An initiative dedicated to inclusion and fun promoted by the Leo Club of the Gulf of Gela, a non-profit youth association, ended yesterday at the House of Divine Mercy in Gela. The morning program included a pizzeria workshop for the children of the Balù educational center. The latter deals with neurodevelopmental disorders in the developmental age, accompanying children and adolescents of various ages with dedication.
The objective of the center is to promote psychological and social well-being in the specific area of childhood, adolescence and parenting, offering support and trying to prevent and mitigate child and adolescent distress also through information and awareness-raising actions.
The areas of intervention are different: psychological support, speech therapy and autism interventions (ABA, Esdm – which indicate behavioral approaches), social groups, cognitive enhancement and more.
The many young people of the Leo Club contributed to creating an environment of serenity, who with great community spirit, spend themselves at the disposal of others in a disinterested manner, without earning anything from it. A fundamental ingredient seasoned the pizzas: joy. The joy of getting your hands dirty, mixing water, flour and yeast. A simple gesture that united everyone; because ultimately, if we think about it, the distances and differences between one and the other only exist if we create them.
Out of ignorance towards certain pathologies, barriers are often created that do not allow us to look beyond our nose. Autism, for example, is a complex disorder with a thousand facets.
«Every child is unique – says Paola Di Pietro, trainee in Speech Therapy – we should never lump everything together. During the internship we learn to provide communication tools to autistic children, for example through the language of images.”
The spokesperson for the Balù educational center is Angela Tandurella, pedagogist and behavioral analyst, specialized in Caa and Ta.
«This day – he states – had a double value: it enriched us, and those who joined us. It was a moment of joyful sharing. The fundamental elements? Empathy and emotional intelligence, which act as very important communication tools, to limit barriers and distances. I believe that today it was a mutual added value » she then concludes.
Seeing the work carried out by the union of the Leo Club and the Balù center is a source of pride for our territory which should always be attentive to the protection and well-being of the most fragile or disabled subjects, as it is everyone’s right to live a free and protected life.
None of this would have been possible without the work done by the club members. Many, attentive to each other’s needs.
Kindness is a universal language. And this, once again, shows us that the great lessons are often learned from young people.
