“Creativity is the essential ingredient that allows a class, a school of ‘different’ people to become a class, a school where those differences transform into a community.”
With these words, Anna Granata — Professor of Intercultural Pedagogy at the University of Milan–Bicocca — reminds us that inclusion is a daily process that takes shape first and foremost in our schools.
It is there that the great constitutional project of building an equitable, supportive and plural society begins.
In this interview for Inclusion Talks, Professor Granata takes us inside classrooms — among students, teachers and school leaders — and shares what it truly means to live inclusion: a collective, creative practice capable of transforming differences into connection.
Where does community begin? At school
“The school is open to all.”
This is how Article 34 of the Italian Constitution begins — the only constitution in Europe to dedicate such a central passage to education. Today, as Anna Granata notes, we should say “open to all and everyone”, but the message remains powerful: school is the space where diversity becomes everyday experience.
And yet, school doesn’t always succeed in this mission.
This is why the role of teachers is essential: only through a shared vision and a common educational project is it possible to build real relationships of equality.
A small town, a big lesson
Among the stories she shares, one comes from Bagnolo Piemonte — a small mountain town where one in three children speaks Chinese as their mother tongue.
Here, the presence of foreign students is not seen as a problem, but as a precious resource.
The school created a permanent language laboratory: not only Italian, but also Chinese and other heritage languages.
A concrete example of inclusion as an active value — one that keeps a school open and gives children a place where their identity is not erased, but embraced.
“Five Minutes to Change the School”
With this vision, Professor Granata launched the project “5 Minutes to Change the School” — a platform giving voice to teachers, students, school leaders and parents experimenting with organisational creativity in education.
Rethinking spaces, schedules, evaluation methods.
Breaking free from “we’ve always done it this way” and imagining a school where everyone feels well, learns well, teaches well.
“Anna chose to show up, to step in, to transform every educational gesture into an act of innovation. Because innovation is something concrete: it begins with us, with those who choose to take part consciously.
This is the spirit of Innovamey: Innovation Starts from Me.”
— Aram Mbow, Founder of Innovamey
At Innovamey, we believe that change is not an idea — it is an action taken by those who choose to show up and create real impact.
A spark begins with a gesture
This is an idea Anna brings into her university work as well, where over 90% of her students are women — precious allies in collecting stories from the field.
Like the story of Dante: a foreign child considered “difficult” who completely changed behaviour the moment a future teacher told him:
“You are my favourite student.”
A simple gesture that flips dynamics, builds trust, and creates relationship.
School and gender equality: an urgent collective responsibility
But diversity is not only about nationality or language.
One of the areas where Anna is most outspoken is gender equality — even in difficult contexts.
She recalls being invited to speak to students after a shocking incident: a bathroom wall graffitied with “Turetta uno di noi” (referring to a notorious case of femicide).
When she arrived, she found that half the auditorium was empty — many teachers had stayed in their classrooms “to keep up with the curriculum”.
But what curriculum are we talking about, she asks, if we ignore our educational responsibility to address gender-based violence?
“A teacher who stays in class today, in the face of data on femicides, is forgetting the enormous responsibility we have as adults.”
Universities, she adds, have a profound responsibility: to design and experiment with what does not yet exist, to speak beyond academic boundaries, to create dialogue spaces where we can imagine a different society.
A coffee with Astrid Lindgren
If she could, Anna would have coffee with Astrid Lindgren, the author of Pippi Longstocking — to ask how the idea of such a free, rebellious, unconventional girl was born.
And to ask her: What new characters do we need today?
Which stories could make freedom and empowerment something real for all girls — and boys?
Giving voice to inclusion is a political act
Anna concludes:
“Today, giving the floor to those who practise inclusion is a political act.
Thank you for creating this space.”
At Innovamey, we believe deeply that telling stories like hers is essential to generating change.
Because, as Anna teaches us, inclusion is not an add-on — it is the true shape of democracy.
About Innovamey
(Polished translation of your institutional closing)
Innovamey transforms sustainability into a real engine of growth, supporting companies in designing sustainable strategies, transforming business models and communicating impact.
We innovate products and services by placing sustainability at the centre — developing solutions that combine progress, responsibility and competitiveness.
We don’t just imagine the future: we build it.
We collaborate with leading academic institutions such as Bocconi University, Università Cattolica and the Glion Institute of Higher Education to train tomorrow’s leaders through real cases and intergenerational dialogue.
For us, sustainability is not just a goal, but an evolutionary process — a dynamic balance between innovation, positive impact and growth that requires vision, action and constant adaptation.
We have supported major organisations in redesigning their processes with a business-driven, positive-impact approach — from evolving products and services for a more sustainability-aware market, to building operations designed to attract and empower talent who care about people, the planet and profitability.
We help organisations build a sustainable culture through training and conscious leadership, supporting them in communicating their transformation authentically — so that sustainability becomes not only an objective but a lived and shared reality.
We have been key contributors to major events such as IKN’s Climate Tech, Team Different’s Ethical HR and Il Sole 24 Ore’s Global Inclusion, helping shape strategies that unite economic progress with social and environmental responsibility.
Innovamey is action, impact and transformation.
We build with companies a future where sustainability means innovation, value and conscious growth.
Because change is not told — it is made.