Intercultural theories and practices are a reality in the European context (Portera, 2020; Catarci, 2021; Gundara, 2012; Allemann-Ghionda, 2009). The community is a fundamental component for educational purposes, as it enables the integration of formal and informal learning, as well as the promotion of extracurricular experiences (European Commission, 2020). Together, they provide a more comprehensive educational offer that facilitates learning opportunities, personal growth and development. Education opportunities, personal growth, and equity must be expanded to prevent students’ dropouts and educational poverty. For a critical situation to become an opportunity, intercultural education and the community must be involved in educational terms and establish educational, civic and social alliances in which the school is a pivot, but not the only actor.  

The project La Mia Scuola È Differente (My School is Different-MSD) aims at operating an after-school program that promotes diversity, fosters social inclusion, and empowers primary/middle schooler children in Padua’s historically marginalized areas (Italy).  Teachers and local educators carry out these actions, which have become even more significant since Covid-19 lockdowns. The neighborhood has over 80% of students with migrant backgrounds, and is affected by cultural segregation, and a lack of integration with the Italian residents. MSD engages all the students (with and without migrant background) in various creative activities. Using the school as a socially inclusive community hub and a transformative space during afternoons, the project reinforces the school's role as a barrier to social exclusion in the neighborhood, while helping parents to keep their children off the streets, in a safe, quality environment during the adults’ working hours. Our Department of Education is now called upon to engage undergraduates to foster (a) children's language, science, and technology learning; and (b) the development of an inclusive and participatory environment. To offer significant, high quality educational initiatives and embodied learning, observing the relevant experiences in the other contexts was pivotal. Prior to the Pandemic, a member of the Paduan research group spent a month at UCLA learning from the Bruin Club (B-Club). In this program, children from 3rd-5th grade are paired with UCLA undergraduates from diverse linguistic, cultural, social class and educational backgrounds. On one hand, undergraduates learn how to support children's interests, follow their lead, and provide space for expertise to shift and be shared. On the other, the children are encouraged to use language and literacy in a wide variety of ways including exploratory play, letter writing, and hands-on STEM activities. B-Club is part of the UC Links: a network that integrates community services with the University's research and teaching missions. The UC Links’ model for high-quality undergraduate and graduate education demonstrates positive results both in the US and worldwide (Underwood & Welsh Mahmood, 2018). The UC Links model has 4 pillars:   

(1) University-community collaboration.  

(2) Formal and informal after-school educational activities.  

(3) Practicum undergraduate coursework and fieldwork experience.  

(4) Research in real-world settings (Underwood & Welsh Mahmood, 2018).  

Considering these premises, the goal is to expand the Italian after-school program with the participation of undergraduates, as per exemplary UC Links practices. The research questions are divided into two categories: the first goes into the process, i.e.   

a. Can the UC Links model be adapted to the Italian context? 

b. How can the involvement of undergraduates contribute to the success of the MSD project? 

The second aspect of the study is related to the people involved and the research questions are 

c. Which relationships are activated in the field? 

d. Are the educational initiatives designed by undergraduates effective at promoting embodied learning and intercultural quality experiences for children? 

e. Do these experiences influence undergraduates' formative experiences?

Distance learning has put back to the center the value of collective experience (Freire, 2000). Relationships are the foundation for a new beginning after the lockdowns (Granata & Ferrero, 2020), for students to have quality experiences attentive to the needs of each child, in an inclusive and intercultural perspective (Portera, 2020). Considering the theoretical background and the structure of the project itself (namely, involving undergraduates in MSD and having them actively participate) a qualitative methodology has been chosen, particularly the ethnographic method. Indeed, doing ethnographic research (Gobbo, 2011; Beach et al., 2004) allows us to understand the point of view of others, to listen and to let the voice of the protagonists be heard, mindfully, as Orellana (2021) argues. In the current initial phase of the project, the working group comprises three undergraduates, a researcher who coordinates and mentors them, and a scientific supervisor. The researcher will be the link between the practice and scientific research fields, guiding and supporting undergraduates in their tasks. The researcher and undergraduates' ethnographic notes and diaries, in addition to text, and artefacts produced by the children will be used to disseminate/report on (a) the activities conducted in MSD and (b) the educational relationships in place when after-school program will restart, in mid-February 2022. Moreover, thanks to the Fulbright project, the professor who coordinates the B-Club will join the Padua research group in Spring 2022. Her presence will contribute to collective field observations and collaborative reflections about processes that can only be understood when first-hand experienced.

This project aims to support the construction and strengthening of sustainable 'educating communities' which can act as the educational infrastructure in a territory and provide children, adolescents, and the whole community with original and integrated educational responses. This is also crucial for the University of Padova and its institutional third mission: the focus on direct interaction with society, improvement of educational realities through the design and implementation of society-participated interventions that benefit the whole community. The field notes that will be collected in the upcoming months will be organised and shared to become the object of analysis and reflection by the research group, thanks to the valuable support of the Fulbright specialist. The outcome of this in-depth analysis will be shared and discussed with the audience during ECER in Yerevan in August 2022.

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