IN-MUST: for an inclusive Earth Sciences museum

In the last decades inclusiveness has become an integral concept in the valorization of museum exhibitions for informative and educational purposes. Indeed, the aim of cultural institutions has shifted from simply increasing the numbers of visitors to adopting valorization strategies to make exhibition venues more receptive to social changes and universally accessible. The IN-MUST project (funded by Sapienza Third Mission Grant) aims at creating an open culture hub model, where the exhibits are co-designed through the synergy and cooperation of different social actors. The project is focused on the University Museum of Earth Sciences (MUST) at Sapienza University of Rome and is aimed at finding inclusive strategies for the dissemination of issues related to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda in a dedicated space inside the museum. A dedicated Path for transversal skills and career counseling (PCTO) IN-MUST was organized to involve schools and teachers in the project with the aim of highlighting both the importance of a sustainable global development of planet Earth and the need to create an inclusive society open to all. The PCTO started in January 2024, and involved, for the first year, 8 high schools in Rome and districts (169 students), whose students were challenged to design and develop exhibits for visitors with special needs. The activities included an initial training to provide tools on sustainability, the 2030 Agenda and the Museum as well as an introductory meeting with associations or bodies that support the activities of people with different disabilities. The exchange and discussion with those associations resulted in 15 different projects on the themes of risk and resources that the students presented in Sapienza at the end of March 2024 and that will be included in the executive project for the MUST renovation.