“At first some kids didn’t even speak to people in uniform. Indeed, at times they were almost annoyed by their presence because they were used to seeing the agents as people to be distrusted. Furthermore, as soon as they arrived they took away his mobile phone, obviously there are rules and timetables to follow there…”. Federica Picchiundersecretary with responsibility for youth and sport for the Lombardy region, explains to Il Giornale the “sport and legality” initiative that he will present to the sports ministers in Rome at Palazzo Chigi on Wednesday Andrea  Abodi and Education Giuseppe Valditara. In a nutshell, the project is one that will bring the children of some high schools considered more peripheral and with social fragility, where perhaps there have been episodes of bullying, to spend about ten days of “training” in the military and military sports groups. State. The first pilot experiment has already been carried out with the Fiamme Gialle and saw around sixty students hosted on the campuses of Ostia, Sabaudia and Predazzo. In spring we start in earnest with the involvement, in addition to the sports group of the Fianaza Guard, also of those of the Fire Brigade and the Penitentiary Police, Fiamme blu and azzurre on the Gorgona and Moena campuses. There the kids, alongside the athletes and coaches of the military groups, will be introduced to a sport, from swimming to climbing, athletics, fencing, archery, judo-karate, rowing, skiing, sailing. The objective is to convey to them, in addition to the values ​​of sport, also those of legality. “Those who have already participated have returned home enthusiastic – explains Picchi – in the end a relationship of trust, respect and friendship was established and, given the extraordinary result of this pilot project, my undersecretariat has decided to extend it to all the others Sports Groups”. No militarization of the school, that is not the intention, but to put kids in contact with sporting worlds of excellence, which have history, tradition and Olympic medals: “First because they don’t go to be policemen or financiers, but sport in their centers of excellence – continues the undersecretary of the Lombardy Region – We want to make them fall in love with the institutions and, especially for some young people who already have some wounds with justice, this has a profound meaning. What better system than sport, which teaches respect for one’s opponent in a society that never misses an opportunity to encourage hatred for others? Sport is an extraordinary tool for giving our children values ​​that they wouldn’t get otherwise. With sport we teach the preciousness of their body, of time, the value of commitment”