The Fa’ la cosa giusta! exhibition. Generating synergies between schools, museums, and our shared heritage

Organised by publisher Terre di Mezzo, the Fa’ la cosa giusta! (Do the right thing!), exhibition has been held annually in Milan for the past 16 years and is currently Italy’s leading exhibition on ethical consumption and sustainable lifestyles. Throughout its history, the event has maintained a strong focus on cultural and educational processes. The 2018 and 2019 editions featured a dedicated section called SFIDE - la scuola di tutti (Challenges - a school for everybody), which explored the role of schools, education and opportunities for educational innovation, offering training sessions for teachers, students, and families alongside exhibits. The 2019 edition of SFIDE featured a new two- day event format, delivered in collaboration with the University of Milano-Bicocca’s Department of Human Sciences and Education, on the educational and professional development potential of cooperation between schools and museums. In the mornings, a panel of 12 museum representatives and 12 teachers presented and discussed educational projects that had been specifically designed to explore and leverage museum re- sources. The characteristics shared by these projects were inclusivity, a cross-curricular approach, joint initiatives by schools and museums, and innovative teaching-learning methods. In the afternoons, selected projects were showcased, and a workshop area was made available where museum education officers and teachers could meet, share their experience, and initiate collaboration. The aim was to explore the potential avenues of cooperation between schools and museums in an informal setting. We found that an exhibition can offer a fruitful venue for the exchange and discussion of ideas and projects among museum representatives, teachers, and a diverse range of visitors. The event brought to light a range of critical situations in which leveraging cultural heritage can meaningfully contribute to fostering lasting ties between school-going children and the places where they live.