Internship and Volunteer work at Leomajor

Progetto Alternanza Scuola Lavoro

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List of contents Foreword Working for the safety of the community A week in Lampedusa Sweet September in ancient Paestum Our summer experience in Estonia My Canadian experience My summer work experience at CRO A summer at Ellmau Alm Working with dad Working with the grannies Being the eyes for someone Our new guests Some days at the kindergarten At a kindergarten with wings

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Foreword, Augusta Calderan

Internship, apprenticeship, vocational training and voluntary work have been

recently introduced in the Italian secondary education system as part of the

current curriculum. This has opened up, for the Italian students, opportunities

to experience “real life”, to learn how to behave, perform and communicate in

the so called “adult world”. The pupils of our school, Liceo Leopardi-Majorana in

Pordenone, have often responded with curiosity and enthusiasm to this

novelty. This school-made publication collects the narrations of some of them

about how they have lived this novelty.

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Working for the safety of the community, Davide Colombo

The Civil Protection system is a set of activities organised to protect the

population and the environment from damages brought about by any kind of

disaster, such as earthquakes, floods and fire.

This system of risk prevention was created in the wake of two important

natural events in Italian history: the flood in Florence and the earthquake in

the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. These events caused devastation and many

deaths, which the army and other rescue units could not face up to on their

own, so spontaneous groups of citizens organised themselves to help security

forces.

Civil Protection is managed by a non-profit general department, which is made

up of different local voluntary groups. These units act according to a specific

type of emergency, so there are firefighting teams, dog units, Alpini units, first-

aid and water-rescue teams. To be able to protect the community the

department organises tests simulating real risks, so that volunteers are

prepared to cope with every kind of emergency.

I am writing about these things because last summer I took part in a one-week

training course organised by a Civil Protection department, where I lived for a

week just like a volunteer does when in a situation of emergency. We went to

sbed late and woke up early in the morning, while during the day we attended

courses focusing on firefighting, rescuing, setting up whatever a tent city

needs (tents, electricity generators, water piping systems, etc.). That week

was a very hard one, but thanks to this experience now I understand values

such as self-control (both in life and during emergencies), leadership,

teamwork and selflessness. The emotions were amplified by the physical

challenge of drills done during the night.

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Civil Protection helps you develop a strong sense of duty and altruism, which

are both necessary to relate to people, whether they are in danger or not. As a

matter of fact, it is necessary to understand those who are victims of a tragedy

and feel empathy for them, both during drills and situations of emergency; for

this reason, the Civil Protection department made us attend a very short

psychology course, so that we could understand the feelings of a person in

danger. Moreover, a volunteer directly experiences all the values promoted by

this kind of activity, such as altruism and sense of duty, as I have already said

I have developed a strong sense of duty as I feel the moral obligation to help

other people – that remains inside of you, once you’ve experienced it.

A week in Lampedusa, Camilla Brandolese De Gorup Besanez

Last year I read a newspaper’s article about the WWF’s Turtles Project in

Lampedusa. It described how The Rescue Center is equipped to meet the

various needs of these quiet animals. Most of them are accidentally captured

with longline hooks or trawling nets. Turtles arrive at this “hospital” thanks to

the valuable co-operation of local fishermen, of the Italian Coast Guard, of the

Carabinieri and of the Guardia di Finanza.

When I examined in depth the article, I found that The Rescue Center solely

relies on the volunteers, both from Italy and from abroad, during the summer,

where they help in monitoring, treating and studying the sea turtles.

Furthermore they provided tourists with information and the local community

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with educational projects. The news encouraged my desire for adventure, and

my love for marine animals. So I checked, enrolled in the volunteer program,

and then left for Lampedusa’s Island at the end of July.

I plunged into a different world, in a strip of land in the far south of Italy, I lost

myself in a unique landscape where an exotic sea enclosed a barren ground.

The week at the Centre was hard but wonderful at the same time; I was part

of a group of five people, a Brazilian boy, two boys from South Tyrol and

another from Rome. We became “a family” for a week .

The days were long and strenuous but it was also a great fun. Our duties were:

educating and informing fishermen and visitors on the protection of the sea

turtles and the marine habitats, assisting to the biologists and vets during the

research, collecting biometric data, assisting with medical examinations,

helping with veterinary procedures and treatments, tagging flippers, assisting

with releases into the ocean and the maintenance of the equipment and

structures of the Centre.

During the week we all worked, laughed, cooked, ate, relaxed on the beach

and learned together. This was a beautiful experience not only for the

opportunity I had to help this endangered species, but because we volunteers

shared cherished memories that will last a lifetime. Two moments of this

intense week will remain forever in my mind: the first one is the arrival of

thirteen wounded turtles at the Centre at nine o’clock p.m..

Some fishermen had accidentally captured them so five of us volunteers, the

veterinary and the biologists visited and measured the turtles and prepared

their medical records, we worked until midnight. The second memory is about

the last day, when before going to the airport to catch the plane to go home, I

was taken to a small bay and had the opportunity to release a small turtle,

named Sofia, that after her treatment could return to the open sea. It was a

great experience.

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When I returned home, I realized I left a piece of my heart on that island and

in the Rescue Centre, I don’t deny it. This experience was hard and strenuous

but it gave me emotions and joys I had never felt before. Now I am more

aware of my abilities and my autonomy. I matured and I am ready to do other

volunteer experiences especially those which can give me the chance of

making friends from all over the world.

For those who have the passion for sea turtles and marine life, this can be one

of the most beautiful experiences. I recommend this “adventure”, it is a way to

test yourself and feel the emotion of the voluntary work.

Sweet September in ancient Paestum, Linda Valvasori and Beatrice Gobbo

During the first week of September we joined the “Paestum project”, a project

created in 2003 which includes students of “Leopardi-Majorana” and a school

from Udine. They gave us this opportunity as an internship to help us develop

the competences of cooperation and acquire work method. It was a unique

experience that allowed us to know new places, which are not often visited.

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We spent one week in Paestum where we worked 6 hours a day. We had to

weed among the archaeological ruins of Paestum, but it was not a boring job

because we could listen to music, chat and appreciate the kind words the

international visitors addressed to us. Mr Lavarone, member of The

Archeological Society of Udine taught us how to use some tools such as the

shovel and the shears that were really helpful to eradicate the deepest

grassroots. The original floors were covered with plates of concrete or fabric

depending on the preciousness of the decorations.

We stayed in a beautiful camping ground situated near the beach. The

bungalows were pretty and comfortable. In the morning we started work at

9.30 am and finished at 12,30 am. Then, we had lunch at the camping, and

after a break we went to the seaside, finally we returned to the Archaeological

Park where we worked from 3,30 pm to 6,30 pm.

In addition to the tiring but satisfying work in the archaeological site, we had

the opportunity to visit Pompeii, "the most alive among dead cities." A city

known for the terrible eruption of Vesuvius on August 24, 79 BC. that, in just

three days, covered the city with lava and ashes. What’s incredible is that the

Pompeians did not expect any eruption, because they considered the Vesuvius

a mountain not a volcano.

The city is divided into nine districts with numbered streets. The access points

are marked by seven gates. We visited the amphitheater of Pompeii, the oldest

amphitheater in Italy which was divided in “rings” where people sat.

We saw a lot of houses, Domus in Latin (such as the “Domus of mystery”) with

the mosaics and paintings, and a “thermopolium”. The word, originally Greek,

indicates the resale of hot drinks, of which the Greeks and the Romans were

greedy, but of course the thermopolium also sold cold and other types of . It is

comparable to the modern “bar”. Finally we visited the Temple of Isis, the

divinity of hope and the protector of sailors. All these buildings were

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supported by scaffoldings to prevent damage and to allow the archeologists to

work and to restore the artworks on the walls.

Moreover we saw the mold of the people who lost their lives during the flowing

of the river of ashes that covered the city. They were procted in glass boxes

where humidity and light are controlled to prevent their destruction.

This experience taught us that even a barely unknown place with thousands of

years of history such as Paestum is a beautiful scenery for an internship.

Although we had to clean the site, we were happy to work all together mixing

some 2016 pop songs with the ancient paths of the celebrated inhabitants of

Paestum. Of course we also enjoyed this experience because of the new people

we met and became friends with.

Our summer experience in Estonia, Erica Bovolenta and Stefani Filipova

Last summer we did a lot of things and we had a lot of good memories, but we

decided to do something different, something new and to challenge ourselves.

In April we started to plan our summer holiday and we took the decision to

take part in a voluntary camp somewhere abroad. We did not have any special

destination in mind but we were sure that we wanted to go somewhere

unusual.

We searched on the Web and we found an association which organized the

whole trip for us . After several researches we decided to go to Estonia

because we had never heard anything about this country before and because

we were fascinated by the pictures that we saw on the internet of some of the

most beautiful Estonian places. We were ready to start a different adventure in

a foreign place to meet new people and a new culture.

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We stayed in Nova, a city on the coast of the Baltic sea, for almost two weeks.

During the volunteer camp we did a lot of activities useful to the local

community: we collected firewood for old local people, we picked up herbs to

make tea and cleaned both the forest and the beach.

During these two weeks we also had a lot of fun we did a lot of sport activities

like windsurfing, jetsking, cycling , running on the beach and in the forest and

others organized by the group leaders. This experience gave us the

opportunity to make friends from all over the world, Turkey, France, Poland,

Portugal, Nigeria, Senegal, Russia, Ukraine… and to discover a new way of

living and a lot of different cultures. It was also an opportunity to improve our

English because it was the only way we had to communicate with the other

volunteers. All the volunteers were more or less our age and soon became our

friends. We are still in contact with them.

The activities that involved us the most were the sport activities, we enjoyed a

lot the experience on the Vikings’ boats and the orienteering competitions in

the middle of Estonian ancient forests. The work activities were a unique

experience for us; although they were quite hard and required sufficient

physical effort, we learned a lot of things and we developed some values like

altruism because the main point of the work was to learn how to work in a

team.

The most important thing we have learned from this experience is that a

reaction corresponds to every action, so if you’re kind and open with people

you’ll receive the same treatment, if you fill your life with positivity and joy

without fearing adventures and new things, life will smile at you.

This kind of experience does not require any special ability or peculiarity , a

little bit of courage and desire of adventure are enough, so we truly

recommend it to every one of our school mates who want to live something

new, unique and amazing!

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My Canadian experience, Valentina Corà

Last summer I had the wonderful opportunity to do an internship in Canada,

where I stayed one month. I did it in “Richland Academy”, a private school for

children from 18 months to grade 8, in Richmond Hill, Toronto. Richland

Academy is inspired by an Italian teaching method, called “Reggio Children”.

Richland Academy’s goals are to nurture the innate curiosity and creativity of

children, develop the ability to think for themselves, cultivate their own creative

ideas, expand their ability to question reality and when given order and

innovate. There I worked with kindergartners and nursery children, from

Monday to Friday eight hours a day.

Reggio’s children do different activities from a typical Italian child: for example

in the classroom there aren’t toys such as dolls or cars. Their games aim at

making kids learn. I helped them with the alphabet: they had some cards,

each with an alphabet letter, and they had to put them in alphabetical order.

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They did the same with numbers: they had a table, in each column there was a

number (1 to 10), and in each line they had to put the corresponding number

of buttons.

It was great and motivating to help them to learn numbers and the alphabet,

fortunately I’m very patient with children! There was a special corner in each

classroom, called building space, equipped with wood and plastic pieces, in

the shape of squares, rectangles or triangles. Each piece had a magnet on

each side, so every shape could stick to another; there they developed their

creativity.

In the class there were also the light tables: under each table there was a

light, and the teachers laid a long paper on it where they wrote something on

it, children copied it. Kids worked also with the sensory bin: it is a tub with

water and some toys inside. Additionally they also had art, music and yoga

lessons. I read them some books from the library, helped them in all their

activies, and they showed me that they were grateful for my help. They called

me “Miss Valentina”! I loved that.

I was always at their side during the morning, the aftenoon snack and lunch; I

even followed them in the “sleep room” for the nap. I think this was one of the

best experiences of my life, because the school was cozy and the staff was

very friendly and helpful. They treated me as an adult, taught a lot of

lessons, and they let me free to try, so I could learn how to organise a children

group and their activities. I also learnt a lot about myself and my ability, so I

can’t stop thanking them! I understood that I have grown up and I’m more

confident because I was able to face up to this stay and internship in Canada

on my own. I realized that I love children and I want to work with them in my

future. I feel more certain about my future choices, because this experience

has helped me to understand what’s better for me.

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My summer work experience at CRO, Irene Cannizzaro

This summer I worked for a couple of weeks at a hospital, the National Cancer

Institute (C.R.O.) of Aviano (PN). This is one of the most important Scientific

Institutes for Research, Hospitalization and Health Care (IRCCS) of Italy. This

type of institute is peculiar because they both carry out clinical researches and

provide with health care.

I think that working in a hospital like this is very stimulating because doctors

are always trying to do their best for their patients also in a context of

continuous research so they can offer them the newest therapies.

I was really excited about this experience because it was an amazing way to

understand if I really want to work in a hospital in the future or to be a general

practitioner.

For few days I stayed at the register’s office where the staff records all the

mails and information about the hospital. The employees there were willing to

help me and those people who needed advice.

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Even though I was more interested in seeing the labs than staying at the

management offices,I couldn’t visit them because of my age . However in my

opinion all the students who want to be doctors should spend a little time in

the management office. Dealing with bureaucratic things it is not as easy as we

may think.

During my stay at the hospital I discovered an interesting program called “self-

informed patient” carried out by the CRO scientific library. It consists in

providing patients with medical information. Sometimes they have many

questions about their illnesses and their doctor may not have time to answer

them. In the library there are people that can help the patients to get more

comfortable and aware about their diseases.

The supervisor of the Library asked me to translate a short essay about a

particular plant that has medical properties from Italian into English.

During the last two days they allowed me to visit the labs and I went to the

“pathological anatomy” department. I had to wear a white coat and plastic

shoes. Seeing some organs was a bit sickly, but then I got used to it. I found it

interesting.

At the end of the experience I was enthusiastic! I discovered that working in

labs is very interesting but it does not suit my personality. I need to meet my

patients and talk to them. Analyze every characteristic of a patient and trying

to help him/her is something that fascinates me a lot.

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A summer at Ellmau Alm, Riccardo Rebuzzi

This summer I worked as a group leader in a summer camp in Austria for three

weeks. It was in Salbach-Hinterglemm, a little but modern and rich town,

1600m above the sea level in the green Austrian mountains. My work

environment was in fact great and in a natural surrounding. We were five km

far from the town centre in a huge lodge called Ellmau-Alm, a very renowned

place where hundreds of tourists spend their winter holidays.

We were ten group leaders coordinated by our employer, my mother. It wasn’t

a problem for me: we had a formal relationship, furthermore we did not have

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so much time to spend together as we were busy. When I had some free time,

I preferred spending it on my own in my bedroom or with the other colleagues

far from the work and the children’s noise. The other group leaders were older

than me, they were university students, but despite that we had no problems

in working together and some of them became also my friends. We had to take

care of sixty children, all from Germany. They were divided in nine groups

according to their age and sex. Each of us was the leader of one of these small

groups ; mine, for example, was composed of 11-13 year old kids. One of the

group leaders called “der Springer” instead of having his own group,

substituted us when we had free time.

On the first day our employer told us the rules of the camp and taught us how

to behave with the kids. Children arrived on the second day and since that

moment we were in charge of them, from 8:00 am, when they woke up to

9:30 pm, when they went to bed. On the following days we gave them the

opportunity to know one another. We did a lot of games and, if the weather

was good we often stayed outdoors in contact with nature. Our program was

very rich, and we did a lot of different things: sport tournaments (football,

volleyball, chess,…), creative activities and trips, we were for example in

Salzburg.

At the end of the day, after our meeting while the kids were sleeping, we group

leaders relaxed: we stayed all together in the bedroom of some of us, drinking

beer, eating chips and telling us some gossip about the love stories between

children.

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At the beginning and at the end of the day we had the opportunity to exchange

our views and experiences in a briefing with our boss. During this meeting we

spoke about news or problems with our groups. In the evening, after a long

day, we discussed about the day just passed by and, depending on the weather

of the following day, we planned some possible activities and decided the tasks

of each group leader. In the morning we got prepared for the new day.

This experience was very great for my social skills. I learnt how to

communicate with kids and to interact with them: I learnt how to be a friend

for them in the difficult moments but also a leader. It was a challenging task to

be always there for them. The kids in my group were special. Of course they

were unmanageable and noisy but they were also very cute and innocent, and

at the end, after three weeks we grew fond of one other…like a little family. I

had to face also the language challenge: to communicate with the kids the

whole day in German was not so easy. That’s why I learnt to communicate not

only with words but also with the tone of my voice and the body language. But

the greatest thing I learnt, is to listen to and open my mind to the others.

Even if I’m sure that I’m not going to work with children in my future, I

enjoyed this experience very much. I had a lot of wonderful memories of this

summer that have enriched my life.

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Working with dad, Giacomo Ravagnolo

This summer I had the opportunity to work in my family's company managed

by my father. It was a great experience and I learnt lots of things.

To be the boss' son obviously gives you some advantages, because everyone is

kind with you and you have special attentions. But, in my opinion, this was not

too much evident and I had very good relationships with my colleagues, also

because I've known all of them for a long time, since I was a child.

Actually I never worked with my father because he is a seller and I worked in

the warehouse, so we used to see each other few times per day, like at the

coffee break. Apart from these few moments I was alone with two of my

colleagues that followed me during the day.

I had to manage the incoming wares, that most of the time were spare parts

for machines that were in the workshop waiting to be fixed. This wasn't only a

manual work, because every piece of wares had to be charged on the

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management program, that has all the inventory inside. This program is very

useful because it manages all the operations of the company but is quite

complicated to use. Fortunately I learnt how to use it quickly so I was almost

independent with all my tasks. Thanks to this I also became familiar with the

process of acquiring spare parts and with all the bureaucratic papers like the

seal and the transport documents.

I think that working in your family company is a good start because you are

in a protected situation and the work environment is very familiar. This allows

you to enter the work world softly.

This experience was great also because I had the opportunity to understand

my family's business better and I began to think that one day I might take the

reins of the company. However I am still confused about that.

Working there was also funny so I truly recommend this experience to the ones

who have a family company because not only you can have fun but also you

understand your family's work.

Working with the “grannies”, Chiara Berto

In February and June I had the opportunity to do an internship at the Centre

"Il nostro tempo" in Azzano Decimo, founded in the 80s to meet the needs of

the local elderly people requiring assistance in daytime only. It is for people

over 65.

The building is modern and well equipped to meet all the needs of the guests.

It has a garden, a large recreation room, the dining room, the kitchen and the

gym. They receive their guests and they serve breakfast from 8.30 to 9.30.

Then they propose the morning activities such as reading newspapers, bingo

games, gymnastics or going to the market if the weather is good. They have

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lunch at 12.00 then it’s time for a nap. The afternoon activities begin at 3.00

with card tournaments or organized outings, at 4.00. It is time for a snack and

then they go home. The activities aim at making days pleasant to guests and

motivate them to keep their mind and their body trained.

I stayed with the guests, helped them walking, eating or supporting them

during the games in case of hearing or sight problems. I often read them the

newspaper and then we commented on the news together. Sometimes I pulled

out the numbers of bingo or helped serve meals.

This experience went beyond my expectations because I was very impressed

by the staff attention for the guests and by the calm atmosphere of the place.

Caring for people is one of the fundamental requirements for this profession.

Besides they very patient with me.

I learned how to handle the needs of the elderly: their difficulties in eating and

moving. I believe that this experience has helped me in maturing and opening

my eyes to a reality that I considered so far away from me.

Being the eyes for someone, Mirjam Bertolo

I carried out my internship at the “Unione ciechi e ipovedenti of Pordenone”

hosted in an apartment. There I attended courses on Braille, mobility and

autonomy. During the internship, I took part in a lot of activities, I did some

filing, tided up shelves and organized CDs and DVDs in their computer. I

participated at a session on postural training, where I helped a trainee to do

the movements correctly. Then, I participated at a workshop where we made

stuffed animals. I supported people in the activities they were not able to do,

such as using hot glue. Finally, I edited some holiday books, before being

printed in Braille.

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During the internship I acquired many competences: I can read and write in

Braille, I am able to file CDs and DVDs I can use a programme to print in

Braille I can guide correctly a blind person in an urban area. I can describe an

object to a blind person and understand their need and help when it is

necessary.

As a whole, the experience was various and interesting. I appreciated the

activities I did in February, like postural training and workshops, whereas the

one I did in June was not so interesting. I expected an internship with more

opportunities to relate with people.

Our new guests, Luisa Massa

I chose to do my internship with the cooperative “Nuovi Vicini”. They deal with

refugees and immigrants, they help them to integrate as they come here

because their countries are devastated by wars and conflicts. I got involved in

three projects: Mare Nostrum, that deals with first welcoming of refugeers;

SPRAR (Protection of refugees and Asylum candidates ) which is the second

phase of welcoming, for people who have obtained the asylum in Italy and who

want to start a new life here. The last project, Area Donne, defends women

victims of mistreatments. I spent only one week with them, because they had

a lot of work to do and they did not have much time for us.

After being instructed about the rules I followed the project: SPRAR, I stayed

with Laura, in charge of families’ everyday life; we went shopping to buy things

like pillows or blankets for families in need. Later we visited a Nigerian family

with a little child and brought them two chairs for their apartment. It is a very

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difficult job, because you have to look for all the reductions, sales and

discounts as you cannot spend a lot of money. Furthermore, you have to teach

them a lot of practical things such as how to catch a bus. The purpose is to

enable them to do all these things by themselves.

The third day I worked for the project Mare Nostrum. We went to some

apartments in Aviano, to check that everything was tidied up and we provided

some immigrants with the health card. We were then guests for lunch at five

kind Pakistani's. They cooked chapati, soup, chicken and rice that were very

spicy! It was a fantastic plunge into a different culture! In the afternoon, I

went to Avian Residence, the biggest institution that hosts refugees in the

province of Pordenone. He explained that a social worker has to be strict

because some immigrants have an aggressive attitude, use drugs and drink

alcohol or don't keep their house or rooms clean and so they must be sent

away. I think that this is really important for their social well-being, because if

we try to behave well, we will live in harmony.

The fourth day I took part into Area Donne project, managed by Giulia and

Gilda. Gilda narrated, in a touchy way, how they help women who have been

raped or are victims of begging and mistreatment.

They mainly come from Africa, above all from Nigeria. The project lasts one

year, and in that time the women have to start a new life: healthier, more

independent and more satisfying. The women are usually under thirty, and

there are only few of them, as the workers want to follow them individually.

Those women come from different realities: in their countries they were always

controlled and threatened by others, so now it is really complicated for them

to manage their own life. Every day the workers talk to the women to motivate

and encourage them, without losing the target of the project: to develop

independence.

The last two days we celebrated and spoke about the time we had together,

and greeted each other.

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My internship slipped by fast, I do not know all about this job, but I have a

clearer idea about immigration, and I met lots of nice people that taught me a

lot of important things that are really useful to know. I wish it had lasted

longer than only one week!

Some days at the kindergarten, Rallo Silvia

My internship was from 22nd to 26th of February and from 13th to 17th of June.

In these two weeks I looked after 1-5 year old children in the kindergarten

called “C.Panciera” in Zoppola.

The thing that caught my eye when I entered the door of the kindergarten for

the first time were the decoration that children made and put up at the

entrance: there were a lot of little stars, flowers and pictures. Looking at

everything, I felt that I was suddenly going back to my childhood, into the

kingdom of fairy tales, the children’s world.

Teachers told me that they wanted to promote children's emotions, attitudes,

abilities, knowledge and skills from different points of views. The next days, I

took part in each class: childcare classes, games, activities, and, moreover, I

watched them while they were having a nap. One afternoon, after lunch, I

picked up a story book to read, but when I opened the book there were no

words, only pictures so I started to make up a story: the children listened to

me very interested, smiling and laughing. I felt very well because I was able to

entertain the kids. When I finished the story, they asked me to tell them the

story again but I answered that it was time for them to tell me their story. It

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was very funny: the children’s imagination is incredible and they also exercised

their communication skills.

I also helped to clean and organize the bedrooms. The bed time is an

important moment, you must look after the children while they are sleeping in

case one of them wakes up.

During lunch teachers and I had a table to monitor and see what and how

much a child was eating. After that we helped the children mainly the youngest

to wash their hands. Children called me “maestra Silvia” and some of them,

the ones who could hardly speak, “mamma”. They were so cute! It was also

nice to stay with them, trying to understand why they were crying or sad or

just playing with them.

This internship was very interesting and important for me because it helped

me to understand that this is the job I would like to do in the future.

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At a kindergarten with wings, Serena Rossi

Since I live in the small town in Fiume Veneto, I chose the local private

kindergarden "Scuola dell’Infanzia Angelo Custode" as a volunteer work. The

main reason that led me to choose this was not only its geographical proximity,

but the fact I knew the teachers are very good at dealing with children, as they

are able to maintain discipline and, at the same time, create a relaxed and

quiet atmosphere both during the entertainment activities, and the educative

ones.

My experience started in the best possible way: I received an excellent

welcome that allowed me to establish a strong and positive relationship with all

the staff, educators, teachers and employees who prepared me to operate in a

great working context. I think my interaction with all the staff was friendly and

respectful at the same time. I could learn something from most of the people I

met there. I worked with different teachers, on different days and with

different kids age.

Throughout this period I was an active observer and was able to see how

children appreciate the daily routine which probably reassures them and makes

them feel confident and secure. The activities took place mainly in the

classroom and school garden, alternating games, group activities and moments

of basic manual and artistic work. It was really interesting to see how children

interpreted a drawing, the personal meaning and importance that each one

gave to the shapes represented in it. I watched them during the staging and

inventive games and observed the way they cooperated and helped each other.

Among the group of children who could follow the activities easily, there was

also a child with special needs. During these five days I was able to help some

of the children who were slower and the last days I assisted the teachers while

working with a child affected by autistic syndrome. This was also very

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important for me because I realised that you must be well prepared to work

with children but even more with children with special needs.

During the period of work experience, what I enjoyed most was the

opportunity to observe the “children’s world” closely. This, among other things,

has allowed me to understand that it is very important for the children to have

a reliable person they can count on and trust. It is something that I noticed

especially when I saw some children come towards me and look for my

approval on their behaviour or asking me to take part to their games. This

helped our relationship and cooperation strategies.

I think that this training experience has positively influenced my choice for my

future studies. It has taught me how to approach children in different

situations, and, above all, it has made me realize that working in contact with

children makes me happy and satisfied.

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Editor: Augusta Calderan

Revision Carla Giuliani, Marta Coghetto and Annalisa Zilli

Contributions:

Mirjam Bertolo, Erica Bovolenta, Camilla Brandolese Gorup De Besanez, Irene

Cannizzaro, Marco Colombo, Valentina Corà, Stefani Filipova, Beatrice Gobbo,

Luisa Massa, Silvia Rallo, Giacomo Ravagnolo, Riccardo Rebuzzi, Serena Rossi

and Linda Valvasori