Overview report on ALICE Projects Activities in Pescia area, with special regard to the involvment of disabled people

Isabella Belcari – Ginevra Giacomelli – Rita Orsi

Fondazione Nazionale Carlo Collodi – Pescia, Italy

Overview Report on A.L.I.C.E. Project ALPPs

A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference

Bucharest, October 24-25 201324/10/2013

Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs


Bucharest, October 24-25-2013

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Fondazione Nazionale Carlo Collodi (National Carlo Collodi Foundation) Italy, www.pinocchio.it Dedicated to cultural activities in the name of the Author of the Adventures of Pinocchio

Partner institution in A.L.I.C.E., with: specific focus on disabled people charge of the Learning Unit on Children’s Literature in the online course for Trainers participation and coordination of 2 trainers: Ms Ginevra Giacomelli, Ms Rita Orsi,

Our trainers’ profile: both qualified for teaching in primary school 1 has been teaching in various school levels for about 15 years 1 about to discuss 2nd level degree in Primary Education - experienced as intern in primary

school both have an experience of some years as young people in an organization which provides

informal education to the young

Number of ALPPs carried out: 2, 1 for each trainerDisabled people among the beneficiaries in both ALPPs

General Overview 01

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The ALLPs context

Public policies for disability in Italy

- disabled children attend school with non disabled ones since pre-school; during school activities they have right to a specific assistance, defined case by case according to type and

degree of disabilities. In case of very severe disability, they may be exempted from schooling;- disabled adults (not the elderly) can either placed in jobs that suit their abilities, or to

receive assistance - at home or in specific structures - the latter in case of very severe disabilities

The basic idea: - integration and common life of disabled and non disabled are to be preferred, accessibility and

specific support given;- special environment is provided when integration is not possible because of facts inherent to

the disability degree, and in the main interest of the disabled person.

Our ALLPs took place:- in a pre-school with 54 children, 1 with disability;- in a day centre for severely mentally disabled adults with 20 guests (aged 18-54)

General Overview 02

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The ALLPs context

• number of associated partners: 2 (1 for each ALLP)• number of adults involved as volunteers: 12 (8+4)• number of children involved: 54• number of mentally disabled adults involved: 18• number of disabled children involved: 1

Of the adults involved by our trainers, 1 was a 100% volunteer (an elder lady); the others are education practitioners who accepted to implement a new methodology with extra or new activities in the framework of their everyday work

Through ALICE we discovered that our territory hardly has volunteer groups or non professional associations

with educational aims

General Overview 03

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PROS 2 motivated trainers with previous experience in educational activities Will of cooperation formally expressed by:

- Local pre-primary school;- Local Social and Health Service - Support to Disabilities Dept.;

Interest in new approaches and experiences in structured educational environments

CONS• Hardships in finding trainers (main reason: fear of not measuring up to the project demands)• Shortage of existing groups of volunteers or associations with activity connected with

A.L.I.C.E. issues and activities• Lack of conditions for “fluid” educational environments (no physical spaces, poor

availability of people)

Initial situation - PROS & CONS

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-Granma’s Storytime, in cooperation with a volunteer and with the Pre-primary School in Pesciamorta staff – carried out by Rita Orsi

-Pinocchio’s Story is Everybody’s Story, in cooperation with the Public Daily Centre for Mentally Disabled Adults “Centro Anch’io” staff – carried out by Ginevra Giacomelli

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OUR ALLPs




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Creative Language: Literature, Theatre, ArtKey Competences: KC1, KC5, KC6, KC8 Nr of sessions: 7 + 1Average adults per session: 4Total adults: 4 (2 teachers, 1 caregiver, 1 elder volunteer)Total children: 54 (a 3-year old with Down syndrome)Period: March-May 2013

The Wolf and the 7 Kids chosen for story time became a drama performance which involved all the pupils and the senior volunteer.

Performed both in classroom with school staff (teachers + caregivers), and in front of parents, families, other schools’ staff on school year closing celebration.

In agreement with school staff and school authorities, project booklet will be given around to families and they will be encouraged to have storytelling sessions with children, and to volunteer for story time at school (action date: November 2013).

Granma’s Story Time - 01

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Volunteer profile: elder lady recently retired and widowed, with a grandchild attending the pre-school involved.

Activity profile: reading aloud, conversation with the children, drama

The activity took place in the frame of a school-year-long project namely focused on emotion recognition, especially fear, management of scary or dangerous situations etc.

ISSUES Respect and integration of different roles between the volunteer and the practitioners Keep clear the difference in time and purpose between the story time and the lesson time

PLUS emotional climate generated by “granma’s” presence and attitude thanks to this, children outdid their expected abilities and competences in various activities emotional quality and emulation of peers also helped the child with Down syndrome to take

part in all activities as schoolmates did

Granma’s Story Time – 02

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Granma’s Story Time – 03

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Granma reading as part of the drama adaptation performed in front of the pupils’ families




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Creative Language: Children's literature, music, theatre, art Key Competences: KC1, KC5, KC7, KC8 Nr of sessions: 12 + 2Average adults per session: 2Total adults: 8Total beneficiaries (adults with severe mental disabilities): 18Period: April-May 2013

The Adventures of Pinocchio => cultural item to share with the centre guests. They risk to be excluded from shared culture because of their disability. It served as a trigger for verbalisation of thoughts, comparisons, needs from the side of the centre guests, and as an input for the educators/volunteers to find out various languages and approaches to share this story. The output is a staging of Pinocchio with puppets, drawings, music, dance, with the educators and the centre guests as narrators/actors/dancers.

In July, an article on the experience was issued in the magazine of the Health Service of the Province of Pistoia. Further sharing of the experience: with the families in Pinocchio Park (October 29, 2013).

Pinocchio’s Story is Everybody’s Story 01

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Volunteer profile: practitioners in special education and care of the adults. They have implemented the activity in their job framework, yet accepting to implement an integrated work method new and different from their usual activities

Activity profile: reading aloud, drawing, modelling with plasticine, choosing music and building

coreography, movie watching, manipulate dolls and puppets to build dramatization as final outputThe activity took place in the daily centre as part of cares and inputs provided to guests of the centre by educators and caregivers, to ensure their well being and enhance social/practical skills

ISSUES Difficult relationship of guests with novelties and new people Very short attention span; very different kind and degree of abilities

PLUS sympathy for Pinocchio, identification in his desires and fears variety of different inputs received and of roles/degree of participation possible enthusiasm for the result


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Scenes from the final performance




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Scenes from the final performance




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PROS children’s literature sharing is an activity that people love, both as tellers/readers and as listeners can start out unimagined abilities and resources much seems due to the emotional values and mechanisms that sharing stories carries along creative activities based on children’s literature integrate and visibly help the formal, professional

activities of different categories of education practitioners

DOS recognition of the local situation concerning volunteering beforehand. It could be hard (obstacles:

habits to be changed, time, place) to start anew a volunteer group/association or have the already existing ones adapting to the project's aims

care the relationship that might arise (depending on the context) between professional educators and volunteers, or volunteers and families, to avoid unintentional intrusions in each others' role

adopt a cooperative, inclusive and “multilanguage” approach to include people with disabilities, counting on the cooperation of the peers too

Some Conclusions

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THANK YOU!

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