Completed projects

Faculties involved: Arts and Philosophy

Project coordinators: professor Massimo Locatelli; professor Graziano Chiscuzzu

Academic year of realization: 2022/2023

A group of students from the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy participated in the project and collaborated with the Diocesan Museum of Brescia. In detail, they were involved in the planning and organization of the exhibition titled "Equilibrists", scheduled for September 2023, which explores themes such as the precariousness of existence and the challenges of finding balance.

Under the guidance of the professors, the students will create a trailer and conduct video interviews with the guest artists (Stefano Bombardieri, Alessandro Montanari, Cinzia Bevilacqua), discussing their creative process on the themes addressed by the exhibition. These works will be shared with the Museum to enhance the communication of the event.

The objectives of the Service Learning project are:

• Observing and learning about a cultural initiative in the local community.
• Gaining experience in providing a service to the city's cultural institutions.
• Reflecting on the themes proposed in the exhibition.

The activities began in early March and concluded in early June. The students dedicated approximately 30 hours to the project, which included working with the coordinating professors (case study, pre-production, post-production) and conducting outings in teams to film the interviews.

Faculties involved: Education

Project coordinator: Professor Alessandra Gerolin

Academic year of realization: 2022/2023

The project involved a group of students from the Faculty of Education, specifically those enrolled in the master’s degree course "Pedagogical planning and training of human resources", who participated in activities carried out at the Taivé tailoring workshop in Milan. This workshop is an initiative led by Caritas Ambrosiana that provides training and employment opportunities to women in vulnerable situations.

The students visited the workshop for three Saturdays, supporting the women involved in various work activities. Through dialogue and sharing, they engaged in setting up a narrative ethics project aimed at raising awareness and sharing the journey of emancipation undertaken by the Taivé women, considering they work as well. Their task was also to collect and respond to the women’s need for recognition, supporting them in narrating their personal and professional growth.

The outcomes of their work were subsequently presented by the Taivé women themselves, along with the participating students and with the support of some teachers in the pedagogical area, at a public event held on May 11, 2023, at the Brescia campus. The event was also attended by social actors and representatives of associations from the Milan and Brescia area.

The objectives of the Service Learning activity can be summarized as follows:

• Testing acquired philosophical competencies in developing capacities and substantial freedoms.
• Supporting the awareness of the journey undertaken by women in vulnerable situations through the use of narrative ethics to foster self-awareness and self-worth.
• Providing guidance focused on the hermeneutics of desire through the practice of dialogue.
• Leading to emancipatory action and awareness of potential issues.

The students' involvement in mentoring women at the Taivé laboratory took place in the months of March and April 2023. The final public event was held on May 11, 2023, at the Brescia campus on Garzetta Street.

Faculties involved: Education

Project coordinator: Professor Paola Zini

Academic year of realization: 2022/2023

The project, promoted and organized by the association of Acli (Italian Workers' Associations) of the municipality of Rovato, involved the participation of students from the Faculty of Education in "Tempi per le famiglie" (Times for Families) service.

The students were engaged in planning an intervention to meet the needs of the service and its users, providing support to the coordinator in managing activities aimed at children.

The objectives of the Service Learning project were:

• Deepening understanding of the pedagogical and educational needs of early childhood.
• Observing and learning about a parenting support service: Times for Families.
• Gaining experience in the service, with a specific focus on the relationship with children aged 0-3.

The proposed activities took place between the beginning of March and the end of May 2023. The students, organized into groups of 4, spent every Thursday morning at the facility.

Faculties involved: Education

Project coordinator: Professor Paola Zini

Academic year of realization: 2022/2023

The project involved a group of students from the Faculty of Education at Casa Ozanam-Casa San Vincenzo di Brescia. They actively participated in defining and developing interventions to meet the needs of the service and its users, collaborating with the professionals working at the facility.

Specifically, the participating students engaged in various activities with both minors and mothers, including homework assistance, providing a play area, and offering support in learning Italian.

The objectives of Service Learning project were:

• Deepening understanding of the pedagogical and educational needs of infancy and childhood.
• Exploring the topic of parental support.

• Gaining hands-on experience with support methods.

The proposed activity took place between the beginning of March and the end of May 2023. The students, divided into groups of 3-5, visited the facility every afternoon.

Faculties involved: Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences

Project coordinators: Professor Giulia Giantesio; Professor Stefania Pagliara

Academic year of realization: 2022/2023

The project was attended by a group of students from the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences in an initiative of civic education on the use of the web, coordinated by the Social Cooperative "Il Calabrone" in collaboration with the Municipality of Brescia, aimed at secondary school students.

The university students engaged in designing laboratory and playful activities with mathematical exercises centred on the theme of gambling in online video games, aiming to stimulate curiosity and logical reasoning among young students regarding probability theory and debunking common misconceptions and beliefs about the concept of “probable payout”.

The project's service objectives, shared with the educators of the cooperative "Il Calabrone", aimed at raising awareness and preventing the use and abuse of gambling through the improvement of mathematical and statistical skills. It also aimed to promote awareness of the use of specific websites and/or applications. Additionally, the learning objectives for university students were:

• Clearly and effectively communicating mathematics and physics content using the laboratory approach.
• Organizing flexible learning environments.
• Learning how to appropriately relate to students while respecting the times and vulnerabilities.
• Learning how to manage learning groups.

The planning of activities carried out by university students took place in November and December of the 2022/2023 academic year, while the activities conducted in collaboration with the Calabrone cooperative were held in the months of March, April and May 2023, with a total duration of 40 hours.

Faculties involved: Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences

Project coordinator: Professor Stefania Pagliara

Academic year of realization: 2018/2019, 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023

The “Matematica e fisica in gioco” (Mathematics and Physics at stake) project involved students from the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences in a voluntary service aimed at children and young people hospitalized in the paediatric wards of a few hospitals, within the framework of School in Hospital. The activities consisted of math games and small physics experiments, which were designed and conducted by the students themselves under the supervision of faculty teachers who served as project coordinators.

The mathematics games and physics experiments were conceived to arouse curiosity and logical reasoning. University students took on the role of activity facilitators, where young patients were encouraged to reflect, identify solutions, and, above all, develop a passion for scientific research and discoveries.

The games played in small groups with the guidance of an animator, had the following objectives:

• Promoting positive thinking among children and youths in the wards through active participation in the games.
• Stimulating curiosity in children and young people, improving their assessment of their own mathematical and physical abilities, and promoting an understanding of mathematics as a discipline that constructs models for problem-solving.
• Encouraging and enhancing discussion and collaboration among peers.

The initiative began in the 2017/2018 academic year and has been repeated on multiple occasions.

In 2020, the project was adapted in response to the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Videos with experiments and games related to the world of physics and mathematics were created and shared with young people hospitalized in paediatric wards.

Click here to go to the page dedicated to the presentation of this experience.

A total of 34 university students have been involved in recent years. The hospitals that have participated in the project, collaborating with the Università Cattolica, include:

• Istituto Ospedaliero di Sospiro - Residential Health for Disabled, Brescia site
• ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia
• ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII of Bergamo

Faculties involved: Psychology

Project coordinator: Professor Livia Cadei

Academic year of realization: 2021/2022

The project was the brainchild of ​​12 students from the Faculty of Psychology, together with professor Livia Cadei, as part of the course on Intercultural Pedagogy. It was from the in-depth study of the concept of interculturality, developed and shared within the course, that the desire was born to practice the skills learnt in the field.

The Service Learning experience took place in Palermo, a city heavily impacted by immigration. The students collaborated with three organizations that provide services and support to immigrants: Istituto Don Calabria, Arci Porco Rosso, and Missione Speranza e Carità.

The intercultural skills gained by the students were put into practice through various activities, including animation activities, listening and discussion sessions on different cultures, recreational workshops, and a meal distribution service.

The objectives of the project were twofold:

• Regarding the service provided, the students aimed to actively and proactively contribute to meeting the needs of the clients.
• At the learning level, the project aimed to enhance communication and relational skills, foster empathic listening and intercultural competencies, and develop awareness and knowledge of different cultures.

Faculties involved: Education

Project coordinator: professor Domenico Simeone

Academic year of realization: 2018/2019

The “Teatro tra le nuvole” (Theater in the clouds) project involved 12 students from the Faculty of Education in an integrated theatre activity, initiated by Residential Health for Disabled of Sospiro hospital in Brescia.

The students participated in weekly theatre workshops designed for the residents of the facility, who were adults with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The workshops were led by actress and pedagogue Claudia Scaravonati, under the supervision of Dr. Corti, the Director of the Disability Department at the Sospiro Foundation.

The inclusion of external participants aimed to raise awareness about the reality of intellectual disabilities in adults, through shared experimentation with expressive and theatrical techniques. The goal was to provide an opportunity for disabled residents and participants to meet, share experiences, and explore different perspectives, while seeking possible and functional languages of expression.

Faculties involved: Education

Project coordinator: Professor Monica Amadini

Academic year of realization: 2018/2019

The project involved a group of 22 students enrolled in the “Pedagogy of the Person” and “General and Communication Pedagogy” courses.

The students participated as literacy teachers and facilitators in an Italian course for immigrant women, organized by the ANOLF and ANTEAS services of CISL Brescia in collaboration with CISL School, Catholic University, and IAL Brescia.

The course aimed to support immigrant mothers of children attending a kindergarten in the municipality of Brescia in learning the Italian language. The goal was to enhance communication and promote greater inclusion of these women in their children's school life. The training approach emphasized a teaching methodology that valued the dignity and role of women.

Aligned with the objectives of Service Learning , the experience enabled the students to acquire new communication and listening skills, facilitated by encounters with different cultures. It also allowed them to recognize the value of the service provided (literacy) in promoting the inclusion and empowerment of the women who benefited from it.

Faculties involved: Education and Psychology

Project coordinator: Professor Livia Cadei

Academic year of realization: 2017/2018

The "Venti-Miglia-All'Ora" project emerged from a collaborative dialogue between the Faculties of Education and Psychology, in collaboration with Caritas Bergamasca, with the aim of focusing on and approaching the phenomenon of migration from an intercultural pedagogy perspective. The project involved several days of service at Caritas Intemelia, located in Ventimiglia, an Italian-French border town significantly affected by the passage of migratory flows with various origins and destinations.

Seven students enrolled in the Master's Degree Course in Psychology of Clinical Interventions in Social Contexts participated in the initiative. They were hosted by the parish of Sant'Antonio in the Gianchette district, where they volunteered by engaging in reception and support activities for migrants provided by Caritas. The students assisted the operators in their daily work, including tasks such as distributing meals and clothing, as well as engaging in communication and listening with refugees. The group also visited Campo Roja, managed by the Red Cross, which provided shelter for immigrant families and minors until 2020.