Conference Program

This study seeks to describe the educational situation in at-risk areas of Catania. The main goal is to analyse the presence and role of public institutions and third-sector organizations in preventing school dropout. This work also aims to assess the degree of homogeneity and specificity observed across the monitored areas with regard to active initiatives, existing challenges, and forms of collaboration.

Educational poverty limits children’s right to education and reduces their opportunities to develop the skills necessary to grow and integrate into society. This phenomenon arises from a lack of resources and opportunities within social and territorial contexts and negatively affects minors’ cognitive development. Its consequences include difficulties in learning, comprehension, writing, numeracy, and the ability to cope with everyday problems and practical tasks.

The metropolitan city of Catania shows very high levels of educational poverty: the school dropout rate has reached 26% (Openpolis, 2025). This situation particularly affects minors living in families with low levels of education and in difficult socioeconomic conditions. Many young people interrupt their studies to contribute economically to their families, sometimes becoming involved in informal or illegal activities. Schools play a central role in combating early school leaving, both through their own educational tools and through collaboration with institutions and voluntary organizations operating in the local area. Projects promoted by these actors aim to reduce the risk of dropout and to offer new learning opportunities, thereby fostering pathways out of intergenerational poverty and supporting social mobility.

The research is structured in two phases: I) the selection and mapping of local areas that are experiencing the highest levels of social deprivation, identified through ISTAT data; II) the reconstruction of intervention strategies through interviews and questionnaires administered to schools and voluntary organizations.

Methodologically, the research adopts a mixed-methods approach. It combines analysis of secondary data with qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews and questionnaires administered to schools and voluntary organizations, to reconstruct local intervention strategies.

The findings highlight a complex and differentiated phenomenon. Economic, social, and, in some cases, infrastructural difficulties – such as those observed in the district of Librino and San Cristoforo – make efforts to counter educational poverty particularly challenging. Nevertheless, multidisciplinary approaches and shared, project-based work involving multiple stakeholders have proven effective in developing educational pathways that address the specific needs of minors.