Focus

Focus, Focus Storia, Focus Junior and Focus Wild launch the first School Camps edition, a new project conceived in partnership with Sunny Life, a company specialised in tourism and cultural travels for children between 6 to 18 years of age and affirmed tour operator of the Focus Junior Summer Camps.

The School Camps provide innovative and complete educational offers focused on students and teachers, starting from in-class training to on-field experience at the camp and ending with the drafting of final summary in digital format.

The Focus system brands pursue their licensing development through this initiative, by further extending their educational offer to educational trips: real training, interdisciplinary and customised courses – using the tested STEAM approach – to spread knowledge on scientific and mathematical subjects with the help of other disciplines such as art, history and architecture.

Such activity, designed for primary and secondary school students, aims to stimulate and involve the youngest by exploiting knowledge and developing skills. Such project asserts the attention of the Focus, Focus Storia, Focus Junior and Focus Wild brands towards both the education of the youngest and highly topical issues, such as sustainability and inclusion.

In addition to being real learning workshops, the 2023/2024 School Camps allow children to live truly unforgettable experiences under the guidance of professionals.

• Focus, a leading brand of scientific information, provides a package of ideas specifically designed for secondary schools and studied around the most current educational topics, with particular interest and insight into the technical, scientific and technological fields.
• Focus Storia, a magazine dedicated to the most striking historical and cultural facts and great protagonists of the past and present, offers a special catalogue conceived for secondary schools and designed to revive those places in which traces of our history are still evident.
• Focus Junior, a point of reference in the kids’ segment, suggests experiences developed to introduce topics such as innovation, sustainability and inclusion to primary and secondary school students – through a multidisciplinary and transversal approach – always according to the needs and age of such young learners.
• Focus Wild, an intergenerational brand dedicated to the world of animals and nature, provides primary and secondary schools with a vast repertoire of experiences conceived to specifically attract the students’ attention towards the most current and urgent environmental issues, always in an engaging, fun and exciting way.

Verona, Milan, Genoa, Rome, Pompeii and Matera are just some of the destinations planned for the School Camps of Focus, Focus Storia, Focus Junior and Focus Wild. All destinations were selected by the Mondadori Group brand among the vast range of cruises and school trips suggested in Sunny Life’s catalogue.

The complete and updated catalogue will be available on the following link: http://focuscamp.it/.

Focus, the Mondadori Group brand that’s the leader in popular science, is on the newsstands this month with a special issue dedicated to the latest advances in cancer research.

An updated guide full of insights to let readers discover the latest innovations and therapies, including experimental and anti-cancer: from the analysis of DNA alterations to vaccines, from proton therapy to targeted treatments that are more customised and effective, as well as the tools and perspectives that Artificial Intelligence can offer in this field.

A report – created with the collaboration of specialists from the most important Italian universities and centres of excellence at the forefront of cancer research worldwide – which underlines the role of Focus as a leading magazine for an audience of readers and users who are passionate about the great scientific and technological issues, including in the field of medical information.
Thanks to a clear and direct style and a careful and dynamic look at everything that is innovation, the brand reaches an audience of 5.5 million readers and users and 3.6 million followers on social networks every month.

“What emerges today with increasing evidence from oncological research,” says Raffaele Leone, Director of Focus, “is the variety of treatments and therapeutic approaches”. Cancer is a disease that has always been with us, a ‘malignant natural error’ that is nevertheless facilitated by harmful habits (smoking being the most typical) and pollution in the surrounding environment. It is a cellular mutation that often has the ability to camouflage itself so as not to be intercepted and neutralised. Today we are able to invent increasingly customised and targeted cures against the various types of mutation, to unmask them and attack them”, concludes Leone.

In the new issue of Focus we will talk about projects with an international scope, such as Palm (Pediatric Acute Leukemia of Myeloid origin), but also Italian projects such as the Molecular Tumor Board, a national network to standardise procedures and create a network of consultancies throughout the country.

Through numerous fact sheets – which have also been created thanks to the contribution of scientists and experts – the most widely read monthly magazine in Italy sheds light on the importance of prevention through vaccines against Hepatitis B and HPV, and the possibility for smokers to get free lung scans with the aim of raising awareness and giving hope.

The creation of such a rich and in-depth report has been possible thanks to constant contact with research institutes, universities, hospitals and foundations, which Focus has always collaborated with to keep its readers informed and updated.

This issue made use of the valuable collaboration of:
IRCCS Istituto Clinico Humanitas [Humanitas Clinical Institute Research Hospital]
San Raffaele Hospital
National Cancer Institute
European Institute of Oncology
Umberto Veronesi Foundation
Airc Foundation
abmedica
RevoLuTion_Innovation in Cancer Care 

And it involved:
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University
Italian Association of Medical Oncology
Centro di riferimento oncologico (CRO) di°Aviano [Aviano Oncology Referral Centre]
Centro di Senologia del Policlinico San Martino di Genova [Centre for Senology of Hospital Policlinico San Martino of Genoa]
Oncohematology Clinic of Padua
MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston
Bambino Gesù Children’s Research Hospital
Italian Pulmonary Screening Network
Italian Society of Oncological Urology
University of Milan
University of Palermo
University of Turin
University of Melanoma, Oncological Immunotherapy and Innovative Therapies IRCCS INT-Pascale Foundation of Naples

Focus, the Gruppo Mondadori brand leader in scientific dissemination, is launching “Talks”, a new web and social media channel which, through direct interviews with scientists, researchers and science communicators, will talk about the innovations and transformations that will change the world in the next thirty years.

In this video library with original contents, available on Focus.it, Facebook and YouTube, Focus will give a voice to the most authoritative representatives of the scientific and academic community: well-known and respected speakers will share their views and vision on the future of science, technology, environment, medicine, nutrition, lifestyles and sustainability, in a variety of formats that range from presentations and debates to live events.

Challenges, progress and evolution will continue the story that the brand started with Focus Next 30, the series of special initiatives and in-depth talks that Focus launched to celebrate its 30^th anniversary in 2022. This journey can build on a strong and constantly increasing digital audience, with over 4.2 million fans on social media that add to the 5 million readers and users.

The Focus “Talks” will be inaugurated with 4 exclusive videos, premiering online:

Nanomedicine for challenging tumours
Marco Ferrari, an academic and entrepreneur, involved in studies on nanotechnologies applied to tumour therapy, will speak of his experience in academia and his research that focuses on the development of nanomedicines.

The motor of water
Giulio Boccaletti, one of the world’s most important experts in environmental safety and natural resources, will speak about water, sharing his experience at The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest environmental non-governmental organisation, where he directed programmes on this resource in over 70 countries and territories.

The first environmentalist
Paolo Colombo, professor of History of political institutions in the Faculty of Political sciences in the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore [university] in Milan, will talk in detail of Alexander Von Humboldt, a naturalist, explorer and scientist who, two centuries before anyone else, spoke of the dangers and consequences of man recklessly exploiting the natural environment.

Fantasy & Science Fiction
Two people will hold this talk, the fantasy writer Laura Troisi and Luca Perri, an astrophysicist working in the Merate Observatory and the Milan Planetarium, which has been dealing with science dissemination for more than ten years. In their talk, they will speak about how literature, fantasy and science seep into one another and mix.

The “Talks” format will be expanded by talks from scientists, astronauts, athletes, artists and experts from all over the world who took part in Focus Live. Every year, the unmissable Focus festival of science offers an audience of fans a thick programme of meetings, events and experiences, with the participation of well-known international figures. Available for the first time on demand, there will be talks by Telmo Pievani, Stefano Mancuso, Giampiero Accinelli, Barbara Mazzolai, Norma’s Teaching, Alberto Mantovani, Luca Parmitano, Bebe Vio, Oliviero Toscani, Tommaso Ghidini, Vittorio Sgarbi and many more.

This digital library of exclusive videos will be with the Focus community until the event’s next edition, which will be held from 4 to 6 November in the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan and streamed live.

Source: Nielsen Media Impact Data Fusion, October 2021
Source: Shareablee + Insight, January 2022

Focus, the Mondadori Group brand leader in spreading scientific knowledge, has completed its first 30 years and is looking to the future with Focus Next 30: a multi-touchpoint special project which will accompany readers and users throughout 2022, exploring key themes in science, technology and the environment and examining the innovations that will fuel development in these areas over the next 30 years, with contributions from distinguished international figures.

The initiative leverages the strength and the successful formula that have always characterised the brand.

Focus has been a household publication since 1992, satisfying people’s curiosity and desire for knowledge with an unmistakeable clear and direct style which, combined with contributions from scientists and specialists, has made the brand a go-to magazine for a community of 5.2 million readers and users (source: Nielsen Media Impact Data Fusion, May 2021).

In its 30 years, Focus has been a reliable source of information on science, technology, the environment, medicine, nutrition, lifestyles and sustainability, in print, on the web, on social media, through local events such as Focus Live, through Academy for schools, TV and podcasts: a complete multimedia information platform, making new discoveries accessible and exciting for an ever growing public, helping readers and users distinguish fake news, learn about history and make their way in the various branches of knowledge.

The great questions of yesterday, today and tomorrow will be at the heart of the Focus Next 30 special project: a year of events and discussions on all the brand channels to get ready for the changes coming in the next 30 years. The journey begins with the innovations recounted by Focus since it was first published and will move ahead – with the faces of tomorrow, chosen from the top names in the scientific community – to look at how our world will change.

“We want to give this 30th anniversary the meaning that any birthday can have: to change, grow and become even more what we already are. Out of interest, I leafed through the issues from the first year of Focus, 1992. Two things struck me straightaway: the same sense of eager curiosity we still have today and the incredible strides that have been made in science, technology and medicine in just thirty years. So, with each issue, you’ll find the format that came to mind. It will be a fascinating journey through the past, present and future, highlighting the extraordinary capabilities of scientific research, the speed of improvement, our aptitude for progress through intelligence and the human soul,” said Raffaele Leone, editor-in-chief of Focus.

Renewable energy, sustainability, medicine of the future, home automation, mobility, food, cybersecurity and much else: for each topic, every month Focus will turn to an international specialist, young talents from the worlds of science and information, who will share their vision with the brand community, offering a new perspective on the future.

In the latest issue of Italy’s most widely read monthly magazine, on the news-stands from 22 January, the cover story will look at digital medicine, intelligent apps that follow patients and the growing use of technology to link physicians and patients remotely. The magazine will also examine the volcanic eruptions forecast in the first issue from 1992, to discuss the future of this discipline.

Another important feature in the new issue will be fourth-generation nuclear energy, particularly of interest given the possibility that the European Union will include it as a sustainable source of energy. The nuclear question will be linked to a survey to investigate the opinions of Focus readers and users. The questionnaire will be available on the brand website and social profiles, which will also publish its findings.

The Focus Next 30 project will continue throughout 2022 on all the channels of the Focus system with a circular dynamic offer: in the magazine readers will find a theme-based dossier starting with an article published in 1992, the first year of Focus, to investigate the changes and developments that have taken place since them and the forecasts and expectations for the coming years.

On Focus.it, users will be able to look in detail at the themes covered by Focus Next 30 in a special section providing in-depth features and exclusive video-interviews on the theme for the month.
On social media, Focus Next 30 will offer a range of content designed to engage the brand’s 4 million fans (source: Shareablee e Insight, December 2021), with live content, posts, surveys, quizzes, as well as podcasts – where Focus currently has more than 2 million downloads – with the Focus Storia special documentary series “Focus Next 30, dal passato al futuro”.

The Focus Next 30 initiatives will culminate with the new edition of the Focus Live event, an important festival of knowledge hosting researchers, scientists, explorers, artists and communicators, with a packed schedule of meetings and activities. Starting in the spring, this year’s Focus Live, to be held in November, will be flanked by a series of live and digital events, including talks, meetings and round tables on the subjects covered by Focus Next 30.

Mondadori Media, Italy’s leading multimedia publisher with 55.5 million fans on social networks, has signed a partnership with Twitter to join the Twitter Amplify program, which allows the possibility to amplify and promote video contents on the platform, reaching an even wider audience.

The agreement involves the Twitter accounts of the Mondadori Media brands Giallozafferano, MyPersonalTrainer, TheWom, Smartworld, Focus, NostroFiglio and Studenti, which are real points of reference in vertical segments linked to the passions of Italians – from cooking to wellness, from technology to science and training – with 1.6 million followers overall.

The partnership highlights the strength of Mondadori Media, chosen as an important partner to get in touch with valuable audiences through innovative content, relying on consolidated know-how in the production of videos for social media: an area in which Mondadori Media has already strong experience and leadership, thanks to an internal team dedicated to the co-production of editorial content with partner brands and successful special projects.

Thanks to this agreement, Mondadori Media and Twitter will offer partner companies the possibility of inserting pre-roll advertising videos, before the contents published by the Mondadori Media brands.

Mondadori Media will further expand the development of branded content social projects and initiatives on Twitter. This will extend the opportunities for companies and investors interested in reaching new audiences based on their needs and in an authoritative, transparent and highly interactive context thanks to the involvement of the Mondadori Media brand communities, making advertising communication ever more effective.

Surrender to the suggestive biodiversity of the sea and the secrets of its extraordinary ecosystem through the language of illusion. Until 31 January 2022, the University of Milano-Bicocca is hosting “IllusiOcean™”, an exhibition conceived and coordinated by Paolo Galli, professor of ecology at the university, and created in collaboration with Mondadori Media and the National Museum of Cinema in Turin.

The aims of the exhibition dedicated to the sea include raising awareness – among civil society, schools of all levels, the academic world and the scientific community – of the importance of achieving the sustainable development objectives for oceanic sciences set by the United Nations for the decade (2021-2030) of oceanic sciences, in particular Goal 14: to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

The exhibition is an interactive experience divided into three thematic areas.

The first area consists of four rooms and two corners, each examining an aspect of the sea: from the biodiversity of tropical marine ecosystems to the problem of plastic pollution.

The exhibition path begins with a corner dedicated to “Virtual Reality” where, thanks to 3D viewers, visitors can explore the wonders of the world’s coral reefs and discover the process of coral restoration. It is also possible to simulate the sensory experience of an underwater geyser and enjoy an special natural spectacle.

In the “Sottomarino delle illusioni” (Submarine of Illusions) visitors can dive into the depths of the Maldives, an archipelago that hosts some of the world’s largest coral reefs: an area of over 4500 km² of extraordinary biodiversity and nearly 300 different species of coral. In this room, visitors will have the opportunity to get to know the marine organisms that shelter here. But to do this, they will have to sharpen their senses: walking from one side of the space to the other, where they will see the figures shrink or enlarge and algae and fish that transform into strange shapes.

The “Stanza degli specchi” (Room of Mirrors) places us among schools of jellyfish, fascinating marine animals that are found in seas around the world, where they float, driven by currents. And among the luminous umbrellas of these creatures, we can also see traces of the all-too-human threat called pollution.

This room was designed with the support of master glassmaker Fabio Fornasier from Murano, who created glass jellyfish using the traditional manual method and reproduced – also in glass – some of the many plastic objects that infest our seas.

The room “Mare sotto i Riflettori, il cinema racconta gli oceani” (The Sea in the Spotlight, the cinema and the oceans) is the result of collaboration with the National Museum of Cinema in Turin. This section offers a new interactive experience with all the magic of underwater filming, with clips, objects and unique curiosities. “The relationship between man and then sea has always been one of the recurring themes in the history of cinema,” said Domenico De Gaetano, director of the National Museum of Cinema, “our fascination with the underwater world lends itself well to illusions and special effects and we are delighted with this prestigious collaboration, which allows us to show another fascinating side of the Seventh Art.”

The sea is a treasure chest containing many different species of animals and plants: some are easy to spot, others hide and blend in. To recognise them, you need an expert eye, patience and a lot of attention. In the “Labirinto dei segreti marini” (Labyrinth of marine secrets) children from three to five years old can have a lot of fun looking for them and getting lost among the walls of this special room

The second corner, “Messaggio in Bottiglia” (Message in a Bottle), takes us back in time, to when letters were placed in glass bottles and thrown into the sea letting the currents carry them ashore. Fortunately, today we no longer need to throw a message into the ocean to communicate with the world: but through the “ocean that is the web”, visitors can launch their own message of hope to be launched on social networks using a virtual glass bottle.

The second area of the exhibition features 30 giant photographs, taken by some of the greatest experts in underwater photography – including Massimo Boyer – and depicting the evocative illusions created by nature that make our oceans so spectacular: the mimicry of some species of fish, for example, or the phenomenon that generates the effect of underwater waterfalls in Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean.

The third block is dedicated to the work done by high -chool students from the Vittorio Veneto and Luigi Cremona scientific high schools in Milan and the Emilio Sereni Agricultural Technical Institute in Rome. In recent months, around 500 students participated in the “Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e per l’Orientamento” (Paths towards Crossover Skills and Orientation) by designing and creating parts of the exhibition: reconstructions of models of the seabed, scientific games, illustrative posters, drawings and audio guides for visitors.

“With IllusiOcean the Milano-Bicocca University takes another important step towards restarting after the pandemic, inviting schools, families and citizens to discover an exhibition dedicated to the sea. We are delighted to inaugurate this exhibition which, thanks to the language of illusions, is not only great fun, but also encourages us to reflect on one of the priorities set by the UN 2030 Agenda: the protection of the health of the sea. It’s a challenge in which our researchers are engaged every day in the study of sustainable development solutions for the protection of the marine ecosystem,” said Deputy Rector, Marco Orlandi.

The exhibition is free and open to the public every Friday from 11am to 6pm and on Saturdays, twice a month, at the same times, at the Galleria della scienza (Buildings U1/U2, 1^st floor, Piazza della Scienza, Milan).

Entrance is by reservation only and you can book on the  illusiocean.it website and present your green pass (vaccination passport) at the door.

In addition, every Tuesday and Thursday morning, from 8am to 10am or from 11am to 1pm, by writing to illusiocean@unimib.it, you can book guided tours for schools.

Thanks to collaboration with Mondadori Media, from the end of October the “IllusiOcean™” exhibition will also be available online, exclusively on the website of Focus, Italy’s most widely read monthly, a reference point for fans and enthusiasts of technology, science, nature, medicine and innovation. By accessing the dedicated section of Focus.it., users can navigate in immersive mode inside the rooms of illusions and discover, in a virtual journey, many curiosities about the sea and its inhabitants.

“The Milano-Bicocca University exhibition organised by Professor Paolo Galli on the optical illusions and the sea is original, stimulating and fun. Three adjectives that have always been part of the DNA of Focus and it was therefore natural for us to offer our partnership to IllusiOcean.  A partnership that, in addition to narrating and describing the exhibition, allows people to visit the exhibition also virtually on Focus.it,” said the editor of Focus, Raffaele Leone. “It is original because it is the result of an original and creative idea; stimulating because it wants to encourage us to reflect on the wonders of the sea and the need to preserve them; fun because it communicates playfully with the special effects of optical illusions. How could Focus not be there?”

And the experience with “IllusiOcean™” is not limited to the exhibition. Throughout the exhibition period, a rich programme of initiatives promoted by Focus and Focus Junior, the magazine that is a point of reference for kids, has been planned to raise the awareness of readers, teachers and students about the marine world and explore the issues raised by the initiative. Starting from the issue of Focus on newsstands this month, which is entirely dedicated to the importance of water: from the cycle of the sea, the planet’s real liquid engine, to the life of the cetaceans that populate the waters of our peninsula, to the story of the coral clinic in the Maldives, with lots of other special unmissable content.

Every week, on focusjunior.it and the magazine’s social media channels, young people can also find insights and curiosities on the issues raised by the exhibition, but not only. In fact, they can also share photos, articles, ideas and suggestions for looking after the seas and oceans with the editorial team, using the email address focusjunior@focusjunior.it: and the most original content will be published both online and in the magazine. “Children, and young people in general, are worried about climate change and the future of the planet: so, as always, Focus Junior gives voice to their thoughts and ideas,” said Sarah Pozzoli, the editor of Focus Junior.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Società italiana di Ecologia (Italian Society of Ecology) – (S.It.E), the Lombardy Region and the City of Milan.

Focus, the Mondadori Group brand, leader in the popular science segment, once again confirms its role as a point of reference for all enthusiasts about issues related to science, technology and nature, and introduces an even richer offer. 

With over 3.1 million readers every month (Source: Audipress, 2021/I), the magazine edited by Raffaele Leone underlines its position as Italy’s most widely read monthly thanks to a successful formula which has always managed to combine authoritative contributions from internationally renowned scientists and experts, with an unmistakable style that is both clear and direct and able to reach an increasingly large audience.

Every day Focus makes the most recent discoveries accessible and engaging, helps readers to navigate around fake news and broaden awareness and understanding of the evolution of the most recent discoveries through a multimedia system that includes the magazine and the web, special events such as Focus Live, as well as podcasts and social media, where its numbers continue to grow. The brand’s community currently has more than 3.2 million fans (Source: Shareablee and Insight, June 2021), an increase of 17% compared with 2020 thanks to a rich schedule of engaging and instructive content, reaching a peak organic reach of over 1 million per post.

Plus, it is going to be a summer of new features for Focus, that is enhancing its offer with special content and new editorial initiatives.

Starting with the magazine, which will be on newsstands in July and August with two double issues: both of which will, exceptionally, add to the features and columns of Focus 40 pages of Focus Domande & Risposte, (Questions & Answers) to satisfy the curiosity of everyone and provide answers to the most incredible and interesting facts: from the animal world to technology, and from history to health, as well as food, sport and economics.

And, for the first time, Focus will bring to newsstands the “Focus Guides”, two exclusive collectors’ volumes to explore and admire the 101 UNESCO Heritage Sites, available from 30 July. The first volume “Paesaggi e natura” (Landscapes and Nature) features an account of the most beautiful and suggestive sites in every country, from the Great Wall in China to the Galapagos Islands, and the extraordinary Italian villages of the Cinque Terre. The second volume “Arte e civiltà” (Art and Civilisation) will be a journey of discovery of the world’s cultures and the symbolic sites of history.

The launch of these initiatives will be enhanced by an advertising campaign conceived to amplify the new features among the target audience, and planed across various media, from the magazines and newspapers, as well as radio, social media and TV.

These activities also confirm Focus as a dynamic brand that is always careful to satisfy the needs of a highly curious and interested public looking to discover and understand the world through the lens of science.

Focus and Focus Junior, the Mondadori Group brands, leaders in the popular science segment, are the media partners of “IllusiOcean™”, an exhibition developed by the Milano-Bicocca University, in collaboration with the National Museum of Cinema in Turin, dedicated to the wonders of the sea.

This initiative will enable Focus – Italy’s most widely read magazine, with a total audience of 6.4 million readers and users and a multimedia communication system that includes the web, a TV channel, social media and events – to strengthen its commitment to safeguarding the planet, through the promotion of the sustainable development goals of the UN Agenda 2030 aimed at readers, students and teachers that will continue throughout the year.

The exhibition has been conceived with the aim of raising public awareness of the marine environment and its creatures, using the fascinating world of illusions capable of altering our perception of reality in a fun and surprising way.

This itinerant project, that will start on 1 October in Milan and have a digital life, thanks to an exclusive collaboration with Focus that will offer users the opportunity to visit the exhibition on its website: with an immersive experience that users will be able to navigate within “rooms of illusions” and discover a range of curiosities about the sea and its inhabitants.

Constantly in support of exclusive events related to the world of science, the Mondadori Group’s contribution to the sector revolve around Focus, Focus Junior, Focus Pico and Focus Scuola will also accompany readers in the coming months and throughout the entire period of the exhibition with a rich programme of initiatives: insights, digital workshops, webinars and special content from the magazines, on social media and the web.

“When I met Professor Paolo Galli from the Bicocca University he told me about the exhibition he had in mind, and I immediately proposed a partnership with Focus,” explained Raffaele Leone, editor of the popular science magazine, leader in the sector. “The sea and its protection, the professor’s special subjects, are familiar topics for us at Focus. Optical illusions are also a form of magic that has always fascinated us and, coincidentally, when I met Galli we had a cover that was hitting newsstands precisely on optical illusions. From that happy alignment of the stars, the exhibition could not but be a joint endeavour. The partnership is part of a wider project of rooting Focus in the territory to make it a publishing phenomenon that, starting from the printed edition, becomes increasingly multifaceted. This initiative with the University Bicocca is a perfect example.”

FOCUS: SPECIAL ISSUE, WEBINARS AND ACADEMY

To coincide with the opening of the exhibition Focus, in collaboration with the Bicocca University, will dedicate a large in-depth special to “Life underwater” in the issue on newsstands from 21 September.

Objective 14 will be a topic on which high school students will also compete in a series of meetings organised in the autumn by Focus Academy, a Focus project which aims to attract children to science and history through online educational activities, in line with the school-work alternation aims defined by the PCTO convention.

In addition, the magazine will organise a special webinar designed especially for students but open to all readers, dedicated to Objective 14 of the 2030 Agenda which focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

FOCUS JUNIOR ACADEMY EVENTS

Already this month we will start from the events of the Focus Junior Academy, the Focus Junior didactic workshop for primary and lower secondary school children. The May events, which are already fully booked, are dedicated to enabling students to discover the fantastic world of corals and how to protect them: three days of lessons during which the classes will build, together with journalists, an in-depth feature that will be published in the magazine and on the web from 21 June.

Another event for Focus Junior readers will take place in July with a feature made with fascinating and surprising images of underwater illusions.

“Our young readers are very attracted to the underwater world and the life of marine species,” said Sarah Pozzoli, editor of Focus Junior. In addition, for some years they have been increasingly interested in issues related to the wellbeing of the planet. The exhibition perfectly combines these two aspects: curiosity and environmental protection.”

FOCUS SCUOLA E AND FOCUS PICO INITIATIVES

There will also be a series of special initiatives for teachers: a webinar organised by Focus Scuola, the magazine that provides support to teachers of primary and secondary schools with advice on teaching and materials. An event to explore the issues related to the UN Agenda with proposals for workshops and innovative activities to involve students on the subject of illusions.

There will also be space to discover the wonders of the sea even for younger children: Focus Pico, the monthly magazine designed for children between the ages of 3 and 6, will propose, in the July issue, games, stickers, a science poster on the fish that live in coral reefs and a special illustrated history of the world of the sea, created in collaboration with the children and teachers of the Bicocca University Children’s School.

Focus is Italy’s most widely read magazine, with a total audience of 6.4 million readers and users (Source: Nielsen media impact data fusion, November 2020). It is increasingly appreciated and engaging on social media, where it has a growing audience of over 3.2 million followers (Source: Shareablee, April 2021). The magazine is at the centre of a multimedia ecosystem that includes the web, a TV channel, social media and events: a distinctive reference point for highly topical issues, from science to technology to nature, thanks to the contribution of authoritative voices of international renown. and an approach that is always fresh and rigorous.

Focus Junior is a reference point in the world of kids, with an average monthly circulation of over 88,000 copies (Source: Ads, January 2021), 589,000 unique users per month on the site (Source: Audiweb, January 2021) and a social community of 142,000 fans (source: Shareablee, April 2021).
Mondadori Group

For over 110 years, the mission of the Mondadori Group has been to promote the dissemination of culture and ideas, ensuring a quality offer of entertainment to the widest possible audience. Leader in the book market and the number one Italian multimedia publisher, Mondadori has embarked on a path of social responsibility that also includes the promotion, across all its channels, of quality content that rewards sustainability, plurality of thought, diversity and inclusion, with an approach that is constantly focused on innovation.
Mondadori’s commitment is reflected in a series of activities in support of the communities in which the Group operates: from the promotion of reading and education to training and social and health care.
The Group has also adopted a plan of initiatives aimed at reducing the environmental impact of its offices and bookstores, which has resulted in a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and led to an increase in the use of certified paper for the production of books and magazines.

Focus, the Mondadori Group brand, leader in popular science and a point of reference for science and current affairs, is launching new initiatives for students, teachers and users in 2021.

Next month sees the launch of Focus Academy, a new project by Focus and Focus Storia aimed at attracting kids from second level high schools to science and history with online training activities, in line with the alternating school/work programmes outlined in the relevant convention.

At the heart of this year’s programme are the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030, a 360° awareness building plan that will involve the magazine, with special detailed coverage, the web, with the multimedia content of Focus.it, and, from February, a series of monthly webinars open to all with scientists and experts, to stimulate debate and develop awareness among the young about the actions necessary for our future and based around six issues identified by the editorial team: the risks to biodiversity; health; discrepancies in the distribution of energy; more sustainable cities; food for all; the risks to oceans; climate change.

“For Focus adopting the UN goals is only natural, given that they are about saving our planet, scientific and technological development, and the quality of human life,” explained Raffaele Leone, editor of Focus and Focus Storia. “The issues we have selected are part of the magazine’s DNA given our long-standing support for environmental sustainability, medical and technological research and the protection of biodiversity. That all of this coincides with the launch of the Academy is an added value. Kids are extremely aware of these issues. Indeed, they are an authentic driving force for governments and research. They expect that we adults commit to reducing our environmental impact and outline new ways of pursuing these aims. To discuss these issues with them will provide an added stimulus also for us.”

The classes that enrol at the Academy will connect once a week, for four weeks, with the editorial teams of Focus and Focus Storia, to experience, live, the creation of a popular science and history magazine. The students will be actively involved and will have the opportunity to try writing articles or conducting interviews that will then be selected by the team for eventual publication in subsequent issues of Focus.

Also Focus Junior, the brand for children between the ages of 8 and 12 who want to have fun discovering the world in a new and intelligent way, has adopted the UN Agenda by proposing for the Focus Junior Academy digital workshops dedicated to eight of the 2030 goals: health and wellbeing; quality education; clean and accessible energy; industry, innovation and infrastructure; sustainable cities and communities; underwater life; life on earth; and the partnership for goals.

The project, now in its third year, is designed to provide additional tools to assist the syllabus of primary and middle schools, in line also with recent directives which from this year include inter-disciplinary civic education. During the encounters, pupils will work in class on a detailed multimedia journalistic project with the editorial team that will be published on the Focus Junior web site and magazine. The January, February and March appointments of the Focus Junior Academy are already fully booked, with the participation of more than 150 pupils for each workshop.

Finally, for teachers, a series of webinars and monographs have been put together by Focus Scuola, the monthly magazine that supports primary and middle school teachers with the best teaching advice and suggestions to look more closely at the issues related to the UN Agenda 2030 and innovative teaching practices, though ideas, and best practice from experts in the sector.

“In this period of great uncertainty and social upheaval, Focus Junior has decided to reinforce its role in support of children and early teens in an effort to accompany them in their progress towards being future citizens,” said Sarah Pozzoli, editor of Focus Junior and Focus Scuola. “Our objective has become that of trying to ensure that education goes beyond knowledge and skills and is a method for creating a new forma mentis in order to imagine a more sustainable world, that is also more peaceful and free of social, gender and racial discrimination, in line with the guidelines of the UN’s Agenda 2030. And we will do this in our usual style and learning-by-doing approach, while stimulating curiosity and a sense of irony.”

This is how the Focus system is further reinforcing its offer in the education sector: from collaboration with institutions and companies, to school-based projects involving students, families, schools and teachers, and successfully developing activities and events that speak directly to the protagonists of the world of education thanks to an innovative and engaging didactic vision.
Focus is Italy’s most widely read magazine, with a total audience of 7 million readers and users (Source: Nielsen media impact data fusion, April 2020) and 2.9 million followers on social media channels (Source: Shareablee, November 2020).
Focus Junior is a point of reference in the world of kids, with an average monthly circulation of 100,000 copies (Source: Ads, Jan-Sep 2020), 589,000 unique users per month on its web site (Source: Audiweb, Jan-Oct 2020) and a community of 140,000 fans on social media (Source: Shareablee, November 2020).

For information and enrolments:

https://www.focus.it/education/academy/focus-academy-n

https://www.focusjunior.it/progetti-scuola-primaria/focus-junior-academy-scuola-di-giornalismo-con-focus-junior/

What will the world be like in 10 years? “How do we want to live in 2029”? This is the theme of the 2019 edition of Focus Live, the popular science festival of the magazine Focus, which, from 21 to 24 November brings to a conclusion at the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, an extraordinary journey that has taken in the most fascinating and decisive issues for the future of mankind and the planet, and discussed the great challenges the humanity must face and the tools it needs to win.

Over 15,000 visitors (of which over 1,800 students), 117 laboratories for children and adults, 182 speakers on the main stage and in speakers’ corners, 44 interactive and multimedia installations: these are the numbers of Focus Live’s debut in Milan last years, with great public success for the event and the digital content. This year over 11,000 people have already taken part in the first two stages, held, respectively, on 1 – 2 June at the Porto Antico in Genoa, and on 18, 19 and 20 October in Trento at MUSE, Museo delle Scienze.

At the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci the discussion will focus on the environment, climate, ecosystems, but also on genetics, artificial intelligence, migration, space travel, robots and much more. A great celebration of science, open to everyone, where adults and children can let themselves be amazed by installations and scientific experiments, take part in interactive laboratories and get their hands on the most advanced technologies, as well as meeting some of the biggest experts and scholars in a range of disciplines and personalities well-known to the public. Leading international experts will be the protagonists of unique encounters that will outline the state-of-the art of recent discoveries in a manner tat is accessible for the general public, as well as for fans and enthusiasts. They include the plant neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso, the physicist and popular scientist Guido Emilio Tonelli, the climatologist Luca Mercalli, the diver Umberto Pellizzari, the scientific YouTubers Adrian Fartade and Luca Perri and many more.

In line with the style of Focus, a Mondadori Group brand, science comes to life in unusual and fascinating ways. From “space conquests” with astronaut Umberto Guidoni to some of the most surreal scenarios with laughs and semi-serious reflections with Saverio Raimondo, but also an ability to distinguish the true from the false, between information and propaganda with Selvaggia Lucarelli, the role of the youngest generations with Sofia Viscardi and with the TikToker with more than 2.5 million followers Rosalba Andolfi, the economic outlook that we can expect with Carlo Cottarelli, or the secret life of a rebellious genius like Leonardo Da Vinci together with Massimo Polidoro and the future of music with Saturnino.

And you can even take “a walk” on Mars with 3D visors, and without gravity, or experience the sensation of surviving in high water, watch the robot surgeon “Da Vinci” at work (able, for example, to peel a grape and then sew it back on perfectly), create a perfect avatar of oneself to interact with a virtual world, for example, trying on clothes online, testing your skills on an incredibly realistic driving or flight simulator, experience the sensation – using a special visor – of living with reduced senses in order to understand the difficulties of people with hearing or sight impairments, discover the kitchen of the future, cooking with artificial intelligence and the infinite number of recipes of GialloZafferano, in the company of the starred chef Alessandro Negrini and his interactive showcooking with Alexa and Google Home.

And there are protagonists also for the little ones, with the kids’ area laboratories to try interacting with robots, discover the wonders of water, virtually re-live the moon landing experience and play with the Science show of the scientific apprentice Giuseppe Spitaleri and the crew from the House of Talent.

Everything will be useful in attempting to answer the greatest question of them all: will we be able to deal with the emergencies facing the planet? The most important of which are the climate and the environment, demography and migration, and the fourth industrial revolution: the enormous climatic changes that are transforming the world we have always known forever; the aging populations of parts of the world and the increase in the inhabitants of others, with the associated imbalances and social tensions; the widespread use of artificial intelligence systems, with the potential to disrupt the job market and, if not managed well, risk concentrating wealth even more in the hands of the few, and increasing inequality between populations.

For tickets and a complete programme, please go to: www.focuslive.it

Opening times:

Thursday 21 November 9:30-18.00

Friday 22 November 9:30-19.00

Saturday 23 November 9.30-21.00

Sunday 24 November 9:30-19.00

Focus is Italy’s most widely read magazine, with 5.8 million readers and digital users (Source: NIELSEN MEDIA IMPACT DATA FUSION audipress 2019.1e audiweb 2.0 Feb 19), and 2 million fans on social networks.

Focus Live has been developed with the patronage of: Agenzia spaziale Italiana ASI, Agenziale Spaziale Europea ESA, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche CNR, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia IIT, Enea, Inaf, Virtual Space Systems.

The organisation of Focus Live has been made possible thanks to the support of:

Main Partners: ab medica, Essilor, IBM

Partners: Aiteca, Celgene, Commissione Europea, e-distribuzione, Gilead, Grimaldi Group, Novartis, Oppo, Osservatorio Terapie Avanzate, Pfizer, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pegaso, Roche, Toyota

In collaboration with: Opera San Francesco

Partner Area Focus Junior: Candia

Supporter: Università San Raffaele

Charity Partner: Lega del Filo d’Oro

Media Partner: Focus, Mediaset, Focus Junior, Meteo.it, Smartworld

Radio Ufficiale: Radio Monte Carlo

In collaboration with Istituto Oikos