Can children go to school alone?

English
Question Title: 
Can children go to <font size="32">school alone?</font>
Short answer: 

"No, it is too dangerous": this would be most parents' answer. But social studies show that the acquisition of environmental knowledge is strongly influenced by experience. For this reason, at ISTC The City of Children international project is following an experiment called "We go to school alone". 

Extended answer: 

Imagine a city where the typical citizen, with all his needs and requests, is a child: this is exactly the model pursued by the ISTC international project The City of Children. The leading idea is to enhance children’s autonomy and participation. In order to make this possible concrete actions are needed: the experiment “We go to school alone” tries to follow this path since 1991, offering to many families the opportunity to see their children become independent in a safe way.

The starting point is the school: teachers’ support is necessary for the successful outcome of the initiative. In class, children should compare all the different itineraries from home to school, examining possible dangers. Then a “things to do” list is presented to the Hall, which is invited to enhance safety around the school.

At the conclusion of the preparatory activities, the initiative is launched with a day of celebration attended by the mayor. From then on, children go to school on their own.

Contacts: Antonella Prisco, Francesco Tonucci, Daniela Renzi

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Connection: 
EDUCATION / COGNITION / SOCIETY