Technical University of Denmark Partners with Italian Youth to Promote Diversity
On a square at DTU Lyngby Campus, Antonio, Barbara and Franco stand dressed in blue hoodies with a logo and white face masks. They are part of a formation of ten youngsters doing choreographed dance sequences to British singer Sting’s hit song “Fragile”. The performance ends with the youngsters taking off their masks and holding them up while looking out at the audience.
The youngsters are from the Italian association Juppiter, which fosters communities between talented young people engaged in theatre, music and sports and young people with developmental disabilities. Together they tour around Europe with the message: “On this stage we are not so different from each other. We all need each other’s acceptance and support.”
Their show is part of an event organized by DTU Sustain, which focuses on inclusion and diversity. The department carries out research in accessibility and innovation in buildings and education.
“In my work as a researcher, I make sure to involve people with disabilities in the development of design solutions that meet their specific needs. It is therefore a pleasure to gain insight into the young people’s challenges and hear their proposal for a culture that promotes inclusion and solidarity. It is important for advancing the research,” says Luca Zaniboni, who is a postdoc at DTU. He researches the impact of the indoor climate on the well-being of autistic people and is one of the organizers behind the event.
Inclusive communities
At DTU, the young people receive a welcome from, among others, the Italian ambassador to Denmark, Stefania Rosini. Antonio, Barbara and Franco greet DTU’s president Anders Bjarklev with broad smiles and outstreched arms.
The lyrics from Italian singer Marco Mengoni’s song “Esseri umani” is shown on the big screen erected on the square for the show. The lyrics go: “I believe in human beings. Who has the courage. The courage to be human”. The dancers move their hands in unison while the hit song is played on loudspeakers.
“The young people are on a symbolic journey, where the goal is not to arrive at a specific destination, but to strengthen ties between young people. We want to support and inspire the creation of inclusive and diverse communities, so that more young people can experience that they belong,” says director of the Jupiter Association, Salvatore Regoli, when asked to describe the purpose of the roadshow.
More research into accessibility
Among the visitors from Italy is Federica Giuliani, a researcher from Tuscia University located near Rome. She conducts research in environmental aspects of inclusive learning spaces. Together with Luca Zaniboni, Federica Giuliani has organized this event in the hopes of promoting awareness of accessibility in the development of innovative technological solutions.
“The Jupiter Association is an organization that has more than 30 years of experience in helping young people with disabilities enter into communities with other young people. They are in contact with several hundred young people, who we hope will be included in future research projects as subjects who can contribute to generating data about accessibility in buildings and education. There is a dire need to come up with new solutions that accommodate people with disabilities,” Federica Giuliani states.
The Italians are on a 5,000-kilometer journey from Rome to the North Cape as part of the “Destination North Cape” caravan. The caravan, which spans over ten vehicles and a crew of 33 people, including 11 drivers and three policemen driving a Lamboghini, stops at DTU as one out of 14 stops on the journey to North Cape.