Educational support for children in Kalsa at the Addiopizzo headquarters.”

Since October, Addiopizzo has started offering educational support activities at its headquarters for children in the Kalsa neighborhood. Over time, the confiscated property on Via Lincoln, where the Association’s headquarters is located, has become not only a place of support and assistance for shopkeepers and entrepreneurs who are victims of extortion but also an educational center that welcomes twenty-five children from the historic center of Palermo during the week. These children live in conditions of social marginalization and economic-educational poverty.

The educational support program, carried out by the educators and volunteers of the Association, aims to facilitate learning and the independent completion of schoolwork, as well as to address gaps in basic knowledge for many of the young participants, given the frequent presence of deficiencies that cannot be overlooked.

As part of this initiative, which is made possible thanks to the support of the 8×1000 funds from the Tavola Valdeseand the fruitful collaboration with the principal and teachers of the Rita Borsellino Comprehensive School, the program also includes literacy courses for foreign students.

For some time, the families and children we work with in Kalsa, through various social inclusion activities, have expressed the need for structured educational support. This year, Addiopizzo has decided to take on this need, providing free, continuous, and professional support to many individuals living in contexts of educational poverty.

In a historical period where school dropout rates and functional illiteracy are rising in various parts of the country, we are convinced that prioritizing education, stimulating interest, and valuing personal skills can steer young people away from the potential attraction to deviant behavior.

It is no longer enough to support shopkeepers and entrepreneurs in reporting extortion if we do not take responsibility for removing the conditions of poverty and degradation that contribute to fueling widespread illegality and organized crime.