Since its founding in 1996, Transparency International Italy has been implementing projects in the education sector, believing that the education of younger generations – in order to form responsible and conscious citizens – is the main tool to prevent corruption.

The project “A path towards legality. My school adopts TI-It” involved 21 classes from four high schools in Lombardy and seven classes from two primary schools in Sicily.

The complexities of corruption were translated into the accessible language of core teaching subjects so that students could better contextualise it. For example, the teachers spoke about corruption in sports during physical education classes, touching on a variety of issues from breaking rules to doping and match-fixing. Some athletes were also invited to join the classes, share their experiences and interact with the students.

The main strength of this approach is that students realised that corruption is not abstract. They made the connection that corruption is a way of thinking and behaving in different situations, with both direct and indirect negative consequences. Students were also encouraged to produce work at the end of the year using innovative and creative methods. Some developed codes of ethics for their classes, while others filmed educational videos or produced reports, comic strips, posters, drawings and murals.