Italia Brilla – Costellazione 2022 is the name of the initiative promoted by Il Cielo Itinerante, an association founded by Ersilia Vaudo (ESA Chief Diversity Officer and Association President), Alessia Mosca (formerly MEP and Vice President)
and Giovanna Dell’Erba (Rome Notary and Vice-President), whose aim is to bring girls and boys in situations of social and economic hardship closer to the study of STEM subjects: a tour that will last six months and will address 50 municipalities in total Italian regions.
The project, of which UNICEF Italy is the main partner, is under the auspices of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and is part of the joint educational program with the European Space Agency – ESA, which was promoted on the occasion of the Minerva mission by Samantha Cristoforetti. The initiative is also sponsored by the Ministry of Education.
The association’s minibus, along with science communications and telescopes, will stop at Selinunte (TP). The stage will take place in the Archaeological Park of Selinunte at 43 Selinunte Street and guests will be welcomed by Dominica Gaglio, President of UNICEF Trapani.
The initiative will start at 5 pm with an intervention from UNICEF Italy with Laura Simonetti, who is already in several stages, who will welcome girls and boys on a special treasure hunt called “Let’s Go Towards a Sustainable Space” with the aim of introducing awareness of the importance of environmental sustainability. Then, the participants will become the protagonists of two hands-on workshops: the first, “Cosmonauts – Astronauts for a Day”, to discover the selection process to become astronauts, as well as how to live on the International Space Station. The second workshop will allow young participants to build and launch a rocket model of their own making. The day will end at around 10pm observing the sky thanks to professional telescopes.
“The possibility of discovering the sky and bringing children closer to science through play can be profoundly transformative. The desire to move forward and imagine new horizons for oneself. Yes, a telescope can do a little magic,” commented Ersilia Vodo, President of Il Cielo Itinerante.
“We are very pleased to welcome the Italia Brilla Tour to our region. As we know, due to the pandemic, girls, boys and teens have had few opportunities for formative meetings in existence and experiences like this, which help them understand not only the wonders of life in space, but also the importance of protecting our lives on Earth, They can be unmissable opportunities to recognize their right to learn. It is definitely an important way to start the new school year and enrich their personal training bag for the future.”
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