The Guarantor for Children and Adolescents of the Abruzzo Region, Maria Concetta Falivene, following the acquisition of the socio-health data and the delinquency phenomena that are recorded throughout the Abruzzo territory, has developed a concrete intervention project aimed at to prevent this type of phenomenon. The establishment of a discussion table on juvenile problems with the task of creating coordinated and detailed prevention programs for the entire 2024-2025 school year, to be submitted to the competent educational institutions, represents a concrete response to support young people.
The prevention program will be implemented with videos created – including by students – and in this sense the participation and supervision of the Student Council will be fundamental. THE videos will be projected on the lims (interactive multimedia whiteboards) of middle and high school classes on the same day and a theme will be addressed monthly.
We will start in October with the month dedicated to Legality, to continue with the theme of violence and therefore the very current problem of baby gangs; we will continue with the plague of drug and alcohol use, eating disorders and more. We will finish in May with job orientation and the importance of sport.
The president of the Chieti Student Council, Francesco Paolo Barbacanetogether with their respective school representatives, the representatives of the regional school office Tiziana Venditti And Daniela Puglisithe rector of the University of Annunzio Liborio Stuppiathe president of the Degree Course in Social Services Roberto Veraldi, the provincial commander of the Guardia di Finanza of Chieti Michele Iadarola, the colonel of the GdF Catello Espositolieutenant colonel Renato Giuseppe SaittaDr. Franceso De Ciccoformer Police Commissioner of Chieti, Dr. Stefano TuminiDr. Danilo MontinaroDr. Maria Carmela Minna, Dr. Gilda Di Paolo, the lawyer. Monia Scaleramember of the International Adoptions Commission, the lawyer. Giuseppe Orsini, member of CEAM. Venditti e Daniele Puglisi they explained that “USR Abruzzo confirms its full availability to participate in all project phases. Certainly, having placed the protagonism of young people at the center of the discussion on issues closely linked to their needs and their condition represents the strong point of this initiative. The intervention of the president of the CPS of Chieti was greatly appreciated who, representing the four CPS, recognized the highly educational value of the project idea, ensuring the participation of all students in the activities that will be proposed.”.
Colonel Iadarola specified that “The initiative to create a ‘network’ between the institutions, experience teaches us, has always been successful and never before has the desire to create a close synergy to address such a delicate issue as the prevention of youth problems can represent the starting point for addressing this critical issue, which is increasingly evident in modern society. Respect for the rules (regulatory imposed) is fundamental, but equally so is ensuring perfect adherence and integration with the education system. Young people must necessarily be taught to accept this way of living together (cohesion between the imposition of rules and understanding of their purpose), but the real difficulty for “educators” (school and family) lies in the language, in the mode of communication through which to make the values on which society is based understandable and acceptable civil. And here, it seems clear how all the professional expressions capable of playing a fundamental role in approaching young people and above all their problems have come together, always starting from their point of view, from their needs connected to a radically experiential world. different than in the past, richer in ephemeral influences, but which still prove to be deviant from that civic sense of respect for others and peaceful coexistence which our young people should always be inspired by”.
“Issues relating to youth hardship – explained Francesco De Cicco – require a multidisciplinary approach. We need to reduce the distances that separate young people from institutions, schools and families. Let’s share our projects and ways of working with them, let’s make them more aware and responsible regarding the importance of tackling certain issues together and they themselves will be the ones to trace a path that can be an example to inspire those who experience difficult situations in solitude” .
Stefano Tumini highlighted how “the Regional Pediatric Diabetology Service (ASL 2 Abruzzo) – directed by him – follows around 600 people from Abruzzo and from nearby regions. The pupil with diabetes spends 4 to 6 hours at school every day and must integrate the practices necessary for the treatment of diabetes with daily school life, avoiding acute episodes of hypoglycemia without, however, accepting blood glucose values that are too high which would compromise metabolic control and they would open the doors to chronic complications.”
The training of school staff (Managers, Teachers, assistants and ATA staff) takes on a strategic role and is associated with an improvement in the quality of life of families and in the metabolic control of pupils with diabetes as a result of the effective prevention of hypoglycaemia and the improvement of glycemic control during school hours which represents 20% of the young pupil’s day. Incomplete knowledge of childhood diabetes compromises the possibility for teachers to be able to carry out their role as educators in the absence of fear and stress. Effective school inclusion of pupils with diabetes also allows for the prevention of “bullying” to which pupils with chronic pathologies are often subjected.
The introduction of new insulins for the treatment of diabetes, glucagon nasal spray and pumps with advanced systems has reduced the risk of hypoglycemia at school. Furthermore, new technologies have allowed remote monitoring of glycemic trends during school hours, offering the school an extended support team made up of family, student and care team. It must also be reiterated that for the prevention of adult type 2 diabetes, primary prevention is based on education on correct lifestyles to prevent obesity and overweight which in some cases have lowered the age of onset of type 2 to adolescence. The training of school staff has a strategic value with a view to improving the quality of life of pupils, school staff and families and plays a role in primary prevention for non-communicable diseases in adults”.
The head of the Child Neuropsychiatry Unit of the Mental Health Department of ASL 4 Teramo, Dr Chiara Caucci said: “Preventing youth problems in the current era represents an extremely complex challenge in light of the facets of today’s society. We are witnessing a substantial change in the lifestyles of young people, their daily routines, their educational and social relationships have changed, factors that normally favor the promotion of health and resilience from traumatic events. The brains of our children, especially in adolescence, are subjected to significant changes resulting from the impact with the environment. Therefore, incorrect lifestyles (use of drugs, exposure to various forms of violence or high stress at an intra-family level, excessive use of the Internet, sleep deprivation) translate into functional changes at a genetic and brain level”.
“Therefore, we cannot talk about the fragility of minors without addressing the issue of psychoactive substances that children use to compensate for internal imbalances, school dropouts, marginalization, as well as the advent of the digital age and the actual consequences on mental health of children and adolescents both immediately and in the future. It appears necessary to implement appropriate interventions as soon as possible to stem youth hardship with the collaboration of health services, educational institutions, social services and the third sector. We hope that the prevention programs that will be implemented can also reach those who we define as the last, the ‘unreachable’, i.e. the kids who don’t ask for help, who self-medicate with drugs or alcohol or who get lost in the world of the internet. To be effective, these programs must be able to reach them too. Inclusion – concluded Scalera – will be another fundamental awareness raising issue that we will implement”.
