Conference Program

In a context marked by intensified migratory flows, processes of racialization, and the polarization of public discourse, interculturality is assumed as a constitutive dimension of a substantive and situated democracy. This contribution adopts a critical stance that goes beyond the rhetoric of “diversity” and situates social and intercultural justice as a framework for meaning and action, illuminating the power asymmetries that cross bodies, borders, and forms of knowledge (Catarci & Fiorucci, 2015; Tarozzi & Torres, 2016; Aman, 2017).

From this perspective, non-formal education (NFE) is understood as an intentional, flexible, and contextual pedagogical-political space capable of generating transformative learning through dialogic and participatory practices (Schugurensky, 2020; Romi & Schmida, 2019). It is rooted in Dewey’s idea of experience as the matrix of knowledge and democracy as a form of associated living (Dewey, 1916/1938), in Kolb’s experiential learning cycle (1984), and in Freire’s emancipatory pedagogy founded on dialogue, conscientization, and praxis (Freire, 1970/2018).

These frameworks interweave with key contributions from the Italian tradition of popular education. Dolci’s reciprocal maieutics (1988; 1996) highlights dialogue as a tool for shared planning and nonviolent social transformation. Lorenzetto (1963; 1994) situates adult literacy within the context of lifelong education and active citizenship, while the experiences of don Milani and don Sardelli show how the spoken word and educational relationships can become devices of dignity and empowerment within marginalised contexts.

In the European landscape, instruments for recognizing non-formal and informal learning (EQF; Cedefop 2009–2016; Eurydice, 2024) offer opportunities to valorize intercultural, relational, and civic competences developed in real-life contexts. However, challenges persist due to territorial heterogeneity, fragmented regulations, and barriers to access, particularly for vulnerable groups. Hence, integrative strategies are proposed, such as co-designing intercultural skills with communities and services, creating forms of mediation rooted in local proximity networks, and developing community-based micro-credential systems.

Three case studies highlight the operational nature of NFE as a situated practice of social justice. At the Valdocco Oratory, within the Universal Civil Service, cooperative workshops involve young people with diverse backgrounds, fostering responsibility, nonviolent conflict management, and interreligious participation. At the Matera Penitentiary Institute, artistic workshops and the production of the magazine S-catenati support identity reconnection processes for incarcerated people and migrants. Within the Reception and Integration System of the Municipality of Latina, the Theatre of the Oppressed and the workshop “Mothers Without Borders” enable migrant women and victims of trafficking to engage with performative devices of speech, self-narration, and mutual support, revealing through an intersectional lens the entanglement of gender, migrant status, and socio-economic vulnerabilities.

Building on these experiences, non-formal education emerges as a pedagogical and political space capable of generating situated learning and expanding opportunities for democratic participation, fostering the creation of intercultural and democratic environments. The educational and humanizing process that sustains it challenges traditional rigidities and hierarchies, promoting models rooted in participatory democracy, social cohesion, and attention to context.