IIS P. Sraffa Secondary School is a large vocational/technical institute in the north of Italy. Attended by 1171 students, it includes programmes of study to get technical diplomas in different areas: Culinary Arts and Hospitality, Health and Social Care, Commerce, Optics, Dental Care, Tourism, Mechanics, Fashion. The institute is a great resource for the area since it caters for the most vulnerable section of learners, mainly the ones with learning difficulties but above all family problems, disruptive behaviour, lack of motivation or difficulty integrating (migrants’ children – about 30%), or special needs. The students that attend it have varied views of life according to their different cultural background or family experiences. They don’t always manage to relate both to their peers and to adults in an appropriate manner. Bullying due to their diversity sometimes occurs. That’s why the school has signed a Protocol with the Prefecture and has joined projects devoted to prevent and/or intervene when discrimination is detected. Experience has highlighted the efficacy of inclusive project-based approaches for a positive management of relationships, which in its turn results in enhanced self-esteem and self-confidence in learners. Therefore the ability to mediate appears to be a transversal soft skill to be fostered to endow pupils with effective instruments to face situations of conflict in the present and in the future. Participating in this Erasmus+ partnership the school believes that its students will gain better understanding of the importance of acquiring conflict resolution skills and of learning to coexist with people with different perspectives. Working together the partners will compare strategies and create a common pattern which will aid forge an educational path devoted to school mediation so as to boost better mutual understanding among youth to make them sympathetic individuals able to interact with people civilly.

http://www.sraffacrema.gov.it