1. Isabella Belcari – Ginevra Giacomelli – Rita Orsi
Fondazione Nazionale Carlo Collodi – Pescia, Italy
Overview Report on A.L.I.C.E. Project
ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25 2013
24/10/2013

2. General Overview 01
Fondazione Nazionale Carlo Collodi (National Carlo Collodi Foundation) Italy, www.pinocchio.it
Dedicated to cultural activities in the name of the Author of the Adventures of Pinocchio
Partner institution in A.L.I.C.E., with:

specific focus on disabled people

charge of the Learning Unit on Children’s Literature in the online course for Trainers

participation and coordination of 2 trainers: Ms Ginevra Giacomelli, Ms Rita Orsi,
Our trainers’ profile:

both qualified for teaching in primary school

1 has been teaching in various school levels for about 15 years

1 about to discuss 2nd level degree in Primary Education - experienced as intern in primary
school

both have an experience of some years as young people in an organization which provides
informal education to the young
Number of ALPPs carried out: 2, 1 for each trainer
Disabled people among the beneficiaries in both ALPPs
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
2

3. General Overview 02
The ALLPs context
Public policies for disability in Italy
-
disabled children attend school with non disabled ones since pre-school; during school
activities they have right to a specific assistance, defined case by case according to type and
degree of disabilities. In case of very severe disability, they may be exempted from
schooling;
disabled adults (not the elderly) can either placed in jobs that suit their abilities, or to
receive assistance - at home or in specific structures - the latter in case of very severe
disabilities
The basic idea:
- integration and common life of disabled and non disabled are to be preferred, accessibility and
specific support given;
- special environment is provided when integration is not possible because of facts inherent to
the disability degree, and in the main interest of the disabled person.
Our ALLPs took place:
in a pre-school with 54 children, 1 with disability;
in a day centre for severely mentally disabled adults with 20 guests (aged 18-54)
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
3

4. General Overview 03
The ALLPs context
•
•
•
•
•
number of associated partners: 2 (1 for each ALLP)
number of adults involved as volunteers: 12 (8+4)
number of children involved: 54
number of mentally disabled adults involved: 18
number of disabled children involved: 1
Of the adults involved by our trainers, 1 was a 100% volunteer (an elder lady); the others are
education practitioners who accepted to implement a new methodology with extra or new
activities in the framework of their everyday work
Through ALICE we discovered that
our territory hardly has volunteer groups or non professional associations
with educational aims
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
4

5. Initial situation - PROS & CONS
PROS

2 motivated trainers with previous experience in educational activities

Will of cooperation formally expressed by:
- Local pre-primary school;
- Local Social and Health Service - Support to Disabilities Dept.;

Interest in new approaches and experiences in structured educational environments
CONS
•
Hardships in finding trainers (main reason: fear of not measuring up to the project demands)
•
Shortage of existing groups of volunteers or associations with activity connected with
A.L.I.C.E. issues and activities
•
Lack of conditions for “fluid” educational environments (no physical spaces, poor
availability of people)
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
5

6. OUR ALLPs
-Granma’s Storytime, in cooperation with a volunteer and with the Pre-primary
School in Pesciamorta staff – carried out by Rita Orsi
-Pinocchio’s Story is Everybody’s Story, in cooperation with the Public Daily
Centre for Mentally Disabled Adults “Centro Anch’io” staff – carried out by
Ginevra Giacomelli
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
6

7. Granma’s Story Time - 01
Creative Language: Literature, Theatre, Art
Key Competences: KC1, KC5, KC6, KC8
Nr of sessions: 7 + 1
Average adults per session: 4
Total adults: 4 (2 teachers, 1 caregiver, 1 elder volunteer)
Total children: 54 (a 3-year old with Down syndrome)
Period: March-May 2013
The Wolf and the 7 Kids chosen for story time became a drama performance which involved all
the pupils and the senior volunteer.
Performed both in classroom with school staff (teachers + caregivers), and in front of parents,
families, other schools’ staff on school year closing celebration.
In agreement with school staff and school authorities, project booklet will be given around to
families and they will be encouraged to have storytelling sessions with children, and to
volunteer for story time at school (action date: November 2013).
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
7

8. Granma’s Story Time – 02
Volunteer profile: elder lady recently retired and widowed, with a grandchild attending the preschool involved.
Activity profile: reading aloud, conversation with the children, drama
The activity took place in the frame of a school-year-long project namely focused on emotion
recognition, especially fear, management of scary or dangerous situations etc.
ISSUES
 Respect and integration of different roles between the volunteer and the practitioners
 Keep clear the difference in time and purpose between the story time and the lesson time
PLUS
 emotional climate generated by “granma’s” presence and attitude
 thanks to this, children outdid their expected abilities and competences in various activities
 emotional quality and emulation of peers also helped the child with Down syndrome to take
part in all activities as schoolmates did
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
8

9. Granma’s Story Time – 03
Granma reading as part of the drama adaptation performed in front of the pupils’ families
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
9

10. Pinocchio’s Story is Everybody’s Story 01
Creative Language: Children's literature, music, theatre, art
Key Competences: KC1, KC5, KC7, KC8
Nr of sessions: 12 + 2
Average adults per session: 2
Total adults: 8
Total beneficiaries (adults with severe mental disabilities): 18
Period: April-May 2013
The Adventures of Pinocchio => cultural item to share with the centre guests. They risk to be
excluded from shared culture because of their disability. It served as a trigger for verbalisation of
thoughts, comparisons, needs from the side of the centre guests, and as an input for the
educators/volunteers to find out various languages and approaches to share this story. The
output is a staging of Pinocchio with puppets, drawings, music, dance, with the educators and the
centre guests as narrators/actors/dancers.
In July, an article on the experience was issued in the magazine of the Health Service of the
Province of Pistoia. Further sharing of the experience: with the families in Pinocchio Park (October
29, 2013).
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
10

11. Pinocchio’s Story is Everybody’s Story 01
Volunteer profile: practitioners in special education and care of the adults. They have implemented the
activity in their job framework, yet accepting to implement an integrated work method new and different
from their usual activities
Activity profile: reading aloud, drawing, modelling with plasticine, choosing music and building
coreography, movie watching, manipulate dolls and puppets to build dramatization as final output
The activity took place in the daily centre as part of cares and inputs provided to guests of the centre by
educators and caregivers, to ensure their well being and enhance social/practical skills
ISSUES
 Difficult relationship of guests with novelties and new people
 Very short attention span; very different kind and degree of abilities
PLUS
 sympathy for Pinocchio, identification in his desires and fears
 variety of different inputs received and of roles/degree of participation possible
 enthusiasm for the result
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
11

12. Pinocchio’s Story is Everybody’s Story 03
Scenes from the final performance
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
12

13. Pinocchio’s Story is Everybody’s Story 04
Scenes from the final performance
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
13

14. Some Conclusions
PROS
 children’s literature sharing is an activity that people love, both as tellers/readers and as listeners
 can start out unimagined abilities and resources
 much seems due to the emotional values and mechanisms that sharing stories carries along
 creative activities based on children’s literature integrate and visibly help the formal, professional
activities of different categories of education practitioners
DOS
 recognition of the local situation concerning volunteering beforehand. It could be hard (obstacles:
habits to be changed, time, place) to start anew a volunteer group/association or have the
already existing ones adapting to the project's aims
 care the relationship that might arise (depending on the context) between professional educators
and volunteers, or volunteers and families, to avoid unintentional intrusions in each others' role
 adopt a cooperative, inclusive and “multilanguage” approach to include people with disabilities,
counting on the cooperation of the peers too
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
14

15. THANK YOU!
24/10/2013
Overview report on ALICE Project ALPPs
A.L.I.C.E. Final Conference
Bucharest, October 24-25-2013
15