Fitarco, the Italian archery federation, has launched another school partnership in the province of Naples, this time with the Liceo Scientifico Alfonso Maria de’ Liguori di Acerra, in a multi-phase project designed to bring archery to the school’s students, Fitarco reported.
The initiative began with a mutual introduction between the federation and the school, followed by what everyone involved considered an essential first module: a 20-hour introductory archery course for the school’s physical education teachers. The theoretical and practical course, structured as five four-hour sessions, was held in the school gym and drew six teachers, who will now be able to run archery courses for students both as a curricular and extracurricular activity.
Six Teachers, 20 Hours, and a Course Taught by Giovanni Palmieri
The course was led by Fitarco federal instructor Prof. Giovanni Palmieri, and the participating teachers expressed clear satisfaction with the training, according to Fitarco. Palmieri, for his part, said he had enjoyed working with his former physical education colleagues, whom he described as motivated and actively participatory.
The Naples provincial delegate for Fitarco highlighted two indicators of the teachers’ engagement. First, the teachers contributed a significant amount of their own money, on a voluntary basis, toward the course’s organizational costs. Second, they attended outside working hours, in their free time. That, the delegate said, confirms that school professionals exist who are willing to put themselves personally and professionally on the line to offer students more educational opportunities — in this case, the chance to take up archery.
De Rosa and Manzi Back the School’s Side of the Deal
The course and the wider partnership would not have been possible without support from Fitarco’s national and regional branches, which Fitarco says have consistently backed every initiative to promote archery in schools, as well as from the regional and provincial school offices, the school’s principal, Prof. Carmine De Rosa, and the coordinator of its physical education department, Prof. Ferdinando Manzi.
The school has also offered indoor and outdoor spaces for any initiatives promoted by the federation's local branches.
Equipment, a PON Project, and a Free Loan from Fitarco
The school has committed to purchasing archery equipment starting this school year so students can begin practicing within a short time. In return, the territorial branch of Fitarco, having obtained approval from its regional president, has committed to providing the school with archery equipment on free loan.
To give the initiative further momentum, the school submitted a project under the national operational programs known as PON “La Scuola per lo Sviluppo,” one of seven national programs financed by EU structural funds. Fitarco, again through the Naples provincial delegate and with the regional president’s approval, is a second-level partner in the project at no cost.
RAI3 Campania Spotlights the School on September 23, 2016
The buzz generated by the archery initiative, alongside the school’s other educational projects, drew media attention — particularly from RAI3 Campania, which on September 23, 2016 aired a lengthy feature on the Liceo de’ Liguori within its “Buongiorno regione” program, including segments on archery with brief interviews of students and Palmieri.
Next Step: Opening the School to the Territory Through a New Sports Association
The final phase of the partnership calls for the school to open itself to the surrounding community, including by supporting the creation of an amateur sports association, with local Fitarco help for the bureaucratic steps and anything else needed. That would let students who want to keep shooting continue practicing archery after leaving the school system, strengthen their training, and, if they choose, enter competitive archery.
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