October 14th, 2021, was the last day of our educational experiences. Starting in May with an online kick-off meeting, the course unfolded over six months and different activities: remote meetings, local cluster activities, open seminars and talks, and two 7-day-long live workshops. The community explored issues of migration, cohabitation, care, public space, and many other dimensions of what we can call the right to the city for everyone, regardless of their nationality, religion, gender, or cultural belonging.
It has been an exciting experience, made complex in its early stages due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, but, in the end, we managed to follow the path we envisioned at the beginning of this journey. Everyone took out many lessons and insights from such an experience, but we want to mention two among the others. First, we learned that making room for inclusivity in the contemporary issue is a difficult challenge, but one that can be won. Secondly, on a broader level, we learned there is space out there for a different, more horizontal teaching philosophy – and technology can help learners and teachers in such an endeavour.
What now? The project will evaluate the educational offer and look for what can make the course replicable. We are close to the end of Desinc Live, but this is just a starting point!