The Life Project: Toward an Integrated Paradigm Bridging Universal Design for Transition and Life Designing

Journal title EDUCATION SCIENCES AND SOCIETY
Author/s Rosa Sgambelluri, Francesca Placanica
Publishing Year 2025 Issue 2025/2
Language Italian Pages 15 P. 121-135 File size 0 KB
DOI 10.3280/ess2-2025oa20910
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In contemporary pedagogical debate, the Life Project stands out as one of the most pressing challenges for building inclusive, self-determined pathways. It should not be understood as a mere bureaucratic requirement, but rather as a complex, multidimensional pedagogical framework capable of sustaining and orienting existential choices through an ongoing dialogue among personal aspirations, life contexts, and social opportunities. This perspective is grounded in the construct of Quality of Life, conceived as a situated, dialogical, and participatory dimension that places the person at the center of the educational process, recognizing and valuing them as an active agent in their own development.

Starting from these premises, this contribution proposes the integration of two complementary paradigms: Universal Design for Transition (UDT), which offers a pedagogical framework aimed at ensuring accessibility and continuity across life transitions, and Life Designing, a narrative approach that accompanies individuals through critical transitions by equipping them with tools for the reflective, socially situated construction of their Life Project. Developing an integrated paradigm makes it possible to identify narrative and self-determination as two fundamental mediators capable of translating theoretical principles into concrete, effective educational practices. Within this framework, the Life Project takes shape as an educational and cultural process of transformation aimed at promoting inclusion, quality of life, and active participation across the diverse spheres of human experience. Among operational applications inspired by this approach, the MiRacconto app stands out as a digital tool that, through narrative, fosters self-determination and supports the definition of meaningful life pathways.

Keywords: Life Project;Universal Design for Transition;Life Designing;Quality of Life;Self-Determination

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Rosa Sgambelluri, Francesca Placanica, Il Progetto di Vita. Verso un paradigma integrato tra Universal Design for Transition e Life Designing in "EDUCATION SCIENCES AND SOCIETY" 2/2025, pp 121-135, DOI: 10.3280/ess2-2025oa20910