Project title
Description of initiative
The present project aims to bring science, and particularly archeology, to people with psychological disorders or physical disabilities, older adults, newcomers, social groups traditionally marginalized and people at risk of social exclusion. These groups of citizens are usually excluded from the outreach programs organized in museums and science parks. This project is devoted to them. Within the project are developed a set of participatory activities with which to learn – in a simple and playful way – about the people who inhabited the Italian and Iberian Peninsula several thousand years ago, during Prehistory and Classic History. The success of the project is assured by two interconnected reasons: the consolidated experience in this field, and the fact of involving a multidisciplinary team of researchers, educators, psychologists, communicators and social agents, all linked to prestigious institutions – such as the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), various associations for people with disabilities, the Down Syndrome Association in Catalonia, the Roman association Carabutsí and InterAcció in Barcelona, Caritas Roma-Italy, etc.
Themes: Culture and...
Keywords
Target group
Cultural field
Timeframe
Sources of funding
Results, benefits, impact and lessons learnt
In recent years, the organizers have attempted to work with groups of disabled people, senior citizens, newcomers, and people in danger of social exclusion. People that researchers and institutions usually forget, for many different reasons, when organising outreach activities. Scientists, educators, educational psychologists, politicians, etc. must be able to develop educational tools through which everybody can enjoy science and acquire knowledge in a simple and enjoyable way. They are achieving the main objective, which is to democratize science. For this, it is necessary to learn and to adapt the contents and tools to different capacities and knowledge. It is also necessary to walk the streets of any city or town, visiting the centres where different groups work or are cared for, and to explain to potential participants, caregivers, and families the benefits that scientific activities can offer: new knowledge; a critical spirit in the face of misleading information; cooperative and collaborative work; personal empowerment; new experiences beyond the family circle or the friends with whom they interact daily, etc.