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Experiencing contact with the world helps to develop a connection, a sense of belonging, care and ecological awareness, generating a desire to experience more sustainable existences (Mortari, 2020). The immersive and experiential encounter with the environment can foster a deep connection with the world in which children are asked to take responsibility towards places (Sobel, 2002): so, it is possible to develop respectful, empathic and sustainable attitudes (Guerra, 2020; 2021) which allow each one to feel part of the planet, and not outsiders of something to be exploited. Ecological education (Mortari, 2018) enhances a sense of deep connection with the world (Chawla, Derr, 2012) through occasions of encounter, knowledge and a desire to care for places, which progressively acquire significance (Judson, 2019). Caring is a practice acquired through experiential learning: in this sense, it appears crucial to promote immersive experiences outdoors where caring is embodied in practices (Mortari, 2020). In light of these considerations, a project by a research group of the Department of Human Sciences for Education of the University of Milano-Bicocca, within the National Biodiversity Future Center, proposes exploratory experiences of the Vivaio Bicocca, an outdoor place in the neighbourhood, neglected for years and recently redeveloped through interventions and cultural initiatives. Among the actions envisaged there are initial proposals and tools for observation, collection, cataloguing and documentation, discussed with a group of researchers from the Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences. These tools, useful for keeping track of questions and hypotheses with narratives, sketches and photographs, making discoveries visible and supporting reflective processes, have been tested with children aged 3-11 and their teachers/educators through a material-reflective experience (Guerra, 2019) that aims to observe, describe, look for relationships and questioning, through an

A literature review of more than 70 articles on Biodiversity Education reveal certain trends that highlight critical issues that educational research may handle. For example, most studies have a strong didactic connotation and education seems to be meant as outreach and dissemination activities. Even if the audience reached by the studies considered is broad (from kids to adults), Biodiversity Education (Saito, 2013) is mostly conceived "one-way" awareness-raising and information initiatives, and less often experiential long-term involvement. The above seems to be at odds with some of the evidence from studies of Ecological education (Mortari, 2020) which shows that immersive and experiential encounter with the environment can foster a deep connection with the world in which individuals are asked to take responsibility towards places. Towards exploration it is possible to develop respectful, empathic and sustainable attitudes which allow each one to feel part of the planet, and not outsiders of something to be exploited: a core attitude of understanding the importance of biodiversity too. In order to fill this gap, a research group of the Department of Human Sciences for Education, in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences of the University of Milano-Bicocca, designed and implemented a toolkit to promote outdoor explorations aimed at knowing and valuing biodiversity. The poster will present the kit and the first results of the educational activities that have been promoted: a material-reflective experience (Guerra, 2019) that aims to observe, describe, look for relationships and questioning, through an immersive occasion that triggers the desire to learn more.

Nell’ambito del progetto MUSA - Multilayered Urban Sustainability Action, l’articolo presenta una ricerca multidisciplinare orientata a comprendere come poter rendere lo spazio pubblico del Distretto Bicocca di Milano un luogo di partecipazione e un contesto di apprendimento continuo sui temi della sostenibilità ambientale, economica e sociale. Il paper restituisce una mappa del processo di ricerca per esplicitare i passaggi metodologici che lo hanno contraddistinto in modo da poterli rendere trasferibili e replicabili in percorsi di ricerca simili per contenuto, obiettivo, condizioni e risorse di partenza. Oltre alle attenzioni metodologiche, l’articolo condivide i primi risultati emergenti dalla literature review sul rapporto tra territorio, partecipazione, documentazione e sostenibilità.

The contribution aims to present a pedagogical reflection on the connection between the themes of participation and sustainability related to citizenship, based on a qualitative content analysis of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Council Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning. Both constructs see the proliferation of various definitions and conceptions as widely debated and current topics in the literature. As far as sustainability is concerned, in order to orient oneself within the complex landscape related to it, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is assumed as a frame of reference. In particular, the document approved by the United Nations defines sustainability in three dimensions - economic, social and environmental - identifying them as the supporting and interdependent axes of sustainable development. With regard to participation, bearing in mind that more than sixty models of participation have been elaborated since 1969, the Recommendation of the Council on Open Government is taken as a frame of reference. In this instance, participation includes all the ways in which citizens can be involved in the policy cycle and in service design and delivery, distinguishing among three pillars of participation - information, consultation, engagement - that differ with respect to the level of their involvement. A qualitative content analysis was conducted in order to explore how participation and sustainability issues are understood at the European and international level from a lifelong and lifewide learning perspective. On the one hand, the Recommendations of the European Parliament define the sustainable development of society as a common or public interest, to achieve which it is indispensable to engage fully and critically in civic and social life as responsible citizens. On the other hand, the 2030 Agenda - conceived as an Agenda of the people, by the people, and for the people - invites citizens to be a

The concept of participation does not have a unique definition: it is a broad construct, conceived in different ways, which finds its highest normative expression in the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. It represents a legislative framework that protects the rights of children, including the right of all to actively participate in decision-making processes. Article 12 specifically states that children have the right to share their views on issues that affect them and to meaningfully influence experiences and contexts. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development also calls for leaving no one behind, starting from the voice of children, who have to be considered active citizens from an early age. In light of these premises, the contribution intends to present some theoretical reflections on the potential offered by participatory research processes, in particular in supporting agency, empowerment and personal expression of groups of people who usually are little considered and engaged in decision-making and context-transformative processes. A narrative review of the literature aimed at exploring the national and international contributes concerned with the notion of participation in some of its possible meanings, highlighted that participatory research can represent a possible experience capable of including and giving voice to groups of people who are traditionally marginalised or little considered in formal and informal decision-making processes. The literature highlights how, despite the 2030 Agenda and other institutional documents reaffirming the importance of giving voice to all, many groups are still neglected in participatory processes, such as children. Contemporary conceptualisations of childhood allow for children to be conceived as active and competent subjects with agency in determining their lives: this implies changes that have repercussions also on research, favouring the emergence of participatory research methodologies with childre

In a society characterized by constant change and global challenges, such as that of sustainability, children and youth are also called upon to be critical agents and active participants in processes of change toward the creation of a more equitable world in which the voice of all, including the youngest, can find space to be heard (UN, 2015). However, the image of childhood offered by the Western world often tends to conceive children as in need of protection (Christensen, 2004) and adult care. This conception has given rise to situations in which children and youth are limited by adults in their decision-making possibilities and their innate attitude to be active in shaping their own lives (James, Prout, 1990), as competent subjects and citizens capable of taking responsibility (UN, 1989) in their communities (Malone, Hartung, 2010; Norõdahl, Einarsdottir, 2015). There is often evidence of low involvement of youth and children concerning participatory possibilities in community life (Zani, Cicognani, 2007), but citizenship does not materialize at a certain chronological moment through simple rites of passage: citizenship is the product of a process, based on a sense of belonging to a community (Williamson, 2005). If education wants to promote this process, as advocated by the Recommendations of the European Parliament (2018), it must enable children to develop citizenship skills through opportunities for participation in social life, starting with the participatory design of living places, characterized by a sense of belonging for those who live there (Ciaffi, Mela, 2006). So, participatory planning should be extended to every context and with every age group (Kyttä, 2004) in order to enhance everyone's empowerment and agency, which is realized when young people can play an active and empowering role on issues that affect them closely. A narrative literature review of empirical and theoretical studies has revealed that spaces and contexts often reflect adult ideal

La sostenibilità urbana è una delle sfide più attuali e urgenti che la nostra società si trova ad affrontare. L’Agenda 2030 (UN, 2015) pone tra i suoi obiettivi rendere le città inclusive, sostenibili e partecipative sottolineando il ruolo dei cittadini in quanto agenti critici del cambiamento. Una revisione narrativa della letteratura (Popay et al., 2006) ha messo in luce che le questioni legate alla sostenibilità vengono spesso percepite come questioni di apprendimento individuale mentre, collocandosi in un campo di tensione tra il personale e il politico, per essere affrontate richiedono approcci pedagogici democratici basati sulla partecipazione (Van Poeck & Vandenabeele, 2012). In tal senso le città possono rivelarsi luoghi di apprendimento continuo mediante il rilancio di una partecipazione reale alla vita delle comunità e ai processi decisionali, favorendo l’empowerment dei cittadini.

The contribution presents reflections on the role of the adult in outdoor educational contexts: his posture can support children's agency, interests and participation. As passionate researchers on the topic and teachers in the field, we believe that reflecting on the possibilities supported by adults in outdoor contexts can be interesting in promoting the development of democratic and participatory learning contexts. The literature suggests that promoting autonomous experiences outdoor supports the expression of children's agency: free and self-directed experiences are possible when adults are responsive to children's interests in outdoor experiences. In this sense, the posture of adults, who can use the natural environment's resources to promote children's autonomy, appears crucial. Adults are often driven by the achievement of predefined learning objectives and ask questions with precise expectations, risking to extinguish children's curiosity. But if the adult listens to the propensities of children outdoor, abandoning his position of power and welcoming children's curiosities, he turns out to be a supporter of agency, enabling children to act as primary agents, encouraging them to solve problems on their own and shaping their own experiences by negotiating meanings with the context. In conclusion, cultivating contexts in which children can perceive themselves as subjects with agency appears crucial: for this reason, it is necessary to rethink the role of the adult in outdoor experiences, starting from the awareness that the outdoor fosters personal forms of independent action.

The contribution aims to present a pedagogical reflection on the connection between the themes of participation and sustainability related to citizenship, based on a qualitative content analysis of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Council Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning. Both constructs see the proliferation of various definitions and conceptions as widely debated and current topics in the literature. As far as sustainability is concerned, in order to orient oneself within the complex landscape related to it, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is assumed as a frame of reference. In particular, the document approved by the United Nations defines sustainability in three dimensions - economic, social and environmental - identifying them as the supporting and interdependent axes of sustainable development. With regard to participation, bearing in mind that more than sixty models of participation have been elaborated since 1969, the Recommendation of the Council on Open Government is taken as a frame of reference. In this instance, participation includes all the ways in which citizens can be involved in the policy cycle and in service design and delivery, distinguishing among three pillars of participation - information, consultation, engagement - that differ with respect to the level of their involvement. A qualitative content analysis was conducted in order to explore how participation and sustainability issues are understood at the European and international level from a lifelong and lifewide learning perspective. On the one hand, the Recommendations of the European Parliament define the sustainable development of society as a common or public interest, to achieve which it is indispensable to engage fully and critically in civic and social life as responsible citizens. On the other hand, the 2030 Agenda - conceived as an Agenda of the people, by the people, and for the people - invites citizens to be a

The concept of participation does not have a unique definition: it is a broad construct, conceived in different ways, which finds its highest normative expression in the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. It represents a legislative framework that protects the rights of children, including the right of all to actively participate in decision-making processes. Article 12 specifically states that children have the right to share their views on issues that affect them and to meaningfully influence experiences and contexts. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development also calls for leaving no one behind, starting from the voice of children, who have to be considered active citizens from an early age. In light of these premises, the contribution intends to present some theoretical reflections on the potential offered by participatory research processes, in particular in supporting agency, empowerment and personal expression of groups of people who usually are little considered and engaged in decision-making and context-transformative processes. A narrative review of the literature aimed at exploring the national and international contributes concerned with the notion of participation in some of its possible meanings, highlighted that participatory research can represent a possible experience capable of including and giving voice to groups of people who are traditionally marginalised or little considered in formal and informal decision-making processes. The literature highlights how, despite the 2030 Agenda and other institutional documents reaffirming the importance of giving voice to all, many groups are still neglected in participatory processes, such as children. Contemporary conceptualisations of childhood allow for children to be conceived as active and competent subjects with agency in determining their lives: this implies changes that have repercussions also on research, favouring the emergence of participatory research methodologies with childre

In a society characterized by constant change and global challenges, such as that of sustainability, children and youth are also called upon to be critical agents and active participants in processes of change toward the creation of a more equitable world in which the voice of all, including the youngest, can find space to be heard (UN, 2015). However, the image of childhood offered by the Western world often tends to conceive children as in need of protection (Christensen, 2004) and adult care. This conception has given rise to situations in which children and youth are limited by adults in their decision-making possibilities and their innate attitude to be active in shaping their own lives (James, Prout, 1990), as competent subjects and citizens capable of taking responsibility (UN, 1989) in their communities (Malone, Hartung, 2010; Norõdahl, Einarsdottir, 2015). There is often evidence of low involvement of youth and children concerning participatory possibilities in community life (Zani, Cicognani, 2007), but citizenship does not materialize at a certain chronological moment through simple rites of passage: citizenship is the product of a process, based on a sense of belonging to a community (Williamson, 2005). If education wants to promote this process, as advocated by the Recommendations of the European Parliament (2018), it must enable children to develop citizenship skills through opportunities for participation in social life, starting with the participatory design of living places, characterized by a sense of belonging for those who live there (Ciaffi, Mela, 2006). So, participatory planning should be extended to every context and with every age group (Kyttä, 2004) in order to enhance everyone's empowerment and agency, which is realized when young people can play an active and empowering role on issues that affect them closely. A narrative literature review of empirical and theoretical studies has revealed that spaces and contexts often reflect adult ide

Il contributo testimonia alcune azioni progettuali del gruppo di ricerca multidisciplinare Open-Air Lab, orientato a comprendere come creare cultura partecipata e diffusa sulla sostenibilità nel territorio del Distretto Bicocca di Milano. Collocato all’interno del progetto MUSA - Multilayered Urban Sustainability Action - Spoke 6, lo studio condotto dal gruppo è volto a esplorare e approfondire come poter rendere lo spazio pubblico del Distretto Bicocca un luogo di partecipazione e un contesto di apprendimento continuo (Akther, 2020; Faure, 1972) sui temi della sostenibilità ambientale, economica e sociale. La letteratura evidenzia come, affinché le comunità possano creare una propria cultura della sostenibilità, risulti fondamentale partire dalle risorse e dalle buone pratiche in essere sul territorio (Blandy, Fenn, 2012; UNESCO, 2021). A partire da questo collocamento, il contributo documenta il processo di esplorazione del campo (Ingold, Vergunst, 2008) e delle buone pratiche di sostenibilità già esistenti sul territorio. In questa cornice, il gruppo di ricerca ha realizzato molteplici iniziative rivolte alla cittadinanza. Tra queste, Sustainability and the city, il podcast creato per divulgare le ricerche svolte dalle ricercatrici e dai ricercatori del progetto MUSA, con l’intento di avvicinare la ricerca scientifica a chi quotidianamente abita il territorio: per seminare e diffondere una cultura della sostenibilità accessibile a tutti e dunque inclusiva.

il capitolo propone un'analisi del concetto di socializzazione al lavoro e alla vita adulta e della sua crisi, insieme a un suo ripensamento attraverso la prospettiva del capability approach. La condizione emblematica dei NEET è funzionale alla verifica di un'ipotesi: se la socializzazione lavorativa è in crisi di legittimazione, credibilità e fiducia, la sua rilevanza come processo sociale rimane ancor oggi cruciale, da ripensare e ridefinire, al fine di immaginare sociologicamente per il futuro la partecipazione sociale e professionale di tutte le nuove generazioni.