September marks the return to the desks and, while 84% of students consider school important for their future (61% indicate ‘very’) and more than half say they would like to go, almost 1 in 4 disagree, and 14% happen - very or fairly - to think it would be better to interrupt their studies; while a further 15% are not fully convinced of continuing them, making a total of 3 out of 10 students weakly attached to school, while 1 in 4 feels very or fairly strongly that they are excluded from the activities offered at school.
This is the picture taken by the survey conducted by Salesians for the Social to investigate the students' experience and strengthen the tools for providing greater support to those experiencing situations of hardship.
The commitment of the Salesians for Social network is aimed at offering concrete help to foster students' involvement and wellbeing and to fight school drop-out, which - although decreasing - is still higher than the EU average (9.5%) and still far from the target of less than 9% set by the EU for 2030.
‘At a time marked by growing inequalities and educational poverty, schools must be much more than a place of learning: they must become a garrison of inclusion and social justice,’ says Fr Francesco Preite, National President of Salesians for Social. We strive every day not to leave any child behind, rekindling motivation to study, offering authentic listening, concrete experiences and the constant presence of educators. In synergy with families and schools, we build educational contexts based on trust, acceptance and accompaniment. Following Don Bosco's preventive system, we support the most fragile so that they can develop their potential and build, through education, a dignified future".
THE SALESIANS' COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL WORK
To date, there are about 2,000 beneficiaries of Salesian projects for the social, which involve 160 educators distributed in various regions of Italy (Piedmont, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Lazio, Campania, Puglia, Calabria, Sicily). The aim is to respond effectively and innovatively to the educational needs of minors and their families, such as - for example - the ‘Scuola Libera tutti’ project, which, thanks to the support of the CDP Foundation, involves 550 students from 14 at-risk schools in five Italian cities (Rome, Cisternino, Palermo, Turin and Macerata), focusing on after-school and leisure activities.
Among the most important projects of Salesians forSocial is ‘Vicini di banco’, financed by the Intesa San Paolo Charity Fund and implemented with the aim of combating educational poverty in the most fragile contexts. It has involved over 500 minors between the ages of 9 and 14 in five areas of high educational complexity: La Spezia, Casale Monferrato, Piedimonte Matese, Soverato and Modica. Through experiential workshops, after-school courses, educational accompaniment to families and the participatory construction of Community Educational Pacts, the project has forged solid educational alliances between schools, the territory and families.
The numbers tell a story of hope and the future: 200 children have improved cognitive, relational and motivational skills; 40 children have returned to school after dropping out; dozens of families have been actively involved in their children's education.
It is thanks to everyone's precious support that the Salesians for Social Network can continue to offer welcome, support and dignity to young people and people in difficulty.
Read more: https://www.salesianiperilsociale.it/
