experience
“I Made the Menu”: an experience from 
Turin in food education
Turin is an industrial city located in the 
northwest of Italy. It has a population of 
897,682 inhabitants and occupies a surface 
area of 130 km2.
Currently, 10 classes at 6 primary schools are 
participating in the project, which involves 
approximately 250 students. The training 
program is given by specialised staff from 
the Turin Institute for Responsible Education 
(ITER, initials in Italian) and includes field 
trips to different places such as a pedagogical 
farm, a market, the School Catering Service, 
a supermarket, school catering companies, 
etc. In this way, the students learn about the 
nutritional value of food and where it comes 
from (the raising of animals and local fruits 
and vegetables), seasonal produce, labelling, 
food safety and environmental factors (CO2 
emissions, waste, etc.). 
Each of the groups prepares a “weekly menu” 
after learning about issues related to food, 
such as colour, smell, taste, nutrients, origin, 
characteristics, production, etc. At the end of 
the program, the menus are evaluated by the 
specialists (dieticians, teachers, cooks from 
the school catering companies, etc.), who 
select the dishes that will be included in the 
school menu. 
In April 2013, the City Council of Turin set 
up a project called “I Made the Menu”(Il 
menù l’ho fatto io) in order to involve the 
entire school community in a training-based, 
innovative program in nutrition education and 
responsible consumption. The project gets 
children from 8 to 10 years old to participate 
actively in the design of the school menu. 
The idea is to improve their knowledge of the 
food they eat, while seeking to make the food 
served in school lunchrooms to their liking. 
At the same time, meetings are held aimed at 
teachers, families and the persons in charge 
of school lunchrooms in all the public schools 
of Turin. In this way, the project approaches 
the issue of nutrition from various points of 
view, dealing with issues related to habits, 
lifestyles and well-being. It also deals with 
education in responsible consumption by 
instilling an appreciation for local produce and 
the knowledge of the food chain, the impact 
that production and food consumption have 
on the environment and the strategies for 
environmental sustainability.
In the two years of development of the 
initiative, the project has contributed to 
improving the popularity of school meals, 
since 6 full menus designed by the students 
have been included in the school menu, along 
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course or second, or dessert. In addition, it is 
worth to highlight the multiplier effect of the 
students on their families, neighbourhood, 
friends, etc. promoting healthy eating’ habits.
Presented by:  City Council of Turin, 
Education Department
Contact: Silvia Prelz Oltramonti
e-mail: silvia.prelz@comune.torino.it
Turin promotes healthy 
eating’ habits, responsible 
food consumption and the 
active role of students in the 
design of the school menu.  
 All the cities of the IAEC are called to 
participate in the next General Assembly 
that will take place on 11th March in Lisbon. 
Coinciding with the Assembly, a meeting of 
the Executive Committee will also be held 
in which the bids of the cities opting for 
the organisation of the 15th International 
Congress of Educating Cities  wil l  be 
evaluated.  The deadline for presenting bids 
is 15th February. 
 The 12th Meeting of the Spanish Network 
of Educating Cities (RECE) was held on 14th 
January in Rivas Vaciamadrid. The programme 
included a Roundtable in which mayors from 
cities such as Avilés, Granollers, Málaga, Rivas 
Vaciamadrid and Zaragoza participated.
did you know that...
 Near 300 experiences from around one 
hundred cities from 19 countries have been 
received for the 14th Congress of the IAEC 
that will be held in Rosario from 1st to 4th 
June.  Furthermore, we should remind you 
that period of early registration ends on 
15th February. For more information, go to 
http://congresoaice2016.gob.ar/
 The city of Turin organised a Festival of 
Education from 13th to 15th November 2015, 
within the framework of which a meeting of the 
Italian member cities took place.
 The 6 th National Congress of the 
Portuguese Network which was held from 11th 
to 13th November in Almada under the theme 
“Participative Cities, Adapted Cities” gathered 
more than 500 participants from 37 cities.
city. Cities that create meeting opportunities 
and spaces, in which the citizens can affect 
the formulation of public policies, and in 
which the search for joint solutions to the 
new challenges is possible.  
The experiences should contribute innovation, 
and should have been carried out for a 
minimum period of time so that their impact 
can be demonstrated in terms of  improving 
coexistence in the city, and that they are 
totally or partially transferable.  
The Award will be announced at the 14th 
International Congress that will be held 
from 1st to 4th June in Rosario, Argentina. 
The three awarded cities will be invited to 
present their respective experiences in a 
Congress plenary session. Furthermore, a 
wide dissemination will be made in different 
publications and communication channels of 
the IAEC in recognition of the work carried 
out. With this initiative, the Association aims 
editorial
In response to the request by numerous cities 
and in compliance with the Association’s 
Action Plan, the Executive Committee has 
called the Ôijk\[`k`fef]k_\<[lZXk`e^:`kpËj
Award.  The Award aims at internationally 
acknowledging and disseminating the work 
carried out by member cities. With this 
initiative the Executive Committee wants 
to encourage cities to gain progress in their 
Zfdd`kd\ek kfnXi[j ]lcÔcc`e^ k_\ gi`eZ`gc\j
of the Charter and to highlight the value of 
their innovative policies and initiatives.   
@e k_`j Ôijk \[`k`fe three innovative 
experiences from three different cities will 
be awarded, for contributing to a better 
living together. This includes building 
inclusive cities which work to create collective 
wellbeing, where attention is given to 
diversity, equality, participation, access to 
public services and information, and to the 
development of social ties between all the 
inhabitants, so that all of them feel part of the 
to inspire the work of other cities and to 
promote exchanges.  
We encourage all member cities with good 
practices in this domain to submit their 
proposals to the Secretariat, by the end of 
February, for their evaluation. The jury will 
be made up of members of the Executive 
Committee, academics, and a representative 
from UCLG.   
The Educating City’s Award conditions are 
available at: www.edcities.org
The Secretariat of the IAEC
c/ Avinyó 15, 4thÕffi
08002 Barcelona (Spain)
Ph. + 34 93 342 77 20
Fax. +34 93 342 77 29
E-mail: bidce@bcn.cat
 On 3rd and 4th November, the Meeting of the 
Brazilian Network took place in Santo André 
which counted on the presence of more than 
700 people from 23 cities, and dealt with the 
theme of “Sustainability, Social inclusion and 
Diversity in the educational territories”.
 200 representatives from 20 member cities 
and entities from the civil society attended 
the 7thD\\k`e^f]k_\8j`X$GXZ`ÔZE\knfib
that took place in Gumi (Republic of Korea) 
on 3rd and 4th November under the theme of 
“Educating Cities for Social Inclusion”. 
 
 One of the goals of the new agenda for 
sustainable development for 2015-30 of 
the United Nations is to “ensure inclusive and 
quality education for all and promote lifelong 
learning”.
02 Educating Cities
interview
What does the membership of the IAEC 
provide to Santo André and what can your 
city contribute to the Association?
The world is facing a series of new problems 
that require new solutions, which are 
impossible to find when you look at the city 
from just one viewpoint. The city should be the 
result of a joint educational effort.  
All the people in a city have the duty and power 
to stand up for an emancipating educational 
setting, that corrects the inequalities, respects 
the differences and protect the environment. 
It is an honour to form part of the IAEC as a 
member of the Executive Committee, and to 
work with other cities of the world on public 
policies  focused on a more human and fair 
society, based on local actions.     
Coordinating the Brazilian Network is for 
us the challenge and responsibility to build 
awareness and to reach the maximum number 
of municipalities, so that the ideals of the 
Charter can become a commitment in each of 
the Brazilian cities.  
Could you give us some examples of the 
dialogue that has been established with the 
civil society?
Santo André counts on a participatory 
approach in public policy formulation, which 
includes the organisation of conferences, public 
audiences and forums that enable a broad 
debate and deliberation on public policies; 
consultations and informative meetings, 
that establish the links and ties between the 
different areas of the City Council and the 
population; the maintaining of 18 municipal 
councils of citizen participation, amongst them 
being the municipal councils of health and 
education and the participatory budget.
Could you explain the “PrefeiturAqui” 
initiative and how you managed to generate 
interest in what is public?
PrefeiturAqui was carried out in each of 
the 20 regions of the participative budget 
of Santo André, by a team made up of civil 
servants from various departments, which 
acted over a period of 30 days in a specific 
territory. The actions that were carried 
out during this period were those of the 
conservation and improvement of urban 
space, information on public services and 
awareness actions to create a caring culture. 
We call this last aspect the educational action. 
All the actions are determined in accordance 
with a prior diagnosis of the region, carried 
out by the various departments involved in 
the programme. Another important factor 
is the direct dialogue and the coexistence 
established with the population by means of 
the presence of civil servants throughout the 
time that the programme lasts in the territory. 
What is the role of the local health 
councillors and what benefits does this 
Ô^li\Zfeki`Ylk\kfk_\cfZXcdXeX^\d\ek6
Besides the Municipal Council of Health, Santo 
André has 54 Local Health Councils, which 
allow an effective social control. The councillors 
are elected by the direct vote of the resident 
population from the area of action of the health 
unit, which implies a broad understanding of 
democratic participation in the decisions of 
the municipality in all the domains, including 
health.  This dialogue allows municipal decision 
makers to interact with the real needs of the 
population of a given territory. The Councils 
point out possible failures and solutions in the 
provision of services, provide guidance to the 
population in terms of the functioning of the 
services, stimulate organised participation, etc. 
The city provides a large number of 
educational opportunities and pedagogical 
resources.  Could you give us some examples 
of these?
The Municipal Network of Education counts on 
an extensive offer in the city, such as SABINA 
– the Park of Knowledge, the School Park or 
the CESAS.
The SABINA is one of the main centres of 
interactive sciences of contemporary education 
of the State of São Paulo, that has the mission 
of being a major laboratory for the schools in 
the areas of physics, chemistry and biology.  
The School Park Project began in 1997 with 
the aim of building awareness on the side of 
children, teachers, directors and civil servants 
of the municipal network on environmental 
issues, etc. 
The CESAS are educational complexes 
that include nursery school, pre-school 
and primary education, community centre 
and library. Furthermore, they provide the 
students, families and the local community 
with pleasant spaces, with a path for walking, 
an area of socialization, swimming pool, sports 
complex, etc.   
How is the culture of peace fostered in the city?
The Department of Human Rights and Culture 
of Peace boosts in the city the innovation of 
a government concerned with the respect of 
the citizenship and its dignity and ensures the 
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Consolidating this Department as well as the 
i\Õ\Zk`fe#Xccfnjljkf`ekif[lZ\#`eX^iX[lXc
way actions in various fields of intervention 
aimed at moving from a violent culture into a 
culture of peace. The challenge is to provide 
children and adults with an understanding of 
the principles and respect for freedom, justice, 
democracy, human rights, tolerance, equality 
and solidarity. This implies the clear rejection 
of any manifestation of violence...
More information at www.edcities.org 
Mr. Carlos Grana
Mayor of Santo André, Brazil
03 Educating Cities
have taken part, approximately 400 per 
night. Nevertheless, the initiative is subject 
to climate conditions, and participation falls 
when the weather is not very inviting.
On the other hand, the results of the 
evaluation survey show a high degree of 
satisfaction of the participants, who are also 
very appreciative of the visits to the selected 
venues in the city as well as of the opportunity 
of walking or running through the streets 
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Presented by: City Council of Torres Vedras, 
Department of Education and Sports
Contact: Mr. Rodrigo Antolin Ramalho
e-mail: rodrigo.ramalho@cm-tvedras.pt 
With a population of approximately 80,000 
inhabitants and a surface area of 407 km2, 
Torres Vedras is located in the west of 
Portugal, 40 km from Lisbon.  The city is an 
important tourist enclave because of its 20 
km coastline, beaches and hot springs. 
In order to foster healthy habits, the City 
Council of Torres Vedras set up in 2014 
an experience called “Night Run”, which 
comprises the organisation of nightly group 
runs or walks through the city. The distinctive 
thing about this initiative in Torres Vedras is 
that physical activity is being combined with 
promoting knowledge of the city.
Except on weekends, Torres Vedras is a city 
that has little nightlife, but the Night Run 
manages to rejuvenate the city on Wednesday 
nights with the presence of people walking or 
running through its streets, from 9:30 pm to 
10:30 pm. During the activity pedestrians take 
control of the street, relegating traffic and 
occupying and enjoying the public space.
There are 4 different routes, which have 
been adapted to 4 different groups created 
according to various criteria: the participants’ 
physical fitness, intensity of the run, age, 
etc., in order to facilitate participation of a 
large number of people in this free, informal 
activity, which requires no registration.
Each week the act iv i ty  focuses on a 
monument, an emblematic building or a point 
of interest: the municipal market, the city 
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station, a park, a school, an institution, etc. 
experience
The Torres Vedras Night Run, a different 
way of experiencing the city
Torres Vedras fosters a 
healthy lifestyle, knowledge of 
the city, and the use of public 
space through night runs 
across the city.
All the groups will pass by the selected place 
at different times, allowing the participants 
to discover or rediscover their city and 
stimulating their curiosity for visiting the 
place at another time, in order to appreciate 
in greater detail its cultural, architectonic, 
artistic or heritage-related qualities.
Furthermore, the initiative promotes the 
establishment of new relations between people 
who live in the city, since it binds hundreds of 
g\fgc\kfXjg\Z`ÔZdfm\d\ek[li`e^n_`Z_
coexistence and dialogue prevail, and which 
allows the participants to set aside their daily 
problems for a while and strengthen ties that 
can last beyond the duration of the activity.
To date there have been 72 Night Runs 
in Torres Vedras, with a great degree of 
participation: more than 29,000 people 
04 Educating Cities
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