To mark our 80th anniversary in Italy, over 3,160 students from 59 schools in the Lazio region took part in a Creative Writing Competition. Participants were invited to draw inspiration from their favourite stories and imagine a new character or a day in the life of a famous literary figure.
In this story, we share reflections from six secondary school students — on their experience in the contest, what motivates them to learn English, and how they hope to use it in the future.
‘I have always been passionate about writing stories and developing my creative side; when I first heard about this contest, I immediately knew I wanted to participate. Soon, my enthusiasm spread across the whole class, convincing everyone to contribute to the realisation of the story.’ – Gaia Sasso
‘In our story, we decided to bring together the two most iconic British characters of our generation: Mary Poppins and Paddington. With scattered memories from our childhood and all of our minds united, we managed to come up with “A Jammy Slip”, combining the fantastic worlds of the two characters, making them interact and spiral into a hectic adventure.’ – Chiara Benacquista
‘Participating in the Creative Writing Competition taught me many things, but the most important of all was teamwork. Meeting together and brainstorming ideas was the real deal [...] To anyone who wants to learn English, I’d say: never stop flying and don’t let anyone stop you from exploring the world.’ – Roberto Barbato
‘English is a very important and significant part of my life. What I love most about learning English is how it allows us to break down linguistic and cultural barriers among people, while practising it leads to a real reduction in the distances between individuals.’ – Chiara Bravo
‘The more I practise English, the better it becomes, and I am really glad I got involved in the competition. English helps me communicate with other people whenever I travel around the world, and it increases my vocabulary, which helps me even when speaking in my own language.’ – Carlotta Nepi
‘I love English as a language, always have, and it is the reason why I chose a Cambridge IGCSE-oriented path [...] I must address my advice to people who avoid learning English for as long as possible: it opens so many doors for your future. Nowadays, it is almost essential, even for work in general. Thank you for the opportunity!’ – Edoardo Musumeci