Project includes after-school programs, personalized support

(MissionNewswire) Salesians for Social in Italy is operating “School’s Out for Everyone!”, a national project supported by the CDP Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is part of the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Group. The project is part of the foundation’s “At School for the Future – United to combat early school leaving” initiative and is being operated in Venaria Reale, on the outskirts of Turin, Italy.

The project was created to tackle the issue of school dropout and early school leaving by integrating schools and the local community into an educational partnership capable of offering free and inclusive services. It involves 550 students between the ages of 12-18 from 14 schools in five Italian cities. The project promotes educational success through after-school programs, educational activities, skills development, guidance and personalized support.

A representative from Salesians for Social said, “The heart of the project is to combat early school leaving. That is first and foremost to build and foster healthy relationships, where every young person, supported by adults, can be at the center of an educational community, free to be themselves, discovering their talents with creativity and joy.”

In Venaria, the program is being implemented through maker labs and the family laboratory. The cooking and robotics maker labs are run in collaboration with the Don Milani comprehensive schools and are inspired by the science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) disciplines. The labs are based on the learning by doing methodology and create spaces for practical experimentation where youth can gain firsthand experience.

In the cooking maker lab, students prepare recipes, manage organizing the work, divide up tasks and collaborate within the group. Through a practical and engaging activity, they develop responsibility, independence and transferable skills, applying the knowledge learn at school in a practical way.

In the robotics maker lab, youth explore the basics of educational robotics using Lego Spike kits. They build and program small devices, experimenting with coding, practicing problem solving and stimulating creativity and critical thinking.

“The workshops are becoming a space where young people feel capable and valued,” said a project coordinator.

In addition, a family laboratory has been launched at the Salesian St. Francis of Assisi Oratory. The first meeting, entitled “The Educational Relationship: Being Present, Listening and Accompanying”, brought together families, youth, educators and local workers for an afternoon of inter-generational dialogue.

Following an initial presentation of the program, youth and their families worked in parallel groups on the key themes of the session. The adults, through a symbolic activity that visualized the network of relationships to be built, reflected on the meaning of being present and the importance of an educational presence that supports without taking over.

Youth watched the short film “The Child, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”, which provided the starting point for discussing themes such as feeling loved, kindness, the courage to ask for help and the need to be accepted by being themselves.

A Salesian noted, “The feedback session brought adults and youth together in a genuine exchange of listening, giving voice to the experiences, expectations and needs of the younger generation. The meeting concluded with a snack prepared by the youth from the cooking maker lab, a tangible sign of a project that weaves together learning, relationships and community.”

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Italy – “Maker Lab” and “LabOratorio in Famiglia” to tackle early school leaving and promote intergenerational dialogue

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy