Constructing a model of integration between schools and non-formal education: An exploratory study in the multicultural suburb of San Siro, Milan

Lifelong learning and the idea of a learning society play a key role in our generation’s transition to truly sustainable societies. Within the UNESCO perspective of achieving the Agenda 2030 SDGs 4 and 11, the Learning Cities framework promotes spaces of democratic citizenship that can improve quality learning in communities and families, conceiving the city as an educational context able to foster active participation, policy dialogue and capacity building. The paper presents the results of the first exploratory phase of the MUSA research-intervention “Combating and preventing school drop-out in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods” carried out from September 2022 in the San Siro neighbourhood in Milan, a multicultural and multiproblematic context, aimed at inspecting if actions of community empowerment and non-formal education interventions (complementary to formal learning) can enhance each other to prevent school drop-out and disadvantages. The research, which is part of an ecological paradigm and from the point of view of education for citizenship, democracy and inclusion, started from an analysis of the context, which was carried out by listening to the needs and surveying the interventions already in place to combat educational poverty. In particular, we describe the case of the l’ABC del quartiere, a polifunctional educational centre developed by a group of students, doctoral candidates, researchers and citizens in close collaboration with school directors, teachers and social workers in San Siro. The research question investigates the dimension of synergy between school and out-of-school with the aim of constructing a model of integration between formal education and didactic and socio-educational interventions carried out in out-of-school time and co-designing in multi-professional teams new actions to combat school drop-out. From a qualitative point of view, this exploratory study investigated the perceptions of many social actors of criticalities and strengths in guaranteeing the right to education for children with learning and social difficulties. 2 focus groups with 50 teachers, 2 focus groups with families, 12 observations in primary school classes and 30 observations in the educational study support centre were conducted. The results reveal a fragmented picture of relations between school and after-school activities and a difficulty in interfacing in a systemic way. While one encounters virtuous examples of taking on the needs of students and their families in an all-round manner, in most cases of children and young people attending after-school educational activities, no dialogue has been established with the school. On the one hand, third sector operators and volunteers working in after-school centres question the significance for children and young people of the homework assigned at school and emphasise the appropriateness of interventions that do not only focus on didactic aspects but have a broader educational value; on the other hand, teachers are often unaware that their pupils attend after-school centres, are not aware of what is done and do not understand the impact on school performance. The exploratory phase made it possible to identify different after-school models to be investigated in depth with respect to the dimensions of the presence/absence of a relationship with the school, sharing of the pedagogical educational project on individual children and sharing of learning objectives and skills development.