Bioeconomy escape game! Insights from the Italian living lab with the high school ITT Montani of Fermo

General concept of the Living Lab

In the context of the GenB living labs, Italian partners FVA – New Media Research engaged a high school class of the chemistry course of the ITT Montani in Fermo, Marche region, to co-create an innovative educational format, based on the spectacularisation of science through live experiments, shows and gamified experiences. The aim is to raise awareness on bioeconomy through an experiential live activity such an escape game.
Do you know what is an escape game? It is an immersive adventure in which groups of participants attempt to find clues and solve a series of puzzles to escape before time runs out!
The concept developed by the ITT Montani was therefore based on the following narrative: Our planet is trapped in a dangerous linear model of production, consumption and lifestyle... let’s find a solution through the Bioeconomy escape game!

Activities implemented

The first workshop took place on 23 March in Fermo and students and teachers participated in a capacity building activity, whose aim was to consolidate knowledge on the circular bioeconomy, its challenges, terminology and controversial issues, also with support of quizzes and games to make the session more interactive. FVA also brought to the class a few samples of biomaterials and bio-based products, which are part of the Bioeconomy Village. This helped students and teachers to explore this little exhibition, ask questions to deepen some contents and be inspired for the following brainstorming on the ideas to be implemented during the living lab. For the majority of the students, it was the first time in which they had the chance to familiarise with bio-based products, feel and touch the bioeconomy through practical examples. Indeed, they showed a great enthusiasm about this opportunity, as they were able to understand what are the concrete alternatives to substitute fossil-based products and applications in everyday life.

Many ideas emerged during the brainstorming and the Bioeconomy escape game was finally identified as the most innovative, attractive and engaging format to be developed. Students and teachers were really committed to start drafting the first concepts and contents, that were detailed during the second workshop, which took place online on 3 May. This second meeting focused on the definition of the specific messages to convey, topics to be addressed and quizzes and enigmas to develop. This paved the way towards the co-creation of the game’s structure, that was discussed in the third online workshop before the summer break. With the definition of key experiments to be done during the game, as well as the main narrative, the teachers, students and parents will keep on working on fine-tuning the format towards the final showcase.
In fact, ITT Montani, with the support of GenB partner FVA, will present the escape game in the context of two large scale events foreseen in Italy next October: Maker Faire in Rome (on 20 October) and Fermhamente in Fermo (on 22 October).
This will give the chance to reach additional audience, that will be informed about the whole living lab experience, introduced to scientific experiments conducted by the students and will finally learn more about the bioeconomy through a gamified, immersive and exciting experience!
The format will be ready to be replicated in both live and online settings.

The Living Lab in numbers

Number of Living Labs organised (total): 1 living lab with high school students and teachers
Number of activities and experiments implemented (total): 3 workshops were conducted in the co-creation phase and 1 final event will be organised to showcase the living lab’s outcomes in the context of 2 large scale events. The escape game will consist in around 15 educational tools about the bioeconomy, among experiments, quizzes and enigmas to engage participants in a playful way.
Number of students reached (total): 24 students, 4 teachers during the co-creation phase. 10 parents and additional participants will be engaged in the final showcase of the escape game (expected audience from 60 to 100 people).

See the factsheet here!