The Re-Boat Race is a boat competition held in Rome, where competing teams from all over Italy participate by building up their boat made by garbage and recycled materials provided by the organizers. The boat has to float on water and be able to navigate to the end of the race, and the different teams compete in building it and racing.
Objectives:
- Improve the knowledge on the practices of recycling and upcycling and ultimately environmental sustainability
- Promote the role for the environment of sporting practices and how they can advertise better behaviours by different stakeholders
- Advertise the importance of creativity in upcycling materials instead of considering them trash and reduce consumptions
Description:
The Re-Boat race (Regata Riciclata, in italian language) is a boat race organized by the A.S.D. Sunrise 1 which is a sport organization based in Rome, together with many other actors, which the competing teams have to create their own boats for the competition using provided recycling materials.
The competition, therefore, is not only about being able to be faster than others using a boat completely made by recycled materials, but it’s a true ecological fest, where the participants can win a variety of prizes for their creativity and sustainability efforts, including:
- Best teamwork
- Most colourful boat
- Most innovative and smart boat
- Youth Team prize
- Prize for the boat built with more recycled materials
- Best eco-uniforms
- Best team in social media
And more.
There are other events like this in Italy, like „Riciclonda” which is instead organized in the waters of Ravenna in the region of Emilia Romagna.
Impact and Results:
The event manages to gather a lot of enthusiastic people and it works very well for its fun and innovative approach to the competition. It also manages to gather a lot of supporters and fans, thus making the main message that the event wants to carry on well received by a broad public.
It provides good ideas on how to reuse and recycle materials, and in general on the concept that we should try to reduce consumptions and be able to reuse materials also in creative ways.
Conclusions and Suggestions for Youth Workers:
The activity is very engaging and can be a fun way to involve youngsters in reflecting on what creative uses can be done (also for sporting reasons) of old and recycled materials and items. It can sparkle discussions, and it can be an inspiration for doing also other activities with collected or recycled materials. It could contain a deeper part dedicated to reflection and debriefing on our impact on the environment.
Links for reference: https://www.regatariciclata.it/
https://ailravenna.it/events/riciclonda-2022/
.