Save the Children for the Learning Loss project

Activity period: July 6 – July 31  (unlike the other activities, the Save the Children experience will last at least one month)

Availability required: 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) for at least 1 hour a day

Location: All activities will be done remotely from home

Number of volunteers involved: 20

Save the Children, the world’s largest organization that has been working for over 100 years to save children at risk and ensure they have a future, launched “Riscriviamo il futuro” (Let’s Rewrite the Future ) in May 2020. This new program aims to reach 100,000 girls, boys, and adolescents in 30 cities across Italy.All these children are at risk of being trapped between growing material poverty due to the coronavirus emergency in Italy and a lack of educational opportunities, difficulties with distance learning, and a lack of access to extracurricular educational, physical, and recreational activities.

In this extremely challenging environment that families and children are facing, the future—even the immediate future—is truly uncertain. After  long months of lockdown, a lack of social interaction, and being away from classrooms due to distance learning that isn’t always effective from an educational standpoint, summer risks becoming just another empty period. Instead, it should be transformed into an opportunity to catch up on learning, regain social skills, and prepare children and young people for returning to school in a new environment. 
It is crucial to reach all children who have been left out of distance learning so they can reconnect with school. 

 THREE AREAS OF INTERVENTION TO COMBAT EDUCATIONAL POVERTY

To tackle this period, we have launched our new initiative, which is structured around three main areas. Luiss students will support us on the first pillar

·       First and foremost, we aim to combat learning loss by bridging the gap in learning caused by school closures. We will focus on strengthening and developing skills in mathematics, language (reading, writing, and speech), and science.

·       The second pillar of the project focuses on supporting families. Together with our partner associations in the area, we will enhance the material support already in place during this initial phase of the emergency. This support is aimed at families with children living in severe poverty and takes the form of a “care endowment.” The endowment not only addresses immediate needs (such as groceries, early childhood products, and utilities) but also helps families move toward self-sufficiency by connecting them to a network of services, training, and job opportunities. 

·       The third pillar focuses on schools, which we continue to support as they prepare to resume teaching activities. We help teachers rethink teaching spaces and schedules, and provide training in digital teaching methods. The project will also help ensure individual support for studying through volunteer tutors. 

 Specifically, volunteers will provide an online after-school service for children and teens aged 7 to 14. Each volunteer will lead small groups of 2–3 children or teens from the same class to complete summer homework and strengthen their skills in math, language, or science. The activity will take place on one of the platforms the kids already use, or via WhatsApp. The service must take place on Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays or Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays for one hour a day, with the specific times to be mutually agreed upon.  Communication with the children will be handled by their parent.