Fill the Gap

Mind the Gap marks the end of a cycle of work that began in 2018 with the OpenSPACE project. Over the past three years, in the fourth municipality of Milan, we have sought to have an even more significant impact on the prevention of early school leaving and dropout rates through digital and cross-cutting skills courses, guidance activities and community building initiatives. Today's event is an opportunity to present the main results of the project, but also to share proposals and recommendations and transform them into avenues for future work'. This is how project manager Ilaria Graziano presents the final event of the Mind the Gap project, scheduled for today, Tuesday 4 November, at the Casa dei Diritti in Milan.

The project is coordinated by ActionAid Italia, implemented in partnership with the Municipality of Milan, Fondazione Mondo Digitale and Junior Achievement Italia, and funded by the Department for Cohesion and Southern Policies of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

‘For three years, Mind the Gap has involved students, teachers and parents from schools in Municipality 4 in educational workshops, entrepreneurial challenges and guidance courses to combat early school leaving and educational poverty among girls and boys aged 11 to 17,’ explains project officer Elisabetta Gramatica. The schools involved are the comprehensive schools Madre Teresa di Calcutta, Via De Andreis, Marcello Candia and the secondary schools Oriani Mazzini, Galdus, Albe Steiner and Curie-Sraffa.

Fill the Gap represents a moment of collective reflection and co-design to capitalise on the experiences gained, share effective practices and identify new directions for action for an increasingly open, inclusive and locally connected school.

AGENDA

Welcome address by Luca Fanelli, project manager at Action Aid

Presentation of the work of the students of the Madre Teresa di Calcutta comprehensive school

1st panel. Workshops at school on transversal skills

Introduction and moderation by Alessandro Costanzo de Castro, Junior Achievement

• Chiara Maria Dionisi, teacher at Via De Andreis
• Matteo Berengan and Elisa Perego, Junior Achievement Alumni.

Presentation of the work of the students of the Via De Andreis Comprehensive School

2nd panel. School guidance

Introduction and moderation by Ilaria Graziano, Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS

• William Rolando, student, IIS Oriani Mazzini
• Angela Schillaci, Milan Youth Coordination, Municipality of Milan
• Annie Pontradolfo, president of Asnor.

Presentation of the work of the students of Oriani Mazzini

3rd panel. Agreements as a tool for community participation in schools

Introduction and moderation by Maria Sole Piccioli, ActionAid

• Matteo Raffaelli, student, IC Calcutta
• Emanuela Giorgetti, head teacher, IC Madre Teresa di Calcutta
• Roberta Guerini, director of School and Educational Services, Municipality of Milan
• Elisabetta Nigris, full professor, University of Milan Bicocca.

Conclusions

• Gianluca Bocchinfuso, seconded teacher, Office X, Milan Territorial Area, Regional School Office
• Anna Scavuzzo, deputy mayor of the Municipality of Milan.