Life stories
Life stories incorporate narrative discourse in the creation of knowledge. What is experienced, as narrated, adds new dimensions that can be explored in depth. This reveals components that articulate social commitment, solidarity, and social justice.
Facts, as narrated, acquire a different dimension where history is transformed into life stories. Narrative health, justice or sustainability is therefore part of the contemporary movement that underscores the importance of (hi)story.
Francesco Zucchini
My name is Francesco Zucchini, and I’m a psychologist from Italy with a master’s degree in “Psychology of Community, Wellness Promotion and Social Change” at the University of Padua.
My passion for service-learning started when I participated in a transformative service-learning course, which led to the opportunity of building a mentoring relationship with a young Bangladesh immigrant residing in an educational community in Padua.
This transformative experience prompted me to take part in a five-month international service-learning exchange in Juaziero, Brazil. During this amazing multicultural meeting, I had experienced first-hand the immense potential of this innovative learning methodology. Together with five other Italian students, I embarked on a service-learning experience in which I put myself at the service of the community in psychosocial care centers for minors (CAPSi).
After this incredible experience, I was eager to learn more about this learning methodology.My curiosity took me to Palma de Mallorca, where I got to know the Spanish Service-Learning network within the “Association de Aprendizaje-Servicio Universitario (APSU)”, one of the most developed in the world. “A poc a poc” is a commonly used expression in the Balearic Island that I have come familiar with during my stay in Mallorca, where I started an inspiring collaboration with the Unit of Innovation in Sustainable Development, Health and Global Justice through Service-Learning (iApS2030). It’s all about having the patience to enjoy the process and not trying to rush to the end. This expression captures my personal journey towards Service-Learning and Planetary Health, and the essence of these two processes. Indeed, despite the fact that global educational challenges appear ever more urgent, only by including all actors in the development of shared solutions is it possible to achieve the goals set by the 2030 agenda.