TRENTO – May 8, 2026 – Innovation, collaboration, and a fast-paced exchange of ideas: these were the hallmarks of the ESIC project’s “Speed Date” session, held during the vibrant “Siamo Europa” festival in Trento, organised to celebrate the Europe Day.
The speed date with the ESIC project allowed participants to engage in rapid, meaningful dialogues, sparking immediate interest in how social economy and social innovation topics can be integrated into the classroom.
A total of 10 students (4 from upper secondary schools – 6 from the University of Trento), facilitated by Ilaria Mascitti and Mariacarolina Leo from PAT, analysed and discussed the proposals, devoted to students, related to ESIC introductory module (to be launched in Autumn 2026) and to ESIC in-depth program on social economy and social innovation themes (to be launched in Spring 2027).
Co-Designing the future of learning
The event also saw the participation of 2 teachers from upper secondary schools, who participated in the ESIC informative webinars held by PAT in April and are interested in taking part in the ESIC training path. They contributed to the discussion focused on the co-design workshop on upcoming training modules.
This innovative approach moves away from top-down teaching, instead fostering active student involvement in shaping their own educational journey.
This collaborative effort brought to the proposal to include and integrate social economy and social innovation topics into existing and mandatory curricula developed by schools, namely:
- Educazione Civica e alla Cittadinanza – Civic and Citizenship Education: empowering students to become conscious, active contributors to their communities.
- Alternanza Scuola-Lavoro – Work-Related Learning: providing practical experience in the field of social entrepreneurship.
What’s next?
The feedback from both educators and students was overwhelmingly positive, proving that when young people are given a seat at the table, innovation thrives.
These co-designed paths are set to transform the local educational landscape, turning schools into hubs for social change.
This is just the start of our collaborative journey. Stay tuned for more!
Author: PAT Project team
Mariacarolina Leo
Ilaria Mascitti
Gaia Trecarichi
email: progettieuropei@provincia.tn.it
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