Maps and digital currency to understand the territory, the third year of Futurama in the schools of Palma and Erice

At the start of the autumn term of the third year of Futurama—a project selected by Con i Bambini within the Fund for the fight against child educational poverty and co-funded by Fondazione Cassa Depositi e Prestiti—civic technology pathways returned to schools in Palma di Montechiaro (AG) and Erice (TP). These activities were led by the University of Turin together with the Community Foundation of Agrigento and Trapani. This return carried a dual dimension: on the one hand, the familiarity of a now well-known project; on the other, a renewed sense of expectation, as school contexts had changed, along with the questions, curiosities, and priorities of the classes involved in the STEAM pathways.

Third-year classes used FirstLife, a community social network that made it possible to observe the territory from often overlooked perspectives. Mapping resources and needs helped identify what was working and what was missing in the everyday lives of adolescents. Fourth-year classes, instead, engaged in designing community currencies in the form of digital tokens, developed through the CommonsHood wallet app. This tool opened up an understanding of collaborative economies, which became tangible once put into practice rather than remaining abstract concepts.

The first meetings, held with researchers from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Turin, addressed complex technological topics such as crowdmapping and blockchain through hands-on activities designed to encourage direct experimentation while maintaining a playful dimension—for example, mapping workshops and exploring blockchain through the use of Lego bricks. Alongside these tools, space was given to discussions on issues central to adolescents, from needs to values, which became the starting point for that school year’s workshops. The goal was to support the four classes in developing projects capable of making their everyday spaces more participatory, also through the use of digital tools.

Students showed curiosity toward pathways they partly already knew through the experiences of classes involved in the first two years of Futurama. Positive expectations emerged around teamwork, the opportunity to learn new digital tools, and the chance to discover associations and people within their local area, even beyond the school context.

The first meetings allowed the classes to approach FirstLife and CommonsHood through highly practical activities: territorial mapping, reflections on adolescents’ needs, discussions on sustainability and alternative economies, up to the creation of the first digital currencies and initial exchanges. In Palma di Montechiaro, the work focused in particular on themes such as territory, personal freedoms, and perceptions of safety. In Erice, strong needs emerged related to orientation, self-expression, and the lack of spaces where young people could cultivate passions and talents.

The attentive and curious participation of the classes made the meetings dynamic and dialogic. Frontal teaching alternated with practical moments: maps created together, open discussions on the social implications of digital tools, token design and reflections on collaborative economies, exercises comparing places perceived as positive or negative, and the use of participatory geography tools such as exploratory walks.

This new phase confirmed that Futurama worked best when digital tools became a means to strengthen a sense of belonging and to imagine concrete change. The following stages supported the four classes in transforming maps, reflections, and digital prototypes into project ideas capable of engaging with the educational community and the territories in which they live.

Those who wished to continue following Futurama’s activities were able to consult the project sheet (link here), visit the project blog (link here), and follow the Facebook and Instagram channels. For participation or further information, it was possible to contact Daniela Avanzato at d.avanzato@fcagrigentotrapani.it.

The Futurama project was selected by Con i Bambini within the Fund for the fight against child educational poverty and co-funded by Fondazione Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. The Fund was established through an agreement between banking foundations represented by Acri, the National Third Sector Forum, and the Government. It supports initiatives aimed at removing economic, social, and cultural barriers that prevent children from fully accessing educational opportunities. To implement the Fund’s programs, the social enterprise Con i Bambini was established in June 2016, a non-profit organization wholly owned by Fondazione CON IL SUD. www.conibambini.org