventum Foundation andAnti-Wear Outpatient Clinic and funded by8xmille of the Adventist Christian Church.

The “Nothing for Nothing” theater project

“Nothing for Nothing. Stories Suspended Between Over-indebtedness and Usury” is a theatrical journey and a lively reflection on a burning topical issue that historically comes from afar and today takes on increasingly pervasive and insidious characteristics and modalities. Through the emblematic stories of characters drawn from the reality of testimonies and investigations, an emotional and compelling journey unfolds that engages and makes one think, but which, above all, we hope, will be an example and guide for conscious money management, a pulsating warning to be alert to the trap of usury, which takes advantage of the emotional and psychological vulnerability of people in difficulty, but also a boost to the courage to seek help from institutions when the problem becomes insurmountable and dangerous. Indeed, the difficult economic contingency and the lack of a culture on the responsible use of money have led to an exponential growth of the phenomenon throughout the country. Falling into the hands of moneylenders more and more often are artisans, traders, entrepreneurs, and family units for a problem that is little talked about and on which the spotlight is turned only when the crime news deals with it, for murders, suicides or violence against the victims. Education in the responsible use of money is, therefore, a significant first goal to be pursued with specific awareness and literacy activities, promoting a social consciousness that helps to understand the causes of the problem and curb it. Starting with the younger generation. This is precisely why the play and its writing are for an audience of young people, the first to need to understand the magnitude and severity of the phenomenon. In this, the role of the Ministry of Education, Principals and Professors is crucial for the involvement of students, and the theatrical text must be a moment in a broader journey made up of meetings, debates, classroom themes, and in-depth studies in classrooms and schools.

The national tour

In 2016, the national tour of the play Nothing for Nothing was included within the “Only if You Can” Awareness Campaign for Responsible Use of Money, promoted by the ADVENTUM Foundation once again in collaboration with the Anti-Use Outpatient Clinic and funded through the 8xmille contribution allocated to the Adventist Church.

The tour followed the following stops: Parma, Naples, Milan, Jesi and Florence.

For schools that participated in the theater events in Naples and Florence, it was possible to hold in-depth meetings in the classrooms in May 2016 with lawyers from the Anti-usury Outpatient Clinic.

The schools involved were as follows:

Naples
– Isabella D’Este-Caracciolo Institute
– Ippolito Cavalcanti Institute; F. Degni (Torre del Greco)

Florence
– Leonardo da Vinci Institute

Testimonials

18/05/2016

“… thanks to all of you! My pupils really enjoyed the play, but especially the theme of which they state that no one before you had told about. We continue: next Tuesday, lawyer Ciatti will come to submit a questionnaire and two videos to the students. Let’s try further! A dear greeting“.

Franca Abazia (lecturer at the Leonardo da Vinci Institute in Florence).

19/05/2016

“I consider it a privilege to have collaborated with a very small contribution of ‘commitment by accompanying a fifth class of ITIS da Vinci! In a time when it is rare to find those who work (…) with a spirit of free fraternity but rather it is increasingly easy to come across those who do ” nothing for nothing,” your theatrical proposal has been a beautiful testimony for content and mode of values as rare as precious!!! Many thanks to you and all the organizers.”.

Alessandro Martini (lecturer at the Leonardo da Vinci Institute in Florence).

25/05/2016

“Thank you all for the opportunity you gave our teenagers, and thank you also from me and my colleagues, for giving us a cue to reflect in the classrooms on such a topical issue and so important in life. We had been very impressed by the play, but your efforts, by activating a follow-up workshop, did us all a great service. We would like to have the opportunity to meet with you again, precisely because, each of you, for his or her part, has contributed to the emergence of new ideas for a ‘new’ school that is responsive to the pathways to citizenship so much called for by the ministerial lines. Teachers cannot be satisfied with their own work even if done with so much enthusiasm; we need people like you who really participate in the activity of growth. Cordial greetings from us teachers and all the students who participated in your project.”.

Franca Abazia (lecturer at the Leonardo da Vinci Institute in Florence).