The Seeds of Ethics

With the project “The Seeds of Ethics“, MECS – the Movement for Ethics, Culture, and Sport – in close collaboration with Luiss Guido Carli University, ACSI (Italian Association for Sport, Culture and Leisure), and the Italian National Amateur League (LND), and with the institutional partnership of the Institute for Sports Credit, addresses high school students in their first and second years. The goal is to develop a journey of education and reflection, using sport as a powerful vehicle for raising awareness about the ethical principles that influence young people’s everyday lives, behavior, and decision-making processes.

All participating schools are paired with Serie D football clubs (LND) from their respective cities. These clubs support students through an educational journey that combines classroom and sporting activities.

After the initial internal phase within each school, four schools will be selected to advance to the final stage of the “Ethicampionship”, which was held in Rome in May.

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Implementation

Phase One – INDOOR

(1) Ethic Quiz
The “Ethic Quiz” is designed to encourage students to reflect on ethical and virtuous behavior in sport and life, as well as on correct environmental choices to help safeguard our ecosystem.
The quiz will be administered to first and second-year classes during a designated “Ethics Day” selected by each participating school, and will assess the students’ level of ethical understanding.

(2) “Ethical Photo” & “Meeting with the Team”
As part of the indoor phase, each participating school will host a meeting with a representative from their paired Serie D football club. This event aims to highlight the importance of values such as ethics, fair play, legality, and solidarity in sport.

During this event, students will also take part in the “Ethical Photo” challenge: the class will create an original group photo, accompanied by a slogan focused on ethics in sport. The photo will be published on the project’s official Facebook page: “I Semi dell’Etica”.

The photo will be evaluated by the MECS staff and will contribute extra points to the school’s total score, along with the results of the Ethic Quiz.
The top four scoring schools will progress to Phase Two (OUTDOOR).

(3) Optional Activity – “Ethics & Sport at School for a Sustainable Society”
Each participating class may also submit a PDF project (max. 4 pages) promoting ethical values at school through sport.
The theme is: “Ethics & Sport at School for a Sustainable Society”.
Each school will internally select one project to officially represent the institution and submit it to MECS.
If completed, this optional task will provide a significant bonus to the school’s final indoor phase score. The most original and relevant proposal may even be selected for implementation in future editions.

Phase Two – OUTDOOR: The Ethicampionship (Final Tournament)

The final tournament, held in Rome, will involve the four selected schools. Each will be represented by a delegation of 10 people:

2 chaperones (at least one must be a school teacher)
8 players (6 boys and 2 girls) forming the school’s representative team

Participating schools will receive a bonus covering travel costs, accommodation, and meals during the final event, hosted at a partner facility.

The Ethicampionship will include semi-finals and a final match to determine the winning team.
Alongside the tournament, the final event at CPO Giulio Onesti will feature a seminar session on ethics in sport and a scored ethical quiz.

The winners of the Football Tournament and the Ethical Quiz will each receive a €300 voucher for the purchase of sports and educational materials.

Communication

The “Seeds of Ethics” project uses two main communication channels:

The official website, which hosts photos, results, events, and activities, along with the platform to take the Ethic Quiz.
The official Facebook page, which features regular updates and promotions, publication of Ethical Photos, and discussion threads.

Conclusion

In a time of profound socio-cultural change, this project reflects Italy’s desire to rebuild from the core value of ethics, understood as a moral foundation for sustainable social development.

The ethical principles underpinning sport—loyalty, fairness, friendship, tolerance, and respect for teammates, rules, and opponents—are the pillars of a responsible society.

Education through sport thus gains renewed importance and must be preserved and enhanced.
Sport, once a simple form of social gathering, is today a central element of daily life, with a new role in contemporary society.

In this landscape, educational projects like The Seeds of Ethics must lead the way—shifting the focus of education from quantity to quality, from performance to principles.

Thanks to the dedication of its promoters and partners, this initiative aims to recognize sport not merely as entertainment, but as a genuine educational tool, a space of true growth—a training ground not only for athletic talent, but also for values and moral excellence.