The final party of the 2023-2024 edition of “The treasure chest of Talents”, the municipal project which for several years now has contributed, thanks also to the involvement of volunteers and associations, to the afternoon school support of Bitonto students in difficulty.
BitontoLive interviewed the councilor for social services Silvia Altamurato take stock of this year of activity and to find out what’s new in the future planning of a service that has now become fundamental for the territory and families.
«This year too the project has proven to be of great social relevance for the support of minors and young people, especially for those who are at risk of dispersion, as well as an important tool for accompanying parents in choosing the most effective educational strategies», the councilor began. Who added: «In the 2023-2024 school year, 170 minors were welcomed, in 11 locations spread across the entire territory, including the hamlets and the historic center».
Numbers to be proud of, certainly. But one wonders: what are the strong points of this project and what still needs to be improved?
«The strengths are different: the continuity of the project over the years, which has allowed it to grow and adapt to the evolution of families’ needs, without interrupting the accompaniment paths of girls and boys; the presence of parish realities which, in collaboration with some associations, have allowed widespread diffusion throughout the territory and, above all, the involvement of many volunteers, who dedicate themselves with commitment and generosity to afternoon activities; the parents’ groups and the training of operators, strengthened especially in recent years, which have allowed different moments of discussion, exchange and growth”, was Altamura’s response. Which continues: «The work of involving families, however, still represents an objective to be developed, above all in order to spread awareness that no educational role can be delegated and that only a climate of “educational alliance” between parents, school and services is capable of to generate positive effects on the growth of girls and boys.”
What is the role of volunteers and parishes in supporting the work of the administration and social services in the various activities that fall within the territory?
The councilor has no doubts: «The role of the parishes and volunteers is fundamental because this collaboration allows the project to accommodate the many requests that arrive at our offices every year. The parishes represent real “social antennas” as they are rooted in the territory and continually in contact with families. This often allows us to identify other needs and direct us towards further projects. Furthermore, the volunteers bring a great deal of energy and enthusiasm and accompany boys and girls not only in carrying out some school tasks, but support them in their social skills through group activities”.
A positive balance, therefore, which gives hope for the continuity of the project also for the next school year. Will there be any news?
“Absolutely yes. With the three-year financial planning we have already foreseen the continuity of the project.
An important innovation concerns the recognition of the project at an academic level: from next year students of the University of Bari from the faculties of Psychology and Educational Sciences will be able to choose to carry out the university internship within the project, bringing further value in terms of skills to be put at the service of girls and boys”, Altamura explained.
And he concluded: «The Casket of Talents represents a first level of social response, but the project is included in a rich network of services aimed at minors and families such as home education, day centers and multi-purpose open centres.
The welfare department, together with social service professionals, is promoting additional projects and services, some already tested in 2023, which allow us to increase the number of beneficiaries reached and offer greater support and protection.
With the SOStenere project (concluded in December 2023 and currently restarting), in fact, it was possible to offer: free screening for SEN and DSA, aimed at identifying special and specific needs in minors and offering them adequate educational support tools or orienting families to specialist services, while minors are offered support courses through strengthening workshops.
The Municipality of Bitonto is also a partner of the experimental project to support minors with BES “Chance” (with Cooperativa Socialr Ziph and Sinergia), financed by the Foundation with Children with over 300 thousand euros and which will see the creation of 60 individualized accompaniment paths , with important monitoring and evaluation work of the results.
Furthermore, it will be possible to integrate the project with other projects of a socio-cultural nature, such as the new Cultural Foster Care project, which involves the formation of family alliances between “beneficiary families” and “resource families” for the use of the cultural offer of the territory such as the participation in theater shows, cinema, family activities, with the aim of cultivating positive and supportive relationships and preventing and combating phenomena of social isolation”.
Sunday 9 June 2024
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