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In the Maldivian archipelago, sport appears to be in strong expansion and is currently the focus of important government policies. The chapter explores and discusses the relevance of this sector as a driver for local development and as a key factor in territorial transformation. The Republic of the Maldives is an archipelagic state composed of 1192 coral islands stretching out into the Indian Ocean. Insularity is a fundamental concept for the Maldives, given that its territory is 97% water. The archipelago is geographically dispersed, with its land and population covering twenty-six natural atolls. According to the Act on Decentralization of the Administrative Divisions of the Maldives (2010), each island corresponds to an administrative sector on which the political-administrative geography is organised. Approximately 38% of the total population lives in the capital city, Malé. The polarisation between Malé and the outlying islands is even more clear when it comes to socio-economic or religious issues, or in the construction of a national identity, where it is possible to detect completely different models. Life on the outer islands is managed by means of small-scale policies which are often completely detached from the capital city. Reiterating the importance of land in this country, the Maldives turned to a different form of geo-engineering: the processes of land reclamation. Those may be defined as the process of creating new land from maritime spaces. In the Maldives, this process consists of dredging sand from shallow lagoons. Although this process triggers the development of projects and infrastructures and tries to be an action to tackle the immigration from peripheral Island to the capital city, it can also destroy coral reefs or create vast plumes of sediment travelling to other reef platforms. However, land reclamation is a common fact of Maldivian life. The case study we investigated is a major sporting event on the island of Magoodhoo: the “Raajje Ato

Geography and “the visual” are an inseparable duo: a powerful relationship that elicits research and papers in both geographic research and academic geography. Starting from the commentary on Giorda’s book, this short essay proposes a general reflection on the function that visual teaching aids (maps, images) have in producing and reproducing geographical stereotypes and imagery. The commentary specifically focuses on the value that work such as Giorda’s has for those involved in research in the field of geography in education today.

In a trans-scalar perspective, the Bicocca district extends from the local NIL (Nucleo di Identità Locale) to part of Municipality 9, Sesto San Giovanni and Cinisello Balsamo. Recently, the University of Milan-Bicocca, as regards to the so-called ‘terza missione’, has remarked its role as a key-pole for the surrounding area by proposing research, educational (and orientation) activities, as well as institutional initiatives based in this post-industrial area of Milan. Within this scenario, our group was in charge of design-ing a project leading to an artistic image representing the district users’ sense of place. By combining geography of perception, urban sociology, participatory design and the flânerie approaches, we planned a working process starting from the ‘subjective production of images’ by the district’s users and inhabitants. The project was structured in two phases: (1) December 2020 – January 2021: we organised two workshops by inviting groups of students, teachers and shop owners and working on their mental maps to construct a final image resulting from the two teams’ negotiation processes. The reading of the maps was initially inspired by the categories identified by Kevin Lynch (1962) and then moved on to a process of co-construction of a collective image; (2) March 2021: we shared the visual body with a professional illustrator (Carlo Stanga) entrusted with the mandate to translate the images into an artistic product. The essay discusses the visual representation of users’ sense of place and the potential legacy upon communication strategies, way-findings tools and education projects.

The paper presents and discusses data from a qualitative study carried out in April and May 2020 with families under lockdown in Italy (N = 319) and Greece (N = 297). The research examined how confinement and restrictions on movement had impacted families’ everyday geographies (with a particular focus on ‘liminal’ places located between homes and public spaces, such as balconies, hallways, courtyards, backyards), as well as parents’ most valued public spaces and propensity (and modes) to use them. Data were analysed following a top-down thematic approach. The results suggest that restricted access to public spaces (as enforced during the Greek and Italian lockdowns) may influence the signification of domestic places, prompt remodulation of the dialectic between public and private spheres, and bring to light the social value of families’ (parents and children’s) experiences in public spaces.

info:eu-repo/semantics/inPress

I libri di testo hanno un ruolo fondamentale nella trasmissione dei saperi a scuola. In occasione del decennio ONU dedicato alle scienze del mare si è voluto analizzare come i libri di testo per la scuola primaria affrontino questo spazio. La visione del mare che è veicolata da questi strumenti è fortemente terracentrica, il mare è prevalentemente descritto come il limite della terra ferma. Dal punto di vista iconografico si riscontrano delle contraddizioni tra testo e immagini, inoltre il mare è prevalentemente rappresentato sulla falsa riga della sua immagine turistica.

Recently, the University of Milan-Bicocca, as regards to the so-called ‘terza missione’, has remarked its role as a key-pole for the surrounding area by proposing research, educational (and orientation) activities, as well as institutional initiatives based in the Bicocca District. In a trans-scalar perspective, this area extends from the Bicocca NIL (Nucleo di Identità Locale) to part of Municipality 9, Sesto San Giovanni and Cinisello Balsamo. Within this scenario, our group was in charge of designing a project leading to an artistic image representing the district users’ sense of place. By combining geography of perception, urban sociology, participatory design and the flânerie approaches, we planned a working process starting from the ‘subjective production of images’ by the district’s users and inhabitants. The project was structured in two phases: (1) December 2020 – January 2021: we organised two workshops by inviting groups of students, teachers and shop owners and working on their mental maps to construct a final image resulting from the two teams’ negotiation processes. The reading of the maps was initially inspired by the categories identified by Kevin Lynch (1962) and then moved on to a process of co-construction of a collective image; (2) March 2021: we shared the visual body with a professional illustrator (Carlo Stanga) entrusted with the mandate to translate the images into an artistic product. The essay, which starts with a presentation of the methodology and the work phases, discusses the link between the sense of place and the construction of urban imaginaries, as well as the role that the subjective (and collective) production of images can play in such projects.

The United Nations Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) expanded the epistemological and methodological debate on sustainability and education. Currently, ESD encompasses a broad spectrum of socio-political issues (including global citizenship and social justice), while “place-bonding” is seen as key to fostering citizen advocacy in local communities and enhancing “children’s lived experiences of local issues”. Herein, we emphasize both the political and the pedagogical value of this perspective, arguing that ESD bears the potential to overcome “universal vs. individual” tensions and dichotomies. Our line of reasoning is that the “capabilities approach” (CA), although it did not originally focus on children, can offer a useful theoretical framework in support of ESD, thanks to its multidimensional nature and focus on the concrete agency of individuals. Accordingly, we see the CA as playing a key role in bridging the gap between universal prescriptions, which disregard the specificity of the actors involved, as well as the peculiar nature of their social environment and its context-specific needs or constraints. We supplement this theoretical discussion by presenting “The Flying Carpet”, an ongoing community-based education project that has elicited the active involvement of over one hundred 11–13 year old students in an urban regeneration project in a municipal district of Milan.

This article explores the critical role of education in promoting sustainable development in the Maldives context. It presents the outcomes of a small-scale project, Playing with Solar, implemented in a small island school in collaboration with the island community. Because of the environmental and educational principles embedded in this project, it is presented as one that prioritizes sustainable development, actively engages with the community, and aligns with the key competencies underpinning the Maldives National Curriculum Framework. The Playing with Solar project is an example of transformative pedagogy aligned with sustainable development. By promoting problem-based learning, the project shows how key competencies and pedagogical principles can be operationalized in line with National Curriculum Framework syllabi that promote interdisciplinary learning, in contrast to textbook-based, transmission models of teaching.

Background: The occurrence and timing of mycobacterial culture conversion is used as a proxy for tuberculosis treatment response. When researchers serially sample sputum during tuberculosis studies, contamination or missed visits leads to missing data points. Traditionally, this is managed by ignoring missing data or simple carry-forward techniques. Statistically advanced multiple imputation methods potentially decrease bias and retain sample size and statistical power. Methods: We analyzed data from 261 participants who provided weekly sputa for the first 12 weeks of tuberculosis treatment. We compared methods for handling missing data points in a longitudinal study with a time-to-event outcome. Our primary outcome was time to culture conversion, defined as two consecutive weeks with no Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth. Methods used to address missing data included: 1) available case analysis, 2) last observation carried forward, and 3) multiple imputation by fully conditional specification. For each method, we calculated the proportion culture converted and used survival analysis to estimate Kaplan-Meier curves, hazard ratios, and restricted mean survival times. We compared methods based on point estimates, confidence intervals, and conclusions to specific research questions. Results: The three missing data methods lead to differences in the number of participants achieving conversion; 78 (32.8%) participants converted with available case analysis, 154 (64.7%) converted with last observation carried forward, and 184 (77.1%) converted with multiple imputation. Multiple imputation resulted in smaller point estimates than simple approaches with narrower confidence intervals. The adjusted hazard ratio for smear negative participants was 3.4 (95% CI 2.3, 5.1) using multiple imputation compared to 5.2 (95% CI 3.1, 8.7) using last observation carried forward and 5.0 (95% CI 2.4, 10.6) using available case analysis. Conclusion: We showed that accounting for missing sputu

Coastal and archipelagic countries share specific adaptation needs, and they carry a great part of the global costs of climate change. Currently, national governments and local authorities operate to foster the integration of adaptation measures within the broad spectrum of national development policies. In the Maldives, corals act both as a connection and a symbol of this priority. Reefs are vulnerable ecosystems facing environmental changes and are also one of the main resources of the country's cultural and natural heritage. As in other countries across the Indian Ocean Region, in the Maldives, coral material has been widely utilized in architectural constructions. Furthermore, the Maldivian national economy is highly dependent on international tourism. Indeed, the country’s leading position in the international market is largely based on the attractiveness of coral reefs and coral sand beaches. Therefore, the effects of climate change on coral reefs directly threaten the key sector of the national economy. Moreover, tourism plays a strategic role in national adaptation and resilience strategies, as highlighted by the Ministry of Tourism and UNDP in 2012. Coral stone mosques entered the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2013. This strategy could facilitate the promotion of heritage sites as tourist attractions, allowing the country to maintain its competitiveness in the tourism market even while facing a scenario shaped by massive losses of reefs’ richness and biodiversity. In this contribution, we discuss the value and function of corals and the value their preservation (as both heritage and ecosystems) might have in environmental policies at national and local levels; we propose an overview of their socio-political meaning; and we open the discussion on the contemporary effectiveness of a taken-for-granted duo: healthy coral reefs and tourist attractiveness.

This contribution offers a pedagogical reflection on the methodology adopted within the training experience "Just YOUth. Having a say is a sustainable action' [Just YOUth. Prendere parola è un’azione sostenibile]. It was promoted within the orientation program of the University of Milan Bicocca (Italy) addressed to secondary school students. The aim was to promote a learning process around the meanings and possibilities of ‘having a say’, the first step for participation in decision-making processes. In fact, learning to ‘have a say’ is a crucial ability to orient one’s own decisions in relation to the self and the community one is part of. These decisions include choosing how to build one’s own life project, also in relation to the choice of an educational path. Moreover, acknowledging the role of young people in public decision-making processes, together with adults, assumes a specific pedagogical, ethical and political value (Bertolini, 2003). In fact, learning to have a say is a crucial starting point for the development of a sustainable, just, equitable world (Riva, 2018; UN, 2018). Within this framework, Just YOUth gave the young people the opportunity to meet local but also international youth realities, including, for example, collectives, representative bodies, and peer tutoring realities working in the field of children’s and young people’s rights, activism, social and political participation. They orientate decisions in collaboration with adults, showing how participation is an intergenerational process. The proposal included classes, workshops, discussions and meetings, where university lecturers and professionals from the public and third sectors and young people showcased their work and allowed the participants themselves to actively experience different ways of taking the floor. Another crucial aspect is related to the variety of languages that can be used for having a say. The participants were able to experiment with the use of different languages

Nel contributo si descrive un viaggio in Cina: il senso di straniamento, le esperienze intraprese e le riflessioni maturate al ritorno. A partire da un breve approfondimento sul concetto di viaggio in luoghi-simili e luoghi-altri, si passa ad affrontare alcuni elementi del percorso in Cina utilizzando spunti quali: identità, moltitudine, sovradimensione, calligrafia.

Il viaggio è stato consustanziale alla nascita dell’antropologia culturale: la partecipazione attraverso il lavoro etnografico alla vita di altri popoli in altri ambienti, spesso lontani è diventata parte integrante della stessa metodologia di ricerca, della sua cassetta degli attrezzi. In particolare, lo straniamento di ogni viaggio, quando effettivamente si esce dalle proprie categorie, abitudini e ambienti che orientano la vita, sono parte integrante di quel lento addomesticamento altrove: un viaggio di nuovi linguaggi, parole, significati, gusti di cibo e sguardi a nuovi ambienti, un graduale appropriarsi delle prospettive culturali di chi ci ospita, nell’apprendere la diversità culturale per renderla a poco a poco familiare e riconoscerne diversità ma anche dversità. Viaggio altrove quindi per uscire dal proprio etnocentrismo, per accogliere e poter tradurre le prospettive di altri attori sociali e di altri modi di guardare il mondo. E la fertilità del viaggio non risiede unicamente nell’estraniamento e disorientamento inziale, ma è stato definito il “viaggio più lungo dell’antropologia”: perché proprio quell’uscire fuori dalle proprie, e intime, categorie per capire e dare senso al mondo altrimenti, permette di “ritornare” con nuove prospettive a casa propria: aiuta a vedere la propria cultura con nuove prospettive, comparando ciò che ci sembrava naturale in una presa di distanza per riscoprire ciò che davamo per scontato. Qui tratterò di un viaggio radicalmente diverso: un viaggio in cui tutti siamo immersi da qualche decennio, ma solo ora iniziamo a definirlo seppur con difficoltà. Un viaggio inedito, proprio a partire dalla sua forma: non abbiamo bisogno di muoverci perché è tutto il resto del mondo che viaggia! E non mi riferisco qui alle migrazioni, ai flussi di merci globali o ai flussi mediatici che in effetti disegnano un mondo intensamente in movimento, di icone, di linguaggi e diversità che trascendono i luoghi. Si tratta di un viaggi

Background: South Africa temporarily banned alcohol and tobacco sales for about 20 weeks during the COVID-19 lockdown. We described changes in alcohol and tobacco consumption after implementation of these restrictions among a small number of participants in a tuberculosis treatment cohort. Method: The timeline follow-back procedure and Fägerstrom test for nicotine dependence was used to collect monthly alcohol and tobacco use information. We report changes in heavy drinking days (HDD), average amount of absolute alcohol (AA) consumed per drinking day, and cigarettes smoked daily during the alcohol and tobacco ban compared to use prior to the ban. Results: Of the 61 participants for whom we have pre-ban and within-ban alcohol use information, 17 (27.9%) reported within-ban alcohol use. On average, participants reported one less HDD per fortnight (interquartile range (IQR): −4, 1), but their amount of AA consumed increased by 37.4 g per drinking occasion (IQR: −65.9 g, 71.0 g). Of 53 participants who reported pre-ban tobacco use, 17 (32.1%) stopped smoking during the ban. The number of participants smoking >10 cigarettes per day decreased from 8 to 1. Conclusions: From these observations, we hypothesize that policies restricting alcohol and tobacco availability seem to enable some individuals to reduce their consumption. However, these appear to have little effect on the volume of AA consumed among individuals with more harmful patterns of drinking in the absence of additional behavior change interventions.