Science always wins. It’s confirmed by the extraordinary example provided by researchers around the world, working on the development of the Covid vaccines that will soon return us to freedom. And scientific progress is advancing in many different therapeutic areas, markedly improving the quality of life of millions of patients affected by pathologies, which, until recently, were fatal.
It’s with this awareness and the will to promote these messages of hope that the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and Janssen Italia, the pharmaceutical company of Johnson & Johnson, are collaborating on a new edition of Factor J to increase the trust of the new generations in the progress of science, raise awareness on the importance of correct scientific information and promote responsible behaviour for personal and universal wellbeing and health.
CONTEXT
Young men and women trust policy makers, scientists, and doctors, notwithstanding their dissatisfaction with the management of communications during the pandemic, which was perceived as confused. This is what emerges from the survey conducted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, with the support of the Department of Political Economy and Statistics at the University of Siena, on 4000 students (aged 14-19) participating in the first edition. Greater clarity and listening were requested by 78% of the students, who believe that in order to overcome the health emergency, the priority is research for the development of new vaccines and drugs (81%), sensible political measures (53%) and correct communication (30%).
OBJECTIVES
- Increase the trust of the new generations in the progress of science
- Raise the awareness of youth on correct scientific information
- Promote the role that medical research and scientific progress have played in the history of humanity
- Educate youth to develop their emotional intelligence and respect uniqueness and diversity
- Improve adolescents’ attention to prevention and health
- Create and animate a multi-sector network of excellence on health (with associations, institutions, schools, media, and local communities).
ACTIVITIES
- On-line training for 10,000 students in second-degree secondary school through meetings with patient associations and Janssen employees in several therapeutic areas: oncology, haematology, immunology, infectious diseases, pulmonary hypertension, and neuroscience.
- “Science Fact Checking” Lab: brief challenges to allow the students to verify scientific news.
- Selection of 20 young ambassadors for peer education and the definition of a collaboratively produced “Health Manifesto.”
- Information and communication campaign to reach 100,000 young men and women in Italy.
NETWORK
Associazione Italiana contro Leucemie, Linfomi e Mieloma (Ail), Associazione Ipertensione Polmonare Italiana Onlus (Aipi), Associazione Malati Reumatici del Piemonte (AMaR), Associazione Nazionale per le Malattie Infiammatorie Croniche dell'Intestino (Amici onlus), Associazione Nazionale Amici per la Pelle (Anap onlus), Associazione Psoriasici Italiani Amici della Fondazione Corazza (Apiafco), Network Persone Sieropositive (Nps Italia onlus), Progetto Itaca onlus; Fondazione Near, Salutequità; Walce onlus.
Scientific Partner: Rome Campus Bio-Medico University
Media partner: Fanpage
Sponsors: Società Italiana di Igiene Medicina Preventiva e Sanità Pubblica (SItI), VaccinarSì and Società Italiana Farmacologia (SIF).
www.fattorej.org | #FattoreJSalute
