Citizen Science in Schools

Leonor Silva and Daniela Lebre, students on the Master's programme in Sociology at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra and CC.Edu interns, presented part of the work they did over the summer with children and young people living in the União das Freguesias de Coimbra at the CULTURS International Colloquium ‘Towards creative resilience? Re-imagining urban cultures, sociability and participation’.

The event took place between 14 and 15 November at the University of Coimbra and aimed to critically and pragmatically explore the concept of ‘creative resilience’ and its applications in academic research, civil society and public policy. Placing people at the centre of transformative and regenerative strategies, the Colloquium was a stage for sharing experiences and joint reflection on other ways of doing things.

The paper presented by Leonor and Daniela, co-authored by the internship and CC.Edu coordinators Rita Campos and Cláudia Pato de Carvalho, aimed to dialogue with other practices of inclusion and urban participation, and other teaching-learning methodologies that respect the agency of the protagonists of this process: the students. By adapting a citizen social science methodology to children and young people of different ages, it was possible to mobilise different types of knowledge and stimulate creativity and a critical sense for thinking about public space and proposing interventions for its transformation and improvement.