This project explores how small rural communities in the Alps can design and imagine possible futures through participatory processes using “boundary objects” for their activation.
Long abstract:
The project "Unsere Schule - la nostra scuola" investigates how small rural and marginalized communities in the Alps can design and think about possible futures through participatory processes. The project addresses the challenges posed by demographic change, including the risk of school closures due to depopulation and declining birth rates. The project team employed a range of social and design research tools as “boundary objects” to create a bottom-up process of co-decision and community activation. This involved three phases: 1) engaging the school community and parents through a future lab, 2) involving the entire population and local politicians through a social activation game, and 3) developing possible future scenarios with children and the broader community. The main contribution of the project lies in the discussion of interdisciplinary and participatory methods using that combine social, futures, and design research. These approaches aim to improve community participation, activation, and future literacy in the face of complex challenges like depopulation and service decline. The project highlights how diverse ways of knowing and imagining can be leveraged to co-create alternative visions for the future of these marginalized Alpine regions.