AN ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP EXPERIENCE

School Year 2010/2011

An active citizenship experinec that brings together reality and theory

The project attempts to bridge the gap between theory and reality in the concepts of citizenship, participation and representation.

The method draws on action-research

Action-research

When you use the method "Action-Research" you refer to cooperative learning, where there is no leadership, but all team members are engaged in leadership

WHO WE ARE

“We are the Council of young boys and girls of Casalecchio.

We meet regularly to exchange and share information, problems, suggestions, ideas, desires that concern the lives of children living in our city.

We are coucellours and were given this role by our classmates to represent them and talk with the Mayor, with the City Administration and the City Council of adults to seek common solutions to problems, to extend the positive experiences and to develop new projects that improve the lives of children and young people (and all the inhabitants) of Casalecchio.

The young students which participate are from the last class of the elementary school and from the secondary school.

Who is the facilitator

The facilitator's role is to advise, suggest, propose ideas, assess the cooperative action.

His mission is to provide learning environments and do mediation with the territory.

HOW do the adults work together

1. Planning

2. Acting

3. Observing - monitoring

4. Thinking – evaluating

The fourth stage may involve the need to revise the original plan.

Once the plan is revised, the sequence starts again

HOW do the young students work together

Divided in small and large groups

The small group makes all the young councellours participate: this year the CCRR is divided into four committees dealing with environment, communication, mobility and Solidarity.

The large group is useful for summarizing the ideas and agreeing on the lines of action.

Group methodologyStarting from the needs: meetinga with the

adulta /experts or facilitators to clarify the terms and the perception of the students

Interactive methods: graphic design / other techniques of expression (written essays shared afterwards with the group), billboards and materials

Sharing the group document with the assembly, voting when necessary

The proposal: feasible (check the feasibility and timing) clear (to whom it is addressed, with whom do I realize, shared with those who I represent) participated (always includes the work of the students

Work method 1

Laboratory: Activities for better understanding the issues and matters of

interest, analyzing the contexts to which they relate and promote further actionExample: Partecipa.rete

Meeting withthe mayor and woth the local authorities Preparing and carrying out interviews with the Mayor and

Councillors Laboratory with the students of Blogos on the topic of

web radio Knowledge of the know-how and the characteristics of a

video interview

Work method 2Project that become

proposal for the city On the issues discussed, the CCRR and its

partners look for consensus in the adult world

example: Organization of a charity dinner to raise funds for the earthquake victims in Haiti in collaboration with the Associations

Dinner for raising funds for Haiti

Exploratory meetings with associations of the Municipal Conference of volunteering and with Polisportiva G. Masi on the activities

Deciding on the menu Making the flyer Promoting this initiative at

school and in the city Participating at the dinner on

the 4th June

MEETINGS WITH ADMINISTRATORS AND/OR OTHER PUBLIC FIGURES

Wanted by the students to fulfill their desire for information on issues they care about example: meeting with the Assessor

Required by the commissioners / directors / technicians or others to gather the views and opinions of the children before making a proposal;example: Questionnaires on the trip Home- School dedicated to students and parents

Characteristic of the CCRR with the School Councils, classmates and other stakeholdersExample: Cooperation with Schools

Work method 3

Public parks, dog/cat pound

MEETING WITH THE ENVIRONMENT ASSESSOR Detailed meeting required by the students on topics of particular

interest regarding the green spaces, kennels and catteries

Work method 4

Participation in events organized by other educational agencies

“Stia al suo posto” O. Belluzzi High school

Peace March Perugia-Assisi 2010

“Stia al suo posto” Project

Assisi Peace march

And it doesn’t end here …