The headmaster of the Faenza San Rocco Comprehensive Institute is writing to usRaffaela Andolfi, who would like to tell us about “the significant experience lived by the students of our lower secondary school “Bendandi” which offers an in-depth look at reflections that emerged during the final event of the “Use me but don’t let yourself be used” project. I am convinced that it can arouse interest, helping to spread an important message on digital awareness and the impact of technologies on the daily lives of young people“.
In fact, on Saturday 20 April, says the manager, the Cinema Italia in Faenza was “the stage for an event that marked an important step towards a new digital awareness. The project “48 HOURS WITHOUT NEGATIVE TECHNOLOGIES: Use me, but don’t let me use you”, conceived and led by the Technology teacher Silvia Dal Prato, it successfully involved the “Bendandi” secondary school of the Faenza San Rocco Comprehensive Institute”.
The event, created thanks to the collaboration of professor Maria Chiara Campodoni, represented “the culmination of an engaging experience, during which Over 350 students accepted the challenge of disconnecting from technology for 48 hours. But what made this experience so significant?”
One of the most touching aspectsthe manager advances, “it was the direct comparison with the emotions and diaries of the participants, who narrated their experiences after two days of separation from the screens digital. The comparison with tangible reality sparked profound reflections, emphasizing theimportance of balancing the use of technology with real-life experiences.”
Fernando Muraca, author of “Freely Veronica – my 30 days without social media” and moderator of the event, has guided the kids on a journey of reflection on the time spent on technological devices. The surprising figure of 3 months and 8 days in a year on social media “has shaken consciences, highlighting how this time could be used in a more constructive way”.
The social “bubble”, a crucial theme that emerged during the meetingexplains the manager, “highlighted the limitations of teenagers’ worldview imposed by social media”. Muraca issued a challenge to the students: to follow Veronica’s example, spending 30 days without social media and thus becoming “the sentinels of tomorrow”.
Therespeech by mayor Massimo Isola and education councilor Martina Laghi confirmed “the importance of initiatives like this in promote a conscious digital culture. The exhibition in the cinema foyer, with extracts from the children’s diaries and posters created by the students themselves, has further raised awareness of the importance of balancing the use of technology.”
But the impact of the project, explains the manager, “was not limited to the walls of the cinema. There provocation launched at the mayor and the city itself to cover Faenza with the children’s posters represents a bold first step towards cultural change. Already several students have changed their habits, spending less time on video games and more time with friends.”
Ultimately, the “48 HOURS WITHOUT NEGATIVE TECHNOLOGIES” event gave rise to “a a profound reflection on addiction to technology, inspiring concrete actions to promote a more conscious and balanced use of the same. These young people not only participated, but became protagonists of change in their community, demonstrating that the digital revolution can be guided by awareness and the desire to make a difference” concludes the manager.
