Culture is good (even for newborns)

La cultura fa bene (anche ai neonati)
From 14 September, newborns registered in the Turin registry office will receive the Cultural Passport, which allows families, for the first year of the child's life, free access to 32 accredited museums in Piedmont . Family and Kids friendly : welcoming, serene and stimulating, capable of contributing to parental support in education, specially selected by the creators of the project. Born with Culture - this is the name of the initiative, implemented in 2014 at the Sant'Anna Hospital in Turin by the non-profit Foundation Medicina a Misura di Donna in collaboration with the Civic Museum of Modern Art-Palazzo Madama - was born from this question: why should families with babies visit a museum? Professor Chiara Benedetto , president of the non-profit organization explains it to us, offering us an answer based on scientific bases: «The trajectory of life is influenced not only by the genetic heritage, which we inherit from our parents, but also by environmental exposures , by family and social relationships , from behavioral choices and from the historical-cultural context . The intrauterine environment is already capable of influencing the expression of our genes and, if we consider that starting from conception up to the first 3 years of life, the areas of communication between the neurons of our brain, the neuronal synapses, develop very quickly in the face of various stimuli, it is conceivable that positive physical and psychic solicitations can contribute to the full achievement of our cognitive, relational and social potential. This is why the first thousand days of life are a public health priority ». In these four years, the families have received the Cultural Passport within the Sant'Anna Hospital: starting from the principle that culture is good for health , culture has thus entered the recommendations for good growth by right, also creating a connection between families, hospital and city. And this is even more true now: by virtue of the agreement between the non-profit organization and Abbonamento Musei , families can freely access 32 museums throughout the region. Furthermore, thanks to the Department of Innovation, on which the Central Registry service depends, every newborn receives the Passport directly when registering the births . Given these assumptions, Nati con la Cultura also fits well into the European Year of Heritage on the theme of universal cultural accessibility. The Turin project is also operational in Pavia, with the Civic Museums and the San Matteo Polyclinic, and in Brescia, with all the civilian hospitals and the Fondazione Musei Civici. I'm at work for the adoption Rome, Milan, Florence and Naples. For info: www.naticonlacultura.it