I don't take risks: the comic strip l'Attimo decisivo presented in Rome
Minister Musumeci and the Head of Department Fabrizio Curcio together at the launch day at the I.C. Fratelli Bandiera secondary school.
"Civil Protection in the schools. This is the project we all are working on, with a comic strip to draw students' attention to the issues of natural risk prevention," this is how the Minister for Civil Protection and Sea Policies, Nello Musumeci, presented "L'Attimo decisivo", during his visit this morning to the I.C. Fratelli Bandiera secondary school in Rome, accompanied by the Head of the Department Fabrizio Curcio.
The comic strip is already available in all Italy's first-grade secondary schools, with the aim of expanding the audience of the national communication campaign I don't take risks, making the new generations aware of civil protection topics, also in view of 13 October, the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
L'Attimo decisivo is a story in 24 illustrations that tells the lives of Samira, Carlo, Katja and Paolo, four boys aged between 11 and 14 who find themselves facing the consequences of an earthquake, a flood, a tsunami and a forest fire and having to make decisive choices to save themselves and others. The narrator of the events, and also the antagonist of the four guys, is the Risk Equation, a powerful and seemingly invincible enemy that can only be countered through the power of awareness and knowledge of good civil protection practices, a 'power' we all have.
"What really makes the difference when facing a dangerous situation is the awareness of the risks that can affect home, school, the city in which we live, and the knowledge of what we can do to reduce the risk and increase safety," this is how the Head of the Department framed the project around the comic strip, emphasising "We are here today because this widespread culture of risk reduction is built day after day, without waiting for something to happen, and it starts with you".
On the website dedicated to "L'Attimo decisivo", the comic strip and audio book are available to ensure full accessibility of the contents also for students with disabilities. Inside the comics, qr codes are placed at strategic points in the story, through which it is possible to access further detailed video content related to the risks faced by the protagonists.
An integral part of the project are also the products created to support the teachers who will support the students in their classes in reading the comics. These consist of 6 video lectures lasting about 15 minutes each, where experts from the scientific and civil protection community explore the topics in depth.
The initiative was promoted by the Minister for Civil Protection and Sea Policies together with the Ministry of Education and Merit in the framework of the activities envisaged by the Memorandum of Understanding ''Collaboration Actions for Safety in Schools'' of 17 November 2022 between the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Civil Protection Department and the Ministry of Education.