Accoglienza, inclusione, sostegno educativo a minori e famiglie ieri ed oggi

The welcome, inclusion and educational support provided to minors and families are crucial issues that reflect the degree of civilisation and solidarity within a society. Over the years, these practices have undergone significant changes, moving from often informal and limited models to more structured and integrated systems. Reception has thus become a broader concept, including not only simple reception, but also active support and the creation of an environment conducive to inclusion. The focus on education that welcomes and includes everyone, even those living on the margins of society, was promoted by some teachers in the post-war period who hoped to build a democratic society. Among these, Don Lorenzo Milani should be remembered. Denouncing the stark inequality between the elite class and the masses, he established the Barbiana school, a laboratory of inclusion and democracy aimed at the “least”, where educational opportunities were offered to children from disadvantaged backgrounds through education as a means of social redemption (Scuola di Barbiana, 1967, p. 20).After Barbiana, other practices spread that were aimed at freeing children from ignorance and poverty. As described in Albino Bernardini's exposé, Un anno a Pietralata (A Year in Pietralata), these children were absent from school, unwanted by many teachers, and almost forgotten by those who should have been taking care of them (Sferra, 2013, p. 23).