Take your chance

“Take Your Chance” – Education Against Early School Leaving is a European Voluntary Service project. The project takes place in Palermo from October 2017 to June 2018, and involves two young people between 18 and 30 years old.

The project aims to reduce levels of school dropout, increase literacy levels and strengthen the education and care of children in disadvantaged areas of the city of Palermo. The “Take Your Chance” activities take place in Borgo Vecchio neighbourhood, characterized by high levels of social exclusion and where Per Esempio operates by managing a center against school dropout and collaborating with another center committed to promoting women’s rights. In these contexts, volunteers have the opportunity to deal with issues identified as priorities by the Erasmus+ programme: the fight against educational poverty and female empowerment.

The project intends to achieve the following specific objectives:

• increase the knowledge and skills of volunteers regarding the role and tools of non-formal education in combating school dropout and gender violence;
• increase their awareness of the value of voluntary practice as a tool for active participation, solidarity and social inclusion.

During their service, the two volunteers support the Per Example educators in carrying out:

• activities against school dropout both in partner schools and in the local area. Volunteers are involved in individual and group after-school activities, artistic and creative workshops, city tours and excursions, and in workshops in schools.
• activities in centers that promote gender equality. In this context, they carry out various transversal activities against violence against women, gradually approaching this complex topic, closely connected with the sphere of youth and children and therefore linked to the phenomenon of school dropout. They support the Per Example staff in creating creative workshops dedicated to mothers and children, aimed at strengthening parenting skills, and outdoor activities aimed at families, such as excursions and visits of historical and artistic interest.