What do you think about? Some historical and modern controversies

Here an exhibition on scientific controversies presented by Ypssi Italian group during the "Week of Education and Pedagogy". Thanks to Laura, Lisa and Ilaria S. for their contribution.

November 20th: Knowledge Festival Protest

Saturday November 20th, teachers, educators, parents and students will participate in the Knowledge Festival Protest organised by Articolo 3 Committee and CGIL. It will be a moment to discuss about education and research.
Controvento will participate in organising a scenario workshop on the future of education.

November 17th 2010: International Students' Day

71 years ago, the young Czechoslovakians protest was suppressed by Nazi occupants. In 1973, the same day, young Greeks were killed by the tank panzers. This year, this special day in Italy arrives after a year of protests against the financial cuts to public education. So, from Torino to Palermo, students and teachers from public university, high and middle school will celebrate the International Students' Day organising different forms of protest: strikes, demonstrations, concerts, performances, lectures, public lessons.
Controvento will participate in giving voice to Ypssi network.

Piazza della Scienza: a moment to think about the sense of education

In November, Controvento will participate in the Week of Education and Pedagogy organised by the city of Cesena. Controvento will coordinate Piazza della Scienza, a moment to think about the sense of education and to communicate with citizens the results of the 2008 and 2009 Ypssi processes.

In Piazza della Scienza, people will find an exhibition on scientific controversies and on the function of education in making citizens able to participate in the public debate and in the decision-making processes. Marco Cortesi, actor and dramatist, will read some passages from "Freedom road" by Howard Fast, "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, the poem "Freedom"by Paul Eluard and some sections from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Italian Constitution.
Scenario workshops adressed to youngsters will be organised in collaboration with Libreria Coop. A rich bibliography on Science and Society will be available.

Lisa, Ilaria, Lorenza and Fabio participated in the "2010 Youth Summer Camp on Biodiversity"

Il 13 agosto Lisa, Ilaria, Lorenza e Fabio, quattro studenti universitari italiani, sono partiti alla volta di Marsiglia per partecipare al “2010 Youth Summer Camp on Biodiversity” insieme ad altri 49 giovani europei. Qui di seguito il resoconto e le foto della loro esperienza.

Partiti da Roma, con tante aspettative su ciò che ci avrebbe atteso in territorio straniero, siamo arrivati a Marsiglia. Al nostro arrivo, il clima in aeroporto era alquanto mutevole: caldo fra i ragazzi che si conoscevano dalle passate esperienze Ypssi*, fra cui parte del team italiano, francese, spagnolo e lituano, e freddo per coloro i quali si erano or ora incontrati, bulgari, ungheresi, estoni, rumeni e noi quattro italiani partecipanti al “Youth Summer Camp on Biodiversity”.



I primi giorni, trascorsi presso ‘Saint Marcellin lès Vaison’, una piccola cittadina provenzale, sono stati utili per conoscere gli altri 49 partecipanti al campeggio estivo e ci hanno permesso di presentare, nella piccola piazzetta locale, i rispettivi progetti nazionali.
Questo festival poneva all’attenzione dei partecipanti al Summer Camp e del pubblico il concetto di biodiversità. Invitati a raccontare la loro idea di biodiversità, i giovani provenienti da Spagna, Romania e Lituania hanno colto l’occasione di presentare progetti già in essere nel loro territorio volti a promuovere il rispetto della natura ed una razionale gestione dei rifiuti urbani e industriali. I giovani provenienti da Italia, Ungheria e Bulgaria hanno invece coinvolto il pubblico mettendolo alla prova con attività laboratoriali. Noi italiani abbiamo cercato di incuriosire e di far conoscere agli intervenuti la biodiversità marina e terrestre dell’Italia attraverso attività creative centrate sulla variabilità genetica e la selezione naturale e un momento ludico dedicato alla scoperta della geografia delle diverse forme di vita nel nostro Paese.



Il festival proponeva anche altri momenti formativi sul tema della diversità delle forme viventi dedicati ai visitatori e gestiti dagli animatori scientifici dell’associazione francese organizzatrice. Di questi momenti abbiamo apprezzato la capacità degli animatori di proporre forme di comunicazione scientifica originali, alternative e soprattutto semplici, non tanto per i contenuti, ma per i materiali di riciclo utilizzati.



La seconda fase del Summer Camp si è svolta a ‘Le Cheylard’, una località situata nel dipartimento dell'Ardèche nella regione del Rodano-Alpi. Qui i partecipanti al campo sono stati coinvolti in maniera ben più attiva e collaborativa. Sin dall’arrivo abbiamo ricevuto un’accoglienza cordiale e festosa da parte degli organizzatori e della natura dagli splendidi colori che ci ospitava.
Durante la settimana a ‘Le Cheylard’ i ragazzi e le ragazze partecipanti al Summer Camp sono stati invitati ad organizzarsi in team internazionali e a cooperare con l’obiettivo di proporre al grande pubblico un tema scientifico. È stata proprio questa fase collaborativa che ha messo in evidenza i problemi di una squadra appena formata: una distanza culturale molto ampia che non sempre ha consentito di trovare un punto di incontro a cui si è sommata la presenza di alcune persone non troppo motivate. Sebbene tra alcune difficoltà, la parola che ha accomunato tutti i gruppi internazionali è stata “compromesso”. Questo si è tradotto nella ricerca di un tema che potesse interessare tutti i componenti del team, diversi per formazione scolastica, e che potesse attrarre e coinvolgere un pubblico eterogeneo.



L’organizzazione francese è stata molto disponibile nel supportarci. Si è adoperata per mettere a disposizione dei diversi team tutti i materiali necessari a realizzare i progetti. E ha predisposto una rete internet wi-fi all’interno del campeggio, cosa che ha stupito tutti noi campeggiatori. Ci siamo trovati in mezzo alla natura con computer e internet disponibili 24 ore su 24!



Le esperienze splendide che abbiamo condiviso con ragazzi di tutta Europa, tra cui l’ascesa al Mont Ventoux, le escursioni in kajak e le numerose visite alla scoperta della flora e dellafauna locali, ci hanno entusiasmato ed interessato e hanno fatto scoprire ad alcuni di noi fino a che punto la natura può produrre cose meravigliose. Nonostante questo arricchimento personale, l’organizzazione del festival ci ha deluso dal punto di vista della visibilità offerta ai nostri progetti: il periodo (nel bel mezzo di agosto) e la location, lontana dai grandi circuiti turistici, non hanno consentito la presenza di un vasto pubblico. Se i nostri progetti non hanno avuto la visibilità prospettata, abbiamo però, per le stesse ragioni, potuto approfondire la conoscenza tra noi partecipanti.

Lisa Zoli
Ilaria Santeramo
Lorenza Bacci
Fabio Casali

Ilaria e Valeria, two italian girls participated in the international seminar "Culture Scientifique en Mediterranée"

The European Knowledge-based Society between Science and Democracy

Lorenzo Casadei participated in 2008 in the european project "Young European within the building of a Knowledge-based Society". Today he wrote and discussed a thesis during the A-levels about his experience.



La Societa' Europea Della Conoscenza Tra Scienza e Democrazia

Culture Scientifique en Mediterranée

Dal 13 al 22 agosto 2010 Ilaria e Valeria, due studentesse universitarie italiane, parteciperanno al seminario internazionale "Culture Scientificque en Mediterranée" finanziato dal Programma "Youth in Action". Obiettivo del seminario gettare le basi per la creazione di uno strumento didattico per l'educazione alla sostenibilità nell'area del Mediterraneo. Partecipano al progetto Francia, Italia, Egitto e Marocco.

Youth in Action on Biodiversity: Summer Camp 2010

L’umanità si confronta oggi con grandi sfide, complesse e interdipendenti, che trascendono le frontiere: riscaldamento globale, cambiamenti climatici, rarefazione e ripartizione equa delle risorse, scelte energetiche, gestione dei rifiuti, OGM.. come può un giovane non rimanere disorientato, ma anzi trovare la propria identità di cittadino sensibile alle questioni della società e coinvolto nella progettazione del mondo di domani?
Occorre creare le condizioni perché i giovani cittadini possano svolgere il loro ruolo. È necessario permettergli di comprendere le problematiche e consentirgli di partecipare ai dibattiti e alle scelte della società affinché possano assumerle, sostenerle e cooperare alla loro realizzazione.
Due prerequisiti sono necessari all’esercizio della cittadinanza: la conoscenza e la democrazia. La conoscenza è il fondamento di un consenso libero e informato e consente di formare cittadini capaci d’opinione e dotati di spirito critico. La democrazia è lo strumento attraverso il quale possono essere prese decisioni durature e condivise, in grado di superare i confini nazionali per inscriversi in una prospettiva europea ed internazionale.
La principale sfida, dunque, consiste nel trasformare la questione ambientale in domande fertili e in azioni creative concertate fra cittadini, scienziati e responsabili politici.
Per raggiungere questo obiettivo è stato costituito uno spazio autonomo, promosso dal network europeo Young People and Science in Society Issues. Si tratta di un laboratorio d’idee che permette ai giovani di formarsi e di sperimentare la democrazia e nuove forme di cittadinanza. E di assumere un ruolo attivo nelle trasformazioni sociali attraverso l’attivazione di una finestra di dialogo tra giovani europei e istituzioni locali, nazionali ed europee.



In questo contesto è stato concepito il progetto europeo “Youth Action on Biodiversity - Exchange 2010”.
Il progetto coinvolge università, imprese ed associazioni di 11 paesi membri dell'UE: Francia, Italia, Spagna, Ungheria, Lituania, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovacchia, Belgio e Malta.
Nell'ambito del progetto, avrà luogo in Francia un grande evento dal 12 al 23 agosto sul tema della "Biodiversità". In questa occasione, 50 giovani europei d’età compresa tra i 18 e i 25 anni avranno la possibilità di partecipare al Summer Camp “Youth Action on Biodiversity”.
Durante il summer camp i giovani dialogheranno tra loro, incontreranno ricercatori e visiteranno coste e parchi del Sud della Francia per scoprire sul campo il concetto di biodiversità e le sue implicazioni e intraprendere azioni coordinate che svilupperanno nei mesi a venire.
Il Summer Camp si svolge dal 12 al 23 agosto a Marsiglia e in Ardèche. Possono partecipare all'iniziativa 6 giovani residenti sul territorio nazionale d’età compresa tra i 18 e i 25 anni. L'organizzazione prende in carico per ciascun partecipante il 100% dei costi di vitto e alloggio e il 70% dei costi di viaggio di A/R per Marsiglia.
Chi fosse interessato a prendere parte a questa iniziativa è pregato di mettersi in contatto entro il 15 luglio con:

Nadia Fellini
n.fellini@coopcontrovento.it
0547 20524
339 7381538

Young People and Science in Society Issues: a European Network

After the parisian seminar in april, the Ypssi members rewrote the identity paper of the network. Here the text:

OUR IDENTITY
YPSSI is a permanent open European network focused on Youth, Knowledge and Europe. The key-axis around which the activities of the network revolve is the involvement of young Europeans in knowledge, society, participation and European issues as much as their empowerment on these topics.

OUR MOTIVATION
YPSSI was officially initiated in 2008 by European associations and institutions to reflect on and to propose concrete actions in order to contribute to the building of a democratic European knowledge-based society.
Today, Europe is facing an economic and financial crisis unlike any seen before. The EU approach stresses the need for common strategies that promote European principles and long-term goals. Europe 2020 Strategy puts forward three mutually reinforcing priorities: smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. It means to invest urgently in knowledge and innovation, to develop a more sustainable economy and to promote social inclusion and territorial cohesion.
The YPSSI network, in order to get out of the crisis and to shape together the future of Europe, emphasizes also the need to reinforce the participatory processes of decision-making, especially on science, technology, knowledge and educative policies, to insist on collaboration as basic element for governments and to build a foresight culture. But working together means to include also the voices of young people.
The aim of YPSSI network is to reconstruct the trust of young people in decision-making mechanisms, to foster their commitment to participation in public life and to empower them on knowledge and European issues in order to allow young people to dialogue with leaders and to carry out coordinated actions across Europe and the world.

OUR VALUES
• We see ourselves as Europeans and consider Europe as a never-ending ideal and a common horizon. The global economical and political crisis motives us to invest even more in this crucial objective.
• We believe that no single one of us has easy solutions for the current challenges such as overcoming the social and economical crisis, promoting international cooperation, designing sustainability.
• For this reason, we intend to invest on collective and cooperative intelligence processes and innovations.
• We consider youth as one of the main actors in actions for the future and we believe that it’s capital to involve directly young people in participatory processes and experimentations.
• Thus, we aim to dedicate means and time to intergenerational transmission activities, in view to articulate the young people’s autonomy needs to the necessity of transmission from older generations
• We believe that one of the keys to improve our respective future societies and to achieve a stable European society is the sharing of experiences between young people from different countries and from different social backgrounds.
• We attribute paramount importance to the democratisation of access to knowledge, science, technology and to the debate on these issues in order to build a democratic knowledge-based society.
• We think that cooperation between young Europeans - through peer to peer mentoring and intergenerational mentoring – could strengthen European identity and citizenship and help the building of a culture of foresight.
• We believe in the importance of encouraging participation of European youth in transnational dialogue with young people and organisations from China, India, Brazil, Canada in order to improve international cooperation and synergies in different knowledge domains.

OUR AIMS
As a network we act at European level to promote an open, effective and democratic European knowledge society by diminishing barriers to the participation of civil society. To reach this crucial goal we intend:

• To increase the collective skills and competences of the organisations members of the YPSSI network developing new methods and tools in view to improve young people participation.
• To enlarge and to diversify the social basis and origin of young people involved in YPSSI activities.
• To improve and to empower young people’s autonomy and strengthen their competences connecting them to knowledge through dialogue with experts, scientists, policy-makers.
• To offer young people opportunities to increase their social and intellectual skills and competences and to facilitate their participation in the dialogue with European and international institutions through seminars, training workshops and mobility.
• To organise foresight panels involving young Europeans in order to support them in integrating the notions of complexity and interdependence implicit in society. Foresight exercises are a key technique to achieve the exploration of their future perspectives and thereby create new insights in the future of European knowledge society.
• To feed their open-mindedness about knowledge and issues at large, on research activities and jobs but also on emerging science and society interfaces which could provide new opportunities to make their future concrete.

OUR MEANS
• Each organisation member of the YPSSI Open European network has developed specific methods on youth participation as well as knowledge issues
• Some members of the YPSSI network are members of multiple networks and thus can facilitate relations between the different networks.
• Our scientific council, called Group 38 (G38), produces free, permanent and open debate spaces where initiatives can be discussed, developed and supported.

OUR GOVERNANCE
• YPSSI network reunite organisations, young people and scientists from each European country.
• We share, as members of the network, our respective skills, knowledge and local experiences.
• We organise regularly meeting and seminars to take collective decisions.
• Our representatives meet regularly with European and worldwide associations, networks, institutions and decision-makers.

A few snapshots from the last parisian seminar of Ypssi

Why science?

Why science? This one and other questions were asked to 24 italian students aged 14-18 from a professional school during a discussion that took 2 hours. Here the results of this first investigation.

Why science?
Students answered individually to this question and then discussed their personal assertions with classmates.

- Science is dull.
- Science sometimes is boring, but is useful.
- Science is interesting.
- Science is a little bit complicated.
- Science is fascinating, but when science is explained it loses the appeal because the scientific language is too technical and gloomy.
- Science is useful to understand facts around us.
- Science is useful to discover "life".
- Science generates new forms of life.
- Science is helpful, because medicine save people.
- Many people think that, coming to this school, science isn't useful, however it's helpful for our future.
- To study science only for two years (as in our school) isn't profitable.
- In science experiments are made. Experiments are neutral. Scientists determine if the consequences of their experiments are negative or positive.

Does science affect your daily life? In which way?
Students answered to this and following questions collectively. They elaborated the answers working in small groups.

- Not always.
- Science concerns every activity we do: cell phone, television, light.
- In some cases, science help us to "translate" the facts that happen every day.
- Science affects our life 24 hours a day starting from the simplest gesture we do.

Does science affect your scholastic life? In which way?

- We think not. But perhaps science affects our scholastic life without knowing.
- Science affects our scholastic life through atmospheric phenomenons that allow us to go or not to go to school.
- Yes sometimes, but above all when we study.
- Indipendently from the scholastic subjects, science is present in every activity we do at school, e.g. when we use the computer or when we have a coffee.

Do you think that science could affect your future job? In which way?

- No.
- Yes, it depends on the kind of job and on the position.
- Yes, because in many jobs science is the main element.
- Yes, when people take a scientific branch.

Do you think that science could affect your future life?

- Yes, because science will be helpful when we use technology.
- Yes, e.g. when we will drive a car, use domestic appliances, cook or asssist children.
- Yes, because if we encontered problems, science could be helpful. A ten years old girl, in 2004 when a tsunami hit southeast Asia coasts, saved many lives because she knew the dynamics of tsunami.

Do you think that science has a positive role in society? Why?

- Yes. If science didn't exist, the world wouldn't progress.
- Yes, because all our actions are concerned with science.
- Yes and no, because science could be positive, but also negative. E.g., humans can use science to create tools that damage humanity or that provoke wars. This isn't the fault of science, but is the fault of humans who are not able to utilize correctly their knowledge or are not able to utilize this common good (knowledge).

Do you think that science has a negative role in society? Why?

- No, because science allows society to progress in all fields.
- No. The world revolves around science and, also if sometimes it's boring, we can't ignore it.

Do you think that the scientific knowledge has to be a right for everybody? Why?

- Yes. Actually, every italian student has the opportunity to learn science in every school.
- Yes. Every student has the right to know science.
- Yes, because people in this way can increase their lexical and culture.
- Yes, we have the right and the duty to know the thing around us.

Do you think that scientific knowledge has to be a duty? Why?

- Actually science is a duty only at school.
- Science mustn't be imposed, but people should understand its importance.
- Actually science isn't a duty, but it's a choice that one make to know more.

Do you think that scientific knowledge concernes only some kind of people?

- No, because we, all, have to know the most important issues in our life.
- No, as already said, knowledge has to be a right for everybody.
- No, it concerns everybody because scientific knowledge increases our knowledge.
- No, it concerns everybody. To know is a right for everybody, as it's written in the Italian Constitution.

You studied science at school since you were 8. In which moments did you appreciate to learn science?

- When we went to planetarium, when we watch documentary films, when we study on maps, when we participated in a project about sexuality.
- It was very interesting to study masculine and feminine genitals, the gravity, the universe and minerals. We think that it would be opportune that science was explained in a more fluide way, making also experiments.
- Everything we do is bound to a unique big sphere: science. The study of science is of vital importance. For this reason the Italian Government allows every student to learn it. Science isn't a "light" subject and asks engagement and a lot of time. Science is certainly a fascinating subject that allow us to know the why of everything: why things work, why some phenomenons happen..


You studied science at school since you were 8. In which moments didn't you appreciate to learn science?

- When science is unclear, when the teacher doesn't explain well, when the language of the book is too complex.
- Subject we appreciated less are cells and oceanic crust.
- Science is a complex matter. This is certainly a clear invitation to forget it. In fact to learn science is one of the most complicated existing things. It's full of abbreviations, complicated words and uses a own language that can put a student on the spot.


Thanks to Veronica, Luca, Adrea, Lisa, Ferhat, Lorenzo, Matteo, Federica, Silvana, Alice, Tahmina, Rihab, Sara, Veronica, Yollande... students at Istituto Professionale per i Servizi Turistici e Commerciali "C. Macrelli" in Cesena

Towards the building of a permanent European group of thoughts

April 14th 9 am: GENERAL INTRODUCTION by Jacques Perriault 30'

April 14th 9.30 am/1.30 pm – Axis One
WHAT CHANGES, TRANSFORMATIONS OR MUTATIONS COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND RESEARCH ON BRAIN DO INTRODUCE IN THE WORLD OF LEARNING?
Animator : Elie Faroult
Speaker : Michel Imbert Discutant/Moderator : Dominique Lestel
Round Table : Daniel Andler (Compas Group), Bernard Stiegler (Ars Industrialis)

April 14th 2.30 pm -5.30 pm – Axis Two
THE SOCIO-COGNITIVE POTENTIALITIES OF DIGITAL WORLD
Animator : Thierry Gaudin
Speaker : Serge Tisseron Discutant/Moderator : Sylvie Craipeau.
Round Table : Fabien Fenouillet, Elena Pasquinelli (Compas Group)

April 15th 9.30 am/12.30 am - Axis Three
ABOUT PUBLIC POLICIES ON “DIGITAL ISSUES”: ANALYSIS AND CRITICS
Animator : Laurence Favier
Speaker : Xavier Dalloz Discutant/Moderator : Yannick Landais
Round table: Dominique Cardon, Dominique Lacroix

April 15th 2 pm/5 pm – Ais Four
THE 21st CENTURY PLACES OF MEMORY
Animator : Jacques Perriault
Speaker: Ghislaine Azémard Discutant/Moderator: Norbert Paquel
Round table: Elisabeth Caillet, Girolamo Ramunni, André Malicot

April 15th 7 pm/9 pm: aperitif/discussion
ABOUT A PERMANENT EUROPEAN SEMINAR AND THE STRENGTHENING OF GROUP

April 16th 9.30 am/12.30 am – Axis Five
GENDER ISSUES IN KNOWLEDGE AND TRANSMISSION
Animaor: Lionel Larqué
Speaker: Brigitte Chapelain Discutant/Moderator: Louisa Prista
Round table: Marie-Anne Delahaut, Daniele Rousseau

April 16th 2 pm/5 pm – Axis Six
SYNTHESIS ROUND TABLE ABOUT FUTURE INITIATIVE
With: Daniel Andler et Elena Pasquinelli, Elie Faroult, Jacques Perriault, Thierry Gaudin, Clarisse Herrenschmidt, Lionel Larqué, and members of YPSSI network.

What do knowledge and transmission mean today?

From 2010 April 14th to April 16th 2010, a European seminar related to contemporary issues in knowledge and knowledge transmission will take place in Cité Internationale of Paris, launched and directed by Group 38.
The Group 38 was initiated by French association “Les Petits Débrouillards” in 2008 during the French Presidency of European Union in order to follow and strengthen a project that aimed to generate analysis, critics and recommendations from young European citizen from all European countries towards European institution (mainly European commission and Ministers of research).
The Group 38 is actually composed by European experts and scientists. The Group 38 has decided in June 2009 to contribute and to stimulate analysis, thoughts and even research about actual relations between science and society issues,focused on young people topics.
We, as some members of this group, have developed what we could call a “double-question”: is the digital world inevitable? Do we enter into a dynamic and “logic” of social and cognitive prosthesis? Social prosthesis because we could substitute to the “social presence of human beings” a “logic” of “social networks”; socio-cognitive prosthesis when we begin to search on Google without knowing precisely what we are searching.
This societal debate firstly affects the young people in one hand, education and transmission processes on the other hand. This is a difficult debate because young people never knew the “world before digital times”, that digital times are part of their realities et that older people can be seen by them as “has-been”. To keep clear ideas and analysis in these matters is difficult.
This is why the proposition of building a space of thoughts bringing together young and older people, experts, scientists and practitioners seem very useful for us, if it could be permanent and not only a one-shot initiative. We have to contribute to a permanent updating of the science/techniques/society interactions. More, one day, young people will be old et will have to face a younger generation born with mobile phone at the age of 10. This implicates to think about the actual tendency of focusing “technological dimensions” of the debate and to go back to foundations such as communication, information analysis and connected notions and concepts. Many young people ignore these notions when they provide theoretical substrates to understand actual evolutions without being hypnotized by digital worlds and fairies.
Thus, we invite you to a dynamic reflexive seminar. This exploratory seminar will not be centred on “digital issues” but must be understood as a seminar which uses digital issues to help us to re-interrogate major questions: transmission and knowledge issues,
intergenerational links on educative and transmission issues, the necessary strengthening of skills and competencies, know-how of young generations.
More, the question of transmission is very specific in front of demographic reality of our societies, where ageing imposes to anticipate risks and consequences older generations did not face.
This is the main objective that this seminar want to explore: to outline how such a collective reflection could be done and managed, thanks to a platform opened to researchers, leaders, decision-makers social and educative movements interested in youth issues.