The Legality and Merit Project was born out of Professor Paola Severino’s idea to foster dialogue between Luiss students and other young people (high school students, youths from juvenile detention centers (“IPM”), from juvenile social service offices (“USSM”) and from Ministerial Communities) on the themes of legality and merit, promoting awareness on the importance of respecting the rules and fighting corruption.
The initiative, at its seventh edition, is fueled by a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education and Merit, the Ministry of University and Research, the Superior Council of the Judiciary, the National Anti-mafia and Anti-terrorism Directorate, the National Anti-corruption Authority, and Luiss Guido Carli University.
The educational meetings, led by Luiss students, address topics such as active citizenship, the fight against the mafia, gender equality, immigration and integration, hate speech on the web, the preservation and protection of the country's artistic, cultural and environmental heritage.
Luiss students, led by a team of young Luiss tutors and research fellows, act as trainers and Ambassadors of values related to meritocracy and legality, guiding their peers through dedicated training sessions and workshops.
The previous editions of the project involved over 800 Luiss students and dozens of young people from high schools, juvenile detention centers, juvenile social service offices, and ministerial communities, with the aim of raising awareness among new generations on issues of legality and merit.
Each edition envisages a concluding award ceremony, during which the most innovative and creative outputs dedicated to legality are announced as winners. Additionally, scholarships to attend a Luiss Summer School and to access Luiss’ Degree Programs are offered.
Awarding scholarships to young students aims at ensuring a tangible link between legality and merit, transforming the message conveyed by the Project into a concrete opportunity.
Thanks to the Legality and Merit Project, Luiss participated:
- in the “Universities for Legality” initiative promoted by the Falcone Foundation.
- in the production of the docufilm “Rebibbia lockdown” - directed by Fabio Cavalli and produced by Rai Cinema. This film was created in the context of the Project’s activities and was widely broadcasted in the media, TV, cinema and in institutional contexts.
- in the 2022 edition of the Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Awards, a global conference and competition open to educational innovators from all over the world, winning the Bronze medal in the Regional Award - Europe category. This prize underlines the importance of cultivating the values of legality and merit, and promoting their dissemination among young people.
The winning projects of the seventh edition