RIS4CIVIS, Science Communication Award 1st Position Ms Fabiola Fratini with the project "The Eco-pedagogical Microforest"

The Eco-pedagogical Microforest is a one year project funded by a Third Mission Sapienza research that intends to decline urban forestation on a local scale, framing the experimentation within a multilevel strategy, empowering young citizens through the proactive involvement of the schoolchildren community. The multistakeholder and multilevel partnership which made it possible is composed by Regione Lazio, Comune di Roma, Municipio II, ICS Tiburtina Antica 25, local associations and 3 University Sapienza Faculties, 3 PhD students and 100 students, 200 schoolchildren of the local school. Context and key Objectives The research intends to implement an easy to handle and fast growing Microforest to be planted within the size of a neighborhood. The selected case study is the San Lorenzo neighborhood in Rome. San Lorenzo is characterized by the lack of green and public spaces, low quality of the urban fabric, critical social issues. So the 7 objectives of the research are to promote Urban Forestation at the neighborhood scale; build a multilevel and multistakeholder partnership to support the Microforest from design to maintenance; change the image of the neighborhood through a cutting-edge community project; strengthen social cohesion and improve health and wellbeing; involve local community starting the process from the schools; design a eco-pedagogical pathway to improve nature connectedness in children; disseminate the project and build synapses with existing planning programmes. Target groups Teachers and schoolchildren have been guided through the ‘eco-pedagogy of the Microforest’ process by the University team, including professors, PhD students, students. Thanks to the open door activities associations and citizen as well were able to participate in all stages of the process. Activities The outdoor activities scheduled to fulfill the eco-pedagogical pathway went to 3 stages: 1.‘Learning & Experiment’: the lectures – experimentations took place during 8 “green walks” from school to green spaces around the neighborhood. The topics: climate, air quality, water, vegetation, pollinators, wellbeing, waste cycle, NBS and Microforests. 2.‘Science entrusted to the young’. In this stage schoolchildren are called to become science communicators during the European researchers’ night at the children’s Explora Museum of Rome; the Science Festival of Rome; the Saffi school Open Day; the Inauguration of the Microforest. 3.‘Young citizen scientist’ stage is dedicated to put into practice a monitoring programme based on Citizen Science activities, taking into account and collaborating with European associations engaged in Tiny Forest actions such as Earthwatch (UK) and IVN (NL). Impacts Participation Activities: 6 teachers, 68 pupils of the secondary school; 6 teachers, 150 pupils of the primary school;100 university students, 4 students final course, 3 PhD students as trainer during outdoor activities (total 337). Public events: 85 children& parents Museo Explora; 70 children& parents Festival delle Scienze; 220 participants Open Day Saffi school; 250 participants Inauguration Day; 900 university students - webinar “Le Scienze della Sostenibilità” (total 1.525). Well-being and Social Impacts During the one year of the project implementation the Parco dei Caduti area and the community have been changed. The change observed in the school community is a perception shared by the pupils themselves. This is how Maja explains, her personal connection to the Microforest:‘when I take my children to see the San Lorenzo micro-forest, I will tell them that I planted these trees with my classmates, thinking of their future’ (Maja Sechi, Borsi school). In order to assess the impacts training activities the Terza Missione Sapienza project developed a survey by means of a questionnaire consisting of a battery of measurement scales adapted from the literature. ‘At the current stage of the project, it is important to emphasize that the children have started to increase their awareness of issues related to NBS as a solution to mitigate climate change effects, as well as their own capacity to act in favor of the environment, beginning to strengthen their motivation to take care of the neighborhood's green spaces in order to in which the initiative was implemented’. Economic impacts Thanks to the Microforest in San Lorenzo, a new cycle opens with the collaboration between Sapienza and the City of Rome within the Regeneration Programme "15 Municipi - 15 Projects for the city in 15 minutes". Within this framework a commitment took place to create Eco-pedagogical Microforests in every Municipalites (165.000 euro fund). Type of media that has been used to disseminate the project FB pages of the research, Comitato di Quartiere San Lorenzo, Borsi school, La Libera Repubblica di San Lorenzo in order to invite citizen of all ages YouTube Videos of the activities National and international webpages: Department webpage (https://www.dicea.uniroma1.it/content/la-microforesta-eco-pedagogica-come-oasi-di-prossimità-anno-2022-2023); EU (https://it.thegreencities.eu) Newspapers, news websites; national TV programmes (La Repubblica, RomaToday, TG3 RAI…) National and international conferences, organization of sessions and conferences; publications Collaboration with international networks such as COOLSCHOOL EU project, Miyawaki Research Network, The Green Cities EU project National award (ASviS, Città Verde, …). Newspaper and websites https://roma.repubblica.it/cronaca/2023/02/21/news/san_lorenzo_nasce_la_micro_foresta_di_quartiere_sara_in_grado_di_rinfrescare_laria_di_1_o_2_gradi_destate-388873364/ https://www.romatoday.it/zone/nomentano/san-lorenzo/micro-foresta-inaugurazione.html https://www.rainews.it/tgr/lazio/notiziari https://comune-info.net/scuole-aperte/una-foresta-a-san-lorenzo/ https://www.repubblica.it/green-and-blue/2023/08/07/news/riforestazione_italia_progetti_alberi_pnrr-409893634/