Tackling educational deprivation: support centres in 22 Italian schools

The social support helpdesks have been up and running again since September in the lower secondary schools taking part in “Compiti@casa”, the project that brings together schools, universities and third-sector organisations to tackle child educational poverty. This year, the service covers 22 schools in Piedmont, Lazio, Campania and Sicily, with the addition of two new schools, one in Naples and the other in the province of Ragusa. The helpdesks, which are open once a week, offer support to teachers and families with matters relating to school life and facilitate contact with local services, with a particular focus on pupils from migrant backgrounds and their parents.

Over the coming weeks, the four partner universities will publish calls for applications to select 280 tutors, who will support over 500 students with poor academic performance or limited participation in university life via a specially developed digital platform. Online tutoring complements the work of the student support centres, providing individualised support to help students overcome difficulties with their studies.

Conceived in 2020 by the De Agostini Foundation and the University of Turin, “Compiti@casa” is currently in its third year of the 2024–2027 programme, funded by Con i Bambini, the De Agostini Foundation, the Alberto and Franca Riva Foundation, the UniCredit Foundation and the Fondazione Comunità Novarese. Coordination is handled by the Parsec social cooperative in Rome, supported by Raggio Verde in Novara, Traparentesi in Naples and the I Tetti Colorati association in Ragusa. The collaboration also involves schools and four universities: the University of Turin, which is responsible for the scientific aspects, Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Naples Federico II and the University of Messina.

“Between the first and second years, we recorded significant growth both in the number of people accessing the social services helpdesks and in participation in online tutoring sessions, with an improvement also in terms of effectiveness,” says Barbara Guadagni, project manager for the Parsec social cooperative. According to her, the experience has confirmed the value of a network capable of recognising students’ difficulties and intervening with targeted support. Guadagni also hopes that new forms of funding can be identified to ensure the continuity of activities aimed at young people in vulnerable socio-economic circumstances.

The project was selected by Con i Bambini as part of the Fund to Combat Child Educational Poverty, established through an agreement between the banking foundations represented by Acri, the National Third Sector Forum and the Government. The Fund finances initiatives aimed at reducing the economic, social and cultural barriers that limit children’s access to educational opportunities. The management of these initiatives is entrusted to the social enterprise Con i Bambini, established in June 2016 and wholly owned by the CON IL SUD Foundation.