With this project we wanted to support adults with fewer opportunities, or in social discomfort, through the practice of DEBATE useful activity in the acquisition of critical thinking and many other skills valid for both social and working life. Critical thinking consists in knowing how to analyze information, situations and experiences in an objective way, distinguishing reality from one's own subjective impressions and one's own prejudices, it means recognizing the elements that may affect their own thoughts and behaviors and those of others. In this way it was possible to realize the precondition for a responsible attitude that has made it possible to create effective relationships. Participants in this activity were informed in the organisations’ places normally attended through widespread communication made possible thanks to the networks of the individual partners. The educational activities, free of charge for the users, designed and the teaching methods have pursued an inclusive and participatory non-formal teaching.
After a period of social isolation, in which people have entrusted their knowledge to the network, we considered extremely important to start an educational path in which each participant has the possibility to express an opinion on a specific question, through the analysis of the problem and using a “guided search” on the net. Through this exercise, that refers to the technique of the DEBATE, people are somehow forced to think and then express their opinions to the group and accept the consequent judgement. It is a modality that favors peer learning, stimulates creativity and investigating capacity. This activity can be understood as a team game but also as “a sport for the brain” because it stimulates imagination and research capacity. The project was aimed at all those people who have found themselves in a situation of social hardship, mainly due to the lock down. In this context, importance was also given to the acquisition of digital citizenship skills which were provided in order to be able to transfer the discussion also in a digital environment.