“Beauty will save the world,” wrote Fyodor Dostoevsky. But violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin would have added “starting with children” to that statement as he had the insightful idea of introducing young children to art, beauty, music and creativity. That original idea gradually grew over the years into a Europe-wide project that put art at the very centre of the growth of the individual and their potential to absorb it, beginning from childhood. The idea was to acquaint children with beauty so that they would then grow into better adults and peacemakers. In other words, art and beauty are capable of breaking down barriers – be they physical, cultural or economic – and helping people to overcome their shyness and embrace their passions. Our contribution to the project, which was organized in Rome by the Associazione Mus-e Roma Onlus (the Mus-e Rome non-profit) helped the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 school years by taking beauty to the outskirts of Rome, specifically to the San Basilio, Centocelle, Casal Monastero, Settecamini, Idroscalo di Ostia and Trionfale districts where the number of children of non-Italian origin enduring severe social and economic hardship is particularly high. The initiative, which also involved children with disabilities, provided each school year with 32 free art workshops for pupils at six elementary schools. Each workshop took up 20 hours over the course of the year, and helped children discover beauty, giving them a first-hand experience of art through music, song, drama, dance, film, martial arts, visual and figurative arts. Details Location: Rome Association: Associazione Mus-e Roma Onlus Estimated beneficiaries: 800 children Total Enel contribution: 80,000 euros Year: 2018/2019 – 2019/2020
