AN ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP EXPERIENCE

1. AN ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP EXPERIENCE School Year 2010/2011

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. HOW do the adults work together • Planning • Acting • Observing - monitoring • Thinking – evaluating • The fourth stage may involve the need to revise the original plan. • Once the plan is revised, the sequence starts again

7. 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.

8. Group methodology Starting 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

9. Work method 1 Laboratory: • Activities for better understanding the issues and matters of interest, analyzing the contexts to which they relate and promote further action Example: 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

10. Work method 2 Project 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

11. 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

12. Work method 3 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

13. 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

14. Work method 4 Participation in events organized by other educational agencies • “Stia al suo posto” O. Belluzzi High school • Peace March Perugia-Assisi 2010

15. “Stia al suo posto” Project

16. Assisi Peace march

17. And it doesn’t end here …