Whirlpool EMEA’s edutainment project involved 1,800 primary schools throughout Italy and made its website available for distance learning.
Three schools in the provinces of Bari, Reggio Emilia and Rome won the Talent Kitchen
Pero (MI), 10 August 2020 – 1,800 primary schools throughout Italy, 2,500 classes amounting to around 69,000 pupils involved, 2,500 educational kits and a total of 594 entries sent in by the children who put themselves to the test with the national Talent Kitchen educational competition. These are the numbers that confirm the success of the fourth edition of Moments not to be wasted (www.momentsnottobewasted.com) the edutainment project launched by Whirlpool EMEA that raises awareness among new generations on the value of food and on not wasting it.
The project concluded with the educational challenge Talent Kitchen, which invited the children to recount, with drawings, photos, videos or other means, in an original and creative way, their idea of anti-waste cooking and the good times spent at the table with their families, before and during the lockdown period. The submissions were evaluated by a jury made up of teachers, journalists, communication experts and representatives of the Food Bank, as well as Whirlpool representatives.
Those who won the challenge, which was attended by 119 classes throughout Italy, were the children of the 2nd C of Primary School M. La Sorte di Alberobello (Bari), who won first place, taking home a prize of 2,000 euros in teaching materials, thanks to the documentation of various anti-waste experiences: from the two videos shot before the lockdown (one featuring the visit to the village market and the other documenting the strawberry planting) to the interactive recipe book in Italian and English, with traditional dishes from Bari, Poland and China, depending on the students’ countries of origin, to the padlet (virtual bulletin board) where children and parents posted photos of family lunches and dinners (a real interactive album that immortalises all their “moments not to be wasted”). The second prize – 1,000 euros in teaching materials – goes to class 4ª B of the Telesforo Righi Primary School of Brescello (Reggio Emilia), which distinguished itself for its creativity by inventing two very original fairy tales, “La favola di Frutta Biologica” and “La fata Fragolina“, and by creating a superfood kite that promotes a healthier lifestyle, plus an anti-waste cookbook and many drawings and artistic artifacts on the theme of nutrition. On equal merit, the jury also awarded the 18 classes of the John Paul II Primary School in Rome who worked at a distance presenting a very well-structured project thanks to which they learned to buy, preserve and cook food in a conscious way. They also receive a prize of 1,000 euros in teaching materials.
Finally, two special mentions were given; one to the 5th B of the Leone XIII Primary School in Milan, for the originality and inventiveness of the works presented (from the proposal of an App named “Calorie da non sprecare“, aimed at helping people to lose weight and achieve a healthy lifestyle, the board game on eating habits in the world, and the video clips and anti-waste advice), and the other at the 5th Unica of the Edmondo de Amicis Primary School in Genova Voltri (Genoa), which presented an essay in the form of a newscast, “A tutta IV“, in which the “small videojournalists” presented services on laboratory experiences related to nature and food, in which pupils with different disabilities also participated.
“Whirlpool is at the forefront of the fight against food waste, not only through the design of increasingly energy-efficient household appliances, but also through its commitment to promoting the edutainment project Moments not to be wasted, which has been accompanying young people in Italy, Poland, Slovakia and the United Kingdom for years now,” explains Alessandro Magnoni, Senior Director Communication and Government Relations for Whirlpool EMEA, “We believe that Moments not to be wasted is a valuable tool for children and families in order to reflect on and raise awareness of sustainable food consumption and solidarity. After this year’s great success, we are already working on the next edition which will soon be on the children’s desks”.
In fact, during this school year, Moments not to be wasted and the Talent Kitchen competition, besides being successfully continued during the lockdown, were also a real and tangible support to teachers for distance learning. Indeed, Whirlpool has managed to remain close to Italian children and families, making available to teachers the site www.momentsnottobewasted.com opening the new “Home Schooling” section. Through this page the teachers have been put in contact with an expert educational team, which, upon request, has drawn up for them an in-depth analysis of various themes of the curriculum of all subjects of study in primary schools, from mathematics to geometry, from history to geography, to science. In response to the many requests from teachers, in-depth studies have been prepared, the texts of which are still available in the “Home Schooling” section.
As evidenced by the videos and photos sent for the contest, during the lockdown the activities planned by Moments not to be wasted helped children and parents not only to enhance and not waste food, but also to appreciate even more the many beautiful moments spent together in the kitchen. In fact, the quarantine period was an opportunity to rediscover the value of being together with your loved ones, and parents and children alike enjoyed the pleasure of coming together each day at the table during the time spent at home. Unique and unrepeatable moments, made of small gestures of love such as baking a cake together, or homework. Moments of life lived, where young and old rediscovered the taste of doing things together; cooking, setting the table, eating, talking and rediscovering the value of food (from strategic spending to conscious consumption). These are all experiences that, thanks to Moments not to be wasted and to the contest Talent Kitchen have been enhanced and documented, to remain imprinted in the album of memories.
As evidence of its ongoing commitment to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and to strengthen its support in the fight against waste, Whirlpool will make a donation to the Food Bank for every project received from schools participating in the initiative, supporting the Organisation in the recovery of food surpluses and their redistribution to charities.