LEAF · heaL thE plAnet's Future

LEAF: heaL thE plAnet's Future

LEAF (heaL thE plAnet's Future) had the main objective to increase the awareness on the importance of research and innovation and improve trust in the researcher's work by effectively involving the society in experimenting science through 400 hands on events focused on a set of EU Green Deal selected topics. The main goal was to make science accessible and fun to everyone, thus generating a practical understanding of how to cope with climate change issues. The LEAF project was developed in 19 cities in Italy, thus involving 40 partners with a series of events happening between 20 to 25 of September 2021 with a peak of events on Friday 24 and Saturday 25. The final result has been a relevant increase in the awareness of why and how the researcher's work is relevant for the benefit of our current and future planet, as well as effectively encouraging young people in embarking in scientific careers by generating a real impact on science. The main objectives of the LEAF were to: - enlarge the public’s interest on the EU Green Deal topics addressed by the project in order to reduce climate change, mainly using a learning-by-doing approach. - encourage the society to actively take part in science and discoveries, reducing the general sense of discouragement towards science. The public had the possibility to meet the scientists on the streets of the cities involved in the project, and to ask them questions on relevant topics for the society within the EU Green Deal framework. - Better understanding of the key benefits that research brings to society in daily life: our public has experienced with their own hands the results achieved by researchers in many different fields and understood the impact of science in society, by playing with science, both inside and outside the research laboratories. - Reduce the stereotypes about researchers and improve gender equality in STEM to stimulate a direct dialogue between researchers and students, thus underling in particular how science and scientist can solve the main societal challenges for the next decade (2021 - 2030) at global level. - Increase the interest of people in pursuing scientific careers: by concretely showing how citizens and society can collaborate in science and research, thus constantly engaging them in researchers’ work throughout the year, both inside and outside the laboratories, through the activities organized in schools and in the main streets of the involved cities (this included the promotion of the MSCA research work).

Data: CORDIS, © European Union