Rapporto finale/ Final Report (ITA-ENG) - Casa di Carità Arti e Mestieri

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These activities should be compulsory and included in the final examination. This implies a specific
choice by schools as a whole and head teachers in particular, and requires investments in terms of
teachers’ and pupils’ time and allocation of resources. In some cases, for example, as in that of the
Spanish partner, the project received strong backing from the school leadership, which judged the
project highly innovative and with great potential for the pupils, to the point of deciding to continue
the experiment in the coming years, as a permanent space where pupils are the protagonists.
For Dialogue Space activities to be fully effective they must necessarily be included in the schools’
curriculums. If not, engaging pupils and teachers can prove extremely difficult (as observed in some
of the experiments conducted under the Cross Community Schools project), especially due to the risk
of over-burdening them with work. By contrast, if embedded in the curriculum and school hours, they
could help to significantly improve practices and actions in the dialogue on discrimination. When this
was done it was possible to allocate a fixed time for meetings, which were held at regular intervals,
making it easier for pupils to take part and enhancing the visibility of the project within the school.
To make the place more welcoming and accessible, it was equally important to guarantee flexible
opening hours in order to adapt to the diverse needs of learners and teachers.
In many cases, the presence of a facilitator and mediator in the Dialogue Space was important in
order to promote and manage activities in the best way. Thus, acquiring specific skills (for example
in group management, solving interpersonal conflicts, leading group discussions) also appears to be
important, in order to run the Space and manage the interpersonal dynamics of a meeting place open
to young people. Particular emphasis was placed on this point in some countries. In Spain, for example,
where work is being carried out to make the Dialogue Space a permanent activity, a facilitator
with expertise in the areas outlined above is always present, as this need emerged clearly during the
two-year experiment.
Practical suggestions
The Dialogue Space can be a useful place for drawing attention to and focussing on the
question of challenging discrimination and stereotypes at school.
To optimise functioning, Dialogue Space activities must take place in school time and be part
of the school curriculum.
The Dialogue Space must be pleasant and welcoming and must be open to everyone and to
all types of dialogue.
The Space must be easily recognisable and highly visible.
Engaging pupils directly in the process of installing the Space and organising the activities can
be effective.