Mol-Matera Online Newspaper is a multi-lingual e-monthly magazine. Pupils from schools all over the world can contribute and collaborate with by sending their own articles and reviews. In doing so, we encourage self-expression and occasions of opinion debating for teenagers in order that they can experience differences and similarities sharing together cross-cultural interests, ideas and concerns.

The project, started in 2000, has been awarded numerous prizes and has been given increasingly broad appreciation both on a national and international level.

The prime aim of Mol-Matera Online Newspaper has always been to build up bridges between cultures, promoting dialogue and confrontation. Pupils from different schools, tutored by their teachers, really have their hands on the paper editions working personally on the editorial choices regarding suitable subjects, best headlines and photo coverage.

In addition, our paper is a free space, an opportunity given to young people to meet up, debate and share together viewpoints : in short, it is a new virtual agora-like community.

ICTs, the new technologies, thus become the ways and means to promote critical reflection knowing well how being aware of its use offers at the same time occasions of cultural enrichment and amusement .

The project objectives are the following :

- To promote a quality use of the new means of communication, as tools of participation, confrontation and meeting;
- To promote awareness and independence of thought to develop a critical attitude necessary to participate actively in the information society;
- To teach young people to work in collaboration and to promote the culture of the new media;
- To train pupils to express and propose their ideas through unconventional ways of writing;
- To put schools in touch and collaboration with the external world and other school situations;
- To motivate students to participate actively in the life of the European society, respecting "diversity" and encouraging a democratic confrontation and mutual understanding;
- To develop a degree of communicative ability in a number of languages and to learn about the European cultural heritage, comparing traditions and valuing cultural differences which are part of our common history and civilization;
- To improve the knowledge of languages through the publication of works written by students in English and other European languages;
- To promote the integration into the European social and cultural context expected of students who are in disadvantaged conditions and of schools situated in remote geographical and economically depressed areas in the world.

Different achievements have been gained over the years :

-More than100 schools have collaborated in the project , which has totalled 65 paper issues as from September 2000 with around 800 articles and reviews in English and other European languages – Italian, Spanish, Rumenian, Portuguese and French

-The collaborating schools are located in many different countries such as Turkey, Romenia, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Malta, Belarus, Finland, Russia, Luxemburg, Lithuania, Poland, France, Spain, Canada, Israel, Armenia, Belgium, Sweden, Japan.

-On record, about 25 schools from the world over are currently working on line with us

-The prizes the project has been awarded are the following : Childnet award 2003 ; Cento Progetti 2004 , promoted by the Italian Ministry of Public Office; Centoscuole 2004 promoted by the Fundation for School “Compagnia San Paolo” in Turin.

· The project was among the finalists for the following: Stockholm Challenge Award 2004; Global Junior Challenge 2004

-The project was presented on 8th Online Learning Symposium ( 2nd-4th Novembre 2004, Edmonton,Canada )

Nowadays, owing to both geographical isolation and shortage of resources, yet, so many young people have not been given equal educational opportunities. The spreading use of ICT may contribute significantly to provide a solution to such a problem, enabling young people and adults to learn.
MOL-Matera Online Newspaper ‘ s priority is to promote an educational use of ICTs, in order to carry out plans and activities really felt and done by pupils. The Internet is the means employed to enable young people, even those living in far away countries, to keep in touch, exchanging and comparing views and ideas. The project uses the new technologies to respond to the growing demands of schools and young people alike for being in touch with other schools to exchange ideas and share projects together. Remote schools, sometimes located in lesser developed areas, have the opportunity to come into contact with one another, taking part in a debate thus challenging cultural and geographical boundaries.

MOL - Matera Online Newspaper is mainly based on the use of ICTs through which the schools involved in the project communicate providing pupils with meaningful and efficacious learning opportunities.

The project is addressed to pupils from Europe and from all over the world aged between 5 and 19 years old and is coordinated by the Liceo “Duni”, a High School in Matera (Italy). Further schools from Europe and the world over also contribute to the paper.

Pupils become aware of their own ‘visibile’ on-line newspaper. Thus, producing a wide range of articles, surveys and interviews in Italian, English and other European languages, they are encouraged to express their own views and to reflect on important subjects like culture, traditions, customs, environment, music, sport and politics. Mainly, our purpose is to enable the pupils of our land, Basilicata, included among the lesser advantaged regions in southern Italy, to overcome their isolation and to come into contact with different real situations in Europe and the world over comparing traditions, valuing cultural differences which enrich our common historical heritage in the process of civilization .

Also, the project aims at responding to the growing educational demand for avoiding the traditional school contexts of isolation so as to share ideas and projects with other schools and collaborate with other professional figures in the local area.