The Atalanta Academy at the Bergamo Scienza event
Dipping into interactive & multimedia driving, our youngsters learned having fun with a practical workshop
In keeping with the pleasant and delightful tradition established in the previous years, the Atalanta Academy attended the 22nd edition of BergamoScienza, the customary science festival which involves the city and the province of Bergamo ever since its first run back in 2003.
Invited by the “Associazione Atena”, 25 black-and-blue lads and lasses (namely some and handful of Academy representatives across the Under-18s and Under-17s players currently living in the Casa del Giovane housings and the Women’s U17s) answered the call and took part in the interactive multimedia workshop held to simulate a potentially hazardous situation behind the wheel, with a special focus on what driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs feels like.
The project is aimed at reducing road accidents related to the consumption of alcohol and drugs, a ì plight that affects a large number of youngsters also within the Bergamo province.
Dabbling with the vast array of activities on offer, made all the more riveting and thrilling thanks to the presence of modern technological supports, the black-and-blue youngsters took up the "challenge" with the utmost seriousness and effort without overlooking the more leisurely aspects of the event, also thanks to the guidance and assistance provided by both seasoned professionals and a peer group of young volunteers embroiled in the “Ragazzi on the Road” project – where participants lay their service on the road alongside officers of law enforcement bodies ( Polizia and Carabinieri) and fire departments to rescue people in emergency situations.
During their stay at Bergamo Scienza, our youngsters try their hands at: car and motorbike simulators, a treadmill and a VR mask that replicate the feelings of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, in addition to "Ocio Just Drive!", a driving videogame set in the city of Bergamo.
Accompanied by members of the educational staffing from both the Academy and the Casa del Giovane together with a handful of coaches, the black-and-blue group lived an invaluable chance to mingle and strengthen their bonds not just by attending the Bergamo Scienza festival but also thanks to the after-event dinner held to close such educational and formative experience on a high!
The project has been devised and organized by a network of Institutions, Charitable and Voluntary associations: the Traffic Police section of Bergamo, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Local Police of the Municipality of Bergamo, the Health Protection Agency of Bergamo, the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, the Atena Charitable Association, the Safe Driver Project, the “Cesare Pesenti” High School, the Natta High School, the Itaca social cooperative and the Ragazzi On the Road charitable Association, each one attending the event with their own stand.