«The boarding school for the hearing impaired in Marsala must not only survive, but must come back to life thanks to investments and experimental projects that relaunch its role and action». This was stated by the councilor for education and professional training of the Sicilian Region, Mimmo Turano, today in Marsala to present the 90,000 euro regional experimental project which will involve the audiophile minors of the Convitto di Marsala and the students of the comprehensive school ” G. Grassa” of Mazara del Vallo with the aim of promoting school inclusion.
The project “Together on can”, presented by the councilor Turano in the presence of the director of the regional school office of Sicily, Giuseppe Pierro, of the head teacher of the “Grassa” comprehensive school of Mazara del Vallo as well as pro-tempore rector of the Audiofonolesi boarding school of Marsala, Mariella Misuraca, and the manager of the XI Territorial Area Office of Trapani, Antonella Vaccara, is inspired by article 28 of the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of Children and Adolescents, and intends to promote motivation to study ( motivational workshops) and the possibility of bridging training gaps (study support workshops) through innovative methodologies that combine formal education activities with non-formal activities, both during and after school hours, within school buildings but also in other contexts formative.
«It is an experimental online project that sees the synergy between the “G. Grassa” comprehensive school of Mazara del Vallo and the audio-phonolite boarding school of Marsala, which will thus be able to resume its activity seriously from the suspension of June 2022 – he explains L’regional councilor for education and professional training, Mimmo Turano -. A concrete project and not a simple contribution, which promotes the prevention of early school leaving and dropout by addressing the most vulnerable subjects. The involvement of the two institutes in the network is also an important added value, since each of them is the bearer of a different set of skills and experiences, which has allowed the formulation of an innovative proposal, which we hope will generate a positive and lasting impact on the students involved”.
“Thanks to the project just financed by the Region, the Convitto will be able to immediately proceed with the recruitment of educators and finally resume its ordinary activity in favor of users from all over the regional territory – explains the pro-tempore rector of the boarding school, Mariella Misuraca -. In fact, thanks to the path identified by the Regional Department of Education, attending first and second cycle pupils will be able to be followed by specialized educators with tutoring/support for “after school” study in the afternoons and workshops of an expressive nature/ recreational (sports, art, dance). This is the demonstration that together we can and, thanks to the synergy between the institutions, the Convitto will be revived by returning a fundamental service to its users”.
The project, which affects the 2022-2023 school year e for which the Sicilian Region has allocated 90 thousand euros from the specific expenditure chapter of the regional budget, is aimed at experimenting with innovative inclusive teaching and educational models for pupils with special educational needs and minors with hearing and phonological disabilities.
Considering the peculiarity of the service provided, unique in Southern Italy and which is based on an integrated action involving multiple stakeholders, in the next few days the Convitto will see its organization chart completed with the ATA staff, which will be assigned by the Trapani area , and with specialist therapeutic-rehabilitative staff (psychotherapists, speech therapists, psychologists), who will be recruited thanks to further regional funding that refers to the law of 15 April 2021 n.9, which guaranteed funding for the structure of around 70 thousand euros.
PROJECT SHEET
The experimental project, which will end in June this year, provides for the activation of workshops and orientation activities at the two partner institutions, managed by educators, tutor teachers, experts, mediators, facilitators. The aim is to guarantee the right to educational success through courses that allow each student to express their potential, to encourage meeting and sharing with each other. Direct intervention for pupils at risk of dropping out will be guaranteed by support for study (curricular and extra-curricular), creative and orientation workshops, strengthening activities and extra-curricular expressive activities (sports, art, dance) and educational outings in the area Trapani to promote sociality. For the students staying at the Convitto, around 40 divided into subgroups, the accompaniment to study will take place outside school hours, with the collaboration of tutors/educators and with the use of multiple methodologies. There will be about 15/20 students for each class involved in the Grassa institute who will be able to take part in the curricular and extra-curricular laboratories.
Marsala, Turano: «We are relaunching Convitto audiofonolesi with a regional contribution»