The goals

Mani Tese renews its commitment against educational poverty in Italy with an ambitious program targeting children and youth, from primary to secondary schools, with the goal of breaking down barriers to access to quality education. The 2024 edition of the Christmas campaign “Much more than a gift package!” – which, not surprisingly, also sees the involvement of many students in school-to-work alternation projects – is part of the activities that Mani Tese has been carrying out for years to promote social justice and inclusion, putting the fight against educational inequality at the center of its action.

The funds raised through the “Much more than a gift package!” campaign will go toward the implementation of Mani Tese’s ambitious program, which will take the form of educational pathways for students that are engaging, stimulating, and able to promote a passion for culture and learning, with the specific goal of helping to reduce the dropout rate among young people between the ages of 11 and 14.

Through a careful monitoring plan, moreover, the improvement in attendance and the decrease in the number of dropouts, the acquisition and application of new teaching methodologies, the increase in the active participation of families and the improvement in collaboration between schools and territories will be evaluated in the schools involved. Also at the center of the project is raising students’ awareness of environmental sustainability and circular economy issues to combat climate change and encourage waste reduction.

The activities

The program includes a series of nationwide interventions, involving more than 20 schools in seven Italian regions (Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Sicily and Piedmont) and local associations linked to Mani Tese, which will carry out the interventions on the ground.

Activities include:

• “ORIENTAcTION” paths aimed at providing students with skills and knowledge to consciously plan their future educational paths
• Dedicated reading paths for middle school students with proposed reading groups, guided discussions and meetings with writers
• Establishment of a school support desk in each territory, ensuring the presence of experts, such as school psychologists, in schools to provide ongoing and targeted support to students
• Theoretical and practical training courses for teachers, with the aim of providing methodological solutions peculiar to Non Formal Education in teaching and their work in the classroom
• “Action Research” pathways to increase students’ self-awareness and empowerment.
• Introductory workshops on climate crisis and circular economy, taught by experts during which students will learn about global environmental challenges and the importance of reducing waste through reuse and recycling
• Establishment of “Book Sharing Day,” with the aim of encouraging the exchange and reuse of books among students, reducing waste and raising awareness of the value of reuse. A “Book Sharing” day will therefore be established in the schools involved, where students can bring in used books (school and non-school) and exchange them with classmates
• Pathways for “Rethinking Educational Spaces” through participatory planning with classrooms to experiment with new ideas and implement a plan for the use of school spaces as informal gathering places
• Parent Mentoring to promote communication between families and schools and create a place of mutual support to deal with educational difficulties through out-of-school recreational times.
• Implementation of 7 summer camps to prevent learning loss during the summer period and foster students’ social interaction
• Organizing a literary contest with the purpose of stimulating creativity, reading and writing, and encouraging collaboration among students.

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