Education and community: relationships, local areas and change

May 4, 2026News

Fuori Tema continues to bring together schools, local areas and relationships, leaving a tangible and vibrant legacy: an educational community that grows through shared practices, listening and participation.

Being part of a network involving teaching staff, educational figures and the wider community means working together, every day, to support the growth, inclusion and education of the younger generations. It is from this collaboration that the educational community emerges: not a theoretical idea, but a concrete practice, built on mutual relationships and collective responsibility.

In the world we live in, marked by profound changes, inequalities and social tensions, education cannot be neutral: choosing how to educate means choosing what kind of society we help to build.

Fuori Tema has provided a practical space in which to experiment with educational practices capable of generating well-being, meaning and new opportunities. In the classrooms of the ICS Rita Borsellino, the Centre for Creative Development Danilo Dolci ETS has run workshops based on dialogue, experience and active participation, alongside training events dedicated to discussing crucial issues such as public space, the fight against inequality and mutualism.

The sessions with Franco Lorenzoni, Giuseppe Burgio and Paola Cappelletti – leading figures on the national stage – attracted a large turnout, reflecting a widespread need for discussion and in-depth exploration. Through the topics addressed – heuristic dialogue, the pedagogy of differences, and workshops on food as a creative element – we helped to build a shared, dynamic and constantly evolving learning space.

The pedagogy of differences was an integral part of the activities. Today, education means engaging with multiple identities: differences in gender, culture, social background and life experience.

It is not enough simply to acknowledge diversity: it must shape the way we educate and renew our educational perspective. This means deconstructing stereotypes, overcoming exclusionary narratives and creating spaces where every individual is recognised; only in this way can inclusive education be made possible.

This approach echoes the thinking of Danilo Dolci, for whom education means ‘bringing out’, accompanying, and creating the conditions so that every person can express themselves and develop their own abilities.

From this vision springs Fuori Tema, an initiative that promotes educational practices based on participation and sharing.

One of the most significant aspects of the initiative was the development of local relationships: the work was not confined to school premises, but created opportunities for interaction and collaboration between schools, associations, trainers and local communities.

This approach echoes the experience of the Comunità Educante di Palermo (Palermo Educational Community, t.n.), a network born out of grassroots mobilisation and which has grown over time into a space for participation and solidarity. It is a concrete example of how education can become a widespread practice, capable of intertwining schooling, active citizenship and social justice.

The educational community, in fact, functions not merely as a network, but as a way of living within the local area, embodying a community-based welfare system focused on people’s wellbeing, rights and dignity.

Today, education means first and foremost building relationships: this is where change begins and where the opportunity arises to build, together, an education system open to everyone.

Fuori Tema fosters a constantly evolving process, leaving open a path in which the experiences, relationships and practices engaged in constitute a living heritage, capable of transforming, growing and continuing to live on in the local area and in the people involved.

For further information, please read the project overview or contact Riccardo Bellavista: riccardo.bellavista@danilodolci.org.

FuoriTema is a project funded by Con i bambini. The project aims to expand the process of urban regeneration and social innovation already underway in the Kalsa-Sant’Erasmo neighbourhoods of Palermo, fostering the growth of an educational community centred on public space, the fight against inequality and mutual aid. The initiative aims to trial a horizontal organisational model, strengthening dialogue between schools, public bodies and the third sector, with initiatives focused on developing the skills of children, teachers and parents and creating new educational spaces. 

Partners

Read the project overview or contact Riccardo Bellavista: riccardo.bellavista@danilodolci.org.