"Imagining the changing future"
8 th Biennial Conference on Narrative Guidance
In the history we know, each generation has taken on, with paternalism and perhaps an excess of arrogance, the task of preparing the next generation for the future. Each generation, too often, does so with the belief that it can explain and prepare it, that it can propose "a unique story". In recent decades, this task has become impossible to fulfill. Behaviors and meanings have changed and are changing with a speed that does not allow for intergenerational transmission. Shared narratives and grand narratives have failed to renew themselves, giving way to micro-narratives and new hermeneutic compositions. Social and inter-individual agencies and devices have struggled to adapt, often assuming that if we had behaved as we did in the past, everything would have worked the same way. Each story is only one of the possible stories and contributes to future stories only if it can be overcome, if it can confront, mix and collide with many others and if it allows the generation of new stories. No canon is given.
It is in this context that we place the idea that it is possible, through the conscious and intentional use of stories, to imagine the future we want and begin to build it at individual and community levels and, therefore, that people and communities need building materials rather than directions and projects that have been already written.
In the society of lifelong change, individuals and communities' narrative skills become critical to interpreting what is happening and making sense of it, to provide an answer to the need for control that is inherent in our human nature. We all need some degree of control over everyday events, over the imminent future, but also over an idea of the remote future to be thought of as possible. No generation should and can take this opportunity away from the following ones.
The virtuous circle between stories, future and control may have important implications for educational theory and practices, individual and community development, social and political practices, and various forms of helping relationships. These, by making use of narrative approaches, can significantly contribute to constructively overcoming the moment of difficulty and disorientation affecting our contemporary society during the ongoing pandemic. Therefore, we solicit research contributions that will promote reflection on the following themes:
● What image of the future are we building? What are the individual, educational, training, and community approaches to facilitate the construction of an image of the future?
● What teaching practices allow for the production of meaning, provide materials and allow for the development of self-guidance skills?
● What kind of control is possible and desirable to imagine in the near future?
● What is the contribution of stories to the construction of community imagery?
● What is the specific contribution of images and their intertwining with words?
● How does imagination work?
● How do stories and reading and writing skills affect everyday life? What is their relationship with educational success?
● How can writing and reading practices nowadays become tools for self-care and personal development?
● How, in particular, do stories and narrations relate to these dynamics of change?
● What is the role of narrative guidance and narrative methods in general in this age?
Contributions will preferably be supported by field research (however, other types of contributions will also be evaluated).
Sessions available are:
- research to be presented orally at the conference;
- poster session;
- work-in-progress practices
Work-in-progress practices are workshops aimed at professionals and/or general users, fostering a concrete learning (through experimentation) of a narrative tool or path.
Research and posters will be evaluated through double-blind review and published in the booklet which will be distributed for free at the conference.
Work-in-progress practices will be evaluated (and possibly accepted) by the Scientific Committee of the Conference.
Each contribution must be submitted by 20 June 2021, in full form, at lestoriesiamonoi@gmail.com and must meet the following requirements:
including one abstract in italian and one abstract in english (minimum 5 lines, maximum 12 lines as for the italian abstract; 2 pages for the english abstract) and a translation in italian if the original text is in another language; contribution: minimum 4 and maximum 10 pages (in oral exposition it shall be summarized and the speaking time shall not exceed 10 minutes); presentation slides to be used at the conference in Italian and in English (by the end of August); it is also possible to send a summary video of maximum 4 minutes (which will be shared on the Youtube channel of “Le storie siamo noi”).
As for the posters, instead of points 2 and 3 it is required the electronic submission of the poster as well as 5 explanatory pages; with regard to the work-in-progress practices it shall be sent a detailed description of the workshop, including at least the following fields: proposed practice, learning objectives, carrying out of the activities and roles, materials used, methodological approach.
Format: 12 arial; single spacing; APA citation format; complete bibliography.
However, contributions not accepted will be uploaded and made available on the website of the Conference.
Participants will be deemed to have accepted the above mentioned terms and conditions.
The project at a glance
“Le storie siamo noi” is a project promoted by two associations - "Pratika" (Arezzo) and "L'Altra Città" (Grosseto) - which worked from the ground up in order to build a network of "actors" able to co-organize and co-finance a territorial promotion initiative of national character that is focused on the educational guidance method called "narrative guidance".
The first seven editions of the conference - which is the main action of the project - involved a network of local stakeholders (from the provinces of Grosseto, Arezzo and - in 2011 - Siena) who have been able to ensure the project's sustainability, along with a network of supporters and patrons interested in disseminating the results. Furthermore, they have been able to ensure the scientific and professional robustness of the initiatives.
In 2015 the Conference was held in Florence and since 2017 it has been permanently held in Follonica, in the context of the area of the former Ilva, one of the most important examples of Italian industrial archaeology.
Network of the national institutional supporters and patrons:
• Tuscany Region
• Puglia Region
• Veneto Region
• University of Siena
• University of Florence
• University of Padua
• University of Trieste
• University of Foggia
• University of Perugia
• University of Naples “L’Orientale”
• University of Calabria
• ISFOL – Institute for the Development of the Training of Workers
A network of scientific advisors
The initiatives, whose scientific and organizational coordination has been managed since the beginning by Federico Batini (University of Perugia, "Pratika" Association - Arezzo) and Simone Giusti (L'Altra Città di Grosseto Association), involved in the provinces of Grosseto and Arezzo a qualified working group from various scientific-disciplinary fields, which is able to ensure over time the quality of initiatives.
Publishing products
Since 2007 the following publishing products were edited and released:
• Series “Le storie siamo noi” (Pensa Multimedia, Lecce) relating to researches, tools, paths, methods and theories which can be useful to those who want to work in the field of narrative guidance.
Some of the main volumes on narrative guidance recently published:
• Batini F., Giusti S. (a cura di) (2019), Leggere e scrivere nell’era dei social media. Quaderno di lavoro del VII convegno biennale sull’orientamento narrativo, Lecce, Pensa Multimedia.
• Batini F., Giusti S. (a cura di) (2017), Empowerment delle persone e delle comunità. Quaderno di lavoro del VI convegno biennale sull'orientamento narrativo, Lecce, Pensa Multimedia.
• Batini F., Giusti S. (a cura di) (2015), Non studio, non lavoro, non guardo la tv. Quaderno di lavoro del V convegno biennale sull'orientamento narrativo, Lecce, Pensa Multimedia.
• Batini F., Giusti S. (a cura di) (2013), Autori e interpreti delle nostre storie. Quaderno di lavoro IV convegno biennale sull'orientamento narrativo, Lecce, Pensa
• Giusti S., Batini F. (a cura di) (2013), Imparare dalla lettura, Torino, Loescher.
• Batini F., Giusti S. (a cura di) (2011), Costruire il futuro con le storie. Quaderno di lavoro III convegno biennale sull’orientamento narrativo, Lecce, Pensa Multimedia.
• Batini F. (2011), Storie, futuro e controllo, Napoli, Liguori.
• Giusti S. (2011), Insegnare con la letteratura, Bologna Zanichelli.
• Batini F., Giusti S., Jedlowski P., Longo G., Mantovani G., Massetti I., Smorti A., Tonelli N. (2010), Imparare dalle narrazioni, Milano, Unicopli.
• Batini F., Fontana A. (2010), Storytelling Kit. 99 esercizi per il pronto intervento narrativo, Milano, ETAS
• Batini F., Giusti S., Jedlowski P., Mantovani G., Scarpa L., Smorti A. (2009), Le storie siamo noi. Gestire le scelte e costruire la propria vita con le narrazioni, Napoli, Liguori.
• Anfossi R., Paolini A., Sciarretta F., Vidotto P. (2009), Strumenti narrativi per il successo formativo, Trento, Erickson.
• Batini F., Giusti S. (a cura di) (2009), Costruttori di storie. Quaderno di lavoro 2° convegno biennale sull’orientamento narrativo, Lecce, Pensa Multimedia.
• Batini F., Giusti S. (2008), L’orientamento narrativo a scuola. Lavorare con le competenze per l'orientamento dalla scuola dell'infanzia all'educazione degli adulti, Trento, Erickson.