Interview 2/5: Touching the untouchable (Italy)

The second interview with our project partners responsible for pilot implementation features Alice Conti from the University Gabriele d’Annunzio in Chieti – Pescara, Italy, and their approach to experimenting with the sense of touch. We asked Alice about their pilot and here are her thoughts:

“The pilot aims to create an educational and social space for young people aged 14 to 17 in the western outskirts of Pescara, an area with high educational poverty. Planned activities include environmental awareness days, theatre workshops, arts and crafts, digital storytelling, street art, rap music, web radio and TV, Fab Lab, legal education, inclusive sports, social and community theatre activities, exhibitions, live performances, and other aesthetic events. The pilot promotes active participation, citizenship, and the prevention of youth deviance, involving the educational community and local social policies. The pilot will also focus on neighbourhood mapping and engagement, service orientation, and creating a service catalogue to facilitate participation in activities. These workshops, through physical contact and social interactions (Social Touch), will be essential for experiencing, expressing, and living emotions. Touch will be a key element in strengthening the connection with reality and others, fostering an authentic and deep connection within the community.

For example, in the Multipurpose Structure within the Green Area Complex “Parco dell’Infanzia” in the Municipality of Pescara, as you can see in the photos, theatre practices have already been carried out involving adults in experimenting through the body, specifically focusing on touch. This has been made possible thanks to the association DEPOSITO DEI SEI SEGNI ET, with particular attention to social and community theatre.”

Photo: Deposito dei Segni