School, 85 days of navigation in the Tyrrhenian Sea: sailing as an educational tool also for the children of the penal area

NAPLES – The 85-day journey across the Tyrrhenian Sea of ​​the 6 youngsters protagonists of the autumn module of “To School by the Sea”, A national project against educational poverty selected by the social enterprise With the children as part of the Fund for the fight against juvenile educational poverty. These are young people in a condition of fragility; often having difficulty completing their studies, some of them have been reported by the Centers for Juvenile Justice. “Each child has followed a specific educational path during the trip, in some cases an educational program was agreed with the school to allow them to return to class in the next few weeks. I believe they all end this experience with a greater awareness of what they are and of what they want for the future “, says Gabriele Gaudenzi, project manager.

Sailing offers an ideal context. Sailing is an ideal context in which to experience oneself and develop relationships of collaboration and trust: the exploration of nature (protected marine parks and the thrill of meeting whales and sea turtles) and the practice of sport ( underwater activity); environmental care with the Back to Life project promoted in collaboration with the Genoa Aquarium against the abandonment of plastic in the sea; education to legality with a visit to the symbolic places of the fight against the mafia in Sicily and with the meeting of the “Addio Pizzo” association; inclusion and diversity with the week of integrated navigation with a group of visually impaired young people from “Il Chiossone” in Genoa.

The results obtained are significant. Among the boys who have a criminal record and are included in To School by the Sea in the context of the probation measure, for example, 85% have completed their course; of these 90% with positive results. The collaboration with i Juvenile Justice Centers it is confirmed as precious. To underline this is Giuseppe Centomani, manager of the CGM of Campania, Puglia and Basilicata: “Our experience demonstrates the value and usefulness of educational projects that focus on the sea and sailing; the boat is an extraordinary tool to help the boys to develop a sense of responsibility and ability to act as a team, on board the value of collaboration and compliance with the rules for their own safety and well-being and that of the other crew members are immediately understood “.

The sea as a place of opportunity. The same perception of the sea also changes: “For our Neapolitan boys – continues Centomani – the sea is generally considered a place of transit from one place of entertainment to another, Ischia. These projects help to make people understand how synonymous the sea can be. opportunities from many points of view, not least the professional one so much so that we have worked a lot in recent years in the area of ​​training to develop specific skills in the nautical sector. confusing, inattentive, hyperactive or multi-repetitive – says Gabriele Gaudenzi, project manager – we make them rediscover the pleasure of learning through something different, something practical. We try above all to make them understand that knowledge can change the future, otherwise they will always be destined to remain last among the last “.

A great metaphor for life. “The experience of the sea is a great metaphor for life – says Luisa Francesca Proto, president of A Bridge in the Wind and referent of the project for Campania – to sail sailing you need skills, ability to stay in a group, spirit of adaptation, readiness in facing the unexpected, courage and trust in difficult moments, patience on windless days. It was presented at the “Sciences of social service and non-profit” course at the LUMSA University of Rome as a model of “social pedagogy” that combines the educational aspect with being an active and important part of a social context. It is an experience that gives young people the concept of belonging, of responsibility, the sense of being active members in society: a beautiful opportunity for the Campania area where educational poverty and early school leaving are an emergency “.

Labor taxes. Promoted by the APS I Tetragonauti Onlus in collaboration with the partners of the various regions: Il Carro social enterprise in Monza, APS A Bridge In The Wind in Ischia, Centro Koros Association in Catania, Arcobaleno Social Cooperative in Frascati and Youth Association for Social in Porto Torres, “At school for Mare”Continues after the landing on November 13: the children will be accompanied and followed for another three months by the local representatives who have woven a network of collaboration with family, school, services. The Navy has offered its base in Naples for the landing of the boat and for carrying out the final activities within the Accademia dell’Alto Mare “. The Councilor for Social Policies of the municipality of Naples, Dr. Luca Trapanese, the Commander of the CV base Nello Cuciniello, the director of the CGM Giuseppe Centomani will meet the project managers.