• Not Just School

    Creating meeting areas outside of school in the northern outskirts of Milan

Young people at work at the Istituto Comprensivo Cantù
  • With the action undertaken in the complex reality of the Bovisasca district, in the northwestern outskirts of Milan, CELIM is taking part in the projects Nove Più, Open School and Aprire la Scuola with a view to strengthening the schools’ ability to satisfy the growing needs of children and adolescents and their families.

    Such goal can be achieved by creating spaces outside school aimed at promoting a sense of community in a district with almost no association or stimulating services, meeting such needs with study areas, Italian language courses for foreigners and experience-based workshops.

  • 590 primary school pupils benefitting from the activities

    3 schools involved

    18 public and private bodies taking part with us for the benefit of the community

In the urban zones 9, 5 and 6 in the outskirts of Milan, which are characterized by a basic lack of meeting areas for young people and teenagers, families are struggling to teach their children how to become tomorrow’s adult citizens.
Such weaknesses and difficulties are worsened by several factors influenced by the territory: housing, high rate of immigration and complex economic conditions.
Many families have virtually no relationships that can help them raise their children and schools are struggling to meet the emerging needs of multicultural and multi-problem contexts.

Only by involving the whole community can the educational loneliness of families be broken.

How many relationships unite us? Let's build them!

The situation in the Bovisasca neighbourhood is particularly rooted, as this urban area is seen just as a ‘dormitory’ and, as such, lacks spaces that encourage multicultural community meeting.
Young people, children and adolescents, whose conditions are often worsened by complicated family environments, are the most affected.
The lack of extracurricular incentives in the area means that many of these young people, both foreigners and non-foreigners, are at risk of ending up socially excluded; this can in turn lead to early school leaving or, for older children, unemployment.

CeliMondo: educational activities in Milan’s schools

To meet these urgent needs, CELIM is taking part in two different active projects on the territory of the Bovisasca district (Nove Più and Open School) and in an on-going project in zones 5 and 6 of the metropolitan city (Aprire la Scuola).
Specifically, our educators work in the middle school Rodari of via Gabbro, in zone 9, and in the primary school Capponi in via Pestalozzi and the middle school Gemelli in via Pescarenico, in the areas between Barona and Famagosta.
Thanks to these projects, three school complexes can now offer students an after-school service and a host of extracurricular activities; this has turned all three schools into veritable points of reference for children, young people and adolescents for the respective neighbourhoods.

Children education is the driving force behind the improvement of the conditions of the entire community: no one should feel excluded.

This basic function was achieved by implementing a series of courses and afternoon workshops that actively involve students, therefore motivating them to meet. This in turn can be the first step towards an integration of the different cultures that make up the districts of Bovisasca, Barona and Famagosta.
At the same time, always with a view to promoting multiculturalism and supporting the school to manage the educational challenges and social issues affecting the district, the three projects envisage the organization of Italian language courses for foreigners and several experience-based workshops.

  • My name is Silvia Jelmini, I am 45 and am in charge of CELIM's educational activities.
Chang and Matteo have fun learning and playing together

For children playing is a real learning opportunity

The project Nove Più aims to innovate the quality of education in the Bovisasca district by:

  • adopting new teaching technologies;
  • realizing experience-based workshops and creating study spaces and activities aimed at stimulating creativity;
  • starting Italian language courses for foreigners and managing points of contact for integration;
  • training teachers.

The Open School project aims to strengthen the school’s central role within the Bovisasca district and in particular:

  • offering young people educational and meeting opportunities outside of school;
    supplying practical answers to the education and integration needs of families;
    creating meeting and knowledge opportunities between cultures;
  • aggregating a network of social, professional and voluntary entities around the school.

The object of the project Aprire la scuola implemented in the Barona and Famagusta districts is:

  • enriching the range of educational courses;
    reducing school-leaving among young people, preventing unrest and enhancing individual potential;
  • promoting aggregation and interaction between generations and ethnic groups;
    involving the community and raising awareness on common property respect and sustainability.
  • Project manager
    Silvia Jelmini, celimondo@celim.it

    Project title
    Nove+

    Duration
    February 2016 – February 2019

    Partners and other entities involved
    Fondazione Mission Bambini (head organisation), Municipality of Milan, ALTIS, Associazione Contatto Onlus, Associazione La Lanterna Onlus, Comitato di Quartiere Comasina A.P.S., Cooperativa Sociale Diapason, Fondazione Aquilone Onlus, Fondazione A. Mandelli, Fondazione A. Rodari, IC Confalonieri, IC Scialoia, IC Sorelle Agazzi, L’Amico Charly Onlus

  • Project title
    Open School- Scuole aperte nei quartieri di periferia di Zona 9 (Open schools in the suburban districts of Zone 9)

    Duration
    September 2015 – July 2017

    Partners and other entities involved
    Sorelle Agazzi Parents Association (head organisation), IC Sorelle Agazzi, Fondazione Aquilone Onlus, Comitato di Quartiere Comasina APS

  • Project title
    Aprire la Scuola per Aprire le Menti e Costruire Relazioni (Opening Schools to Open Minds and Build Relations)

    Duration
    September 2015 – July 2017

    Partners
    Ami.Ca Parent Association (head organisation), IC Capponi

Donors