Conference Program

This presentation will explain the findings of a case study to highlight the key aspects of democratic practices and activities used in resilience building in an alternative educational community following Hurricane Maria (2017) in Puerto Rico.

The analysis emphasizes the role of schools as entities that acted appropriately when governments failed to respond promptly and effectively to the crisis (Amnesty International, (2018). Schools, as “protective collectives” (Vargas-Díaz & Zambrana-Ortiz, 2019), extending beyond their physical facilities, also undertook the work of building resilience—psychological, emotional, physical, and community-based—resulting from the interaction between protective and risk factors, both individual and environmental (Celinski & Allen, 2017). However, to effectively strengthened protective factors that will mitigate losses of the human ecology, this must be accompanied by cultivating critical thinking in students and, in adults, promoting a democratic culture of care (Gilligan, 1982) within the community, delegating and co-working on community solutions, seeing the Otherness within the community (Falcón, 2008), as well as continuously cultivating human social capital (Putnam, Leonardi & Nonetti, 1995).

Alternative schools are in a particular favourable position to enhance these democratic practices which allow its participants -early school leavers from economically disadvantaged communities-, to encourage a sense of belonging and commitment (Barrientos, 2022). Community understanding of the causes and effects of socio-natural phenomena requires a critical and preventative approach, geared towards the active development of resilience and social justice, as Fraser (1996) described it, encompassing redistribution and representation. Prioritizing the development of democratic practices is a strong tool to nurture the internal strength to become “resilient to vulnerability" in alternative schooling environments. By grounding theoretical and technical elements in the school community´s realities and worldviews, the result will be a school community that may positively enhance its future autonomy, equilibrium, and peace.

The importance of incorporating student participation in school life as a fundamental pillar of education for democratic citizenship has been emphasised in academic literature and political agendas in recent decades. Authors such as Bauman (2008) and Brown (2015) argue that social atomisation, neoliberal logics and intersectional inequalities are eroding the foundations of democracy. However, although policy frameworks increasingly recognise student participation as central to democratic citizenship, research shows a gap between official discourse and school practice (e.g. Farstad, 2015; Martínez et al., 2023; Tursunović 2005). Moreover, qualitative studies exploring students’ lived experiences of democracy remain limited (Haraldstad et al., 2021).

The study we present addresses this gap by analysing the discourses of students, teachers and management teams in five secondary schools in Spain. Drawing on Feu et al. (2016) four-dimensional model of school democracy—governance, coexistence, alterity and ethos—it examines how student participation is understood and enacted, identifying elements that either approach or diverge from a fully democratic school model.

To this end, a multiple case study was designed, incorporating the perspectives of 15- to 16-year-old students (n = 32), teachers (n = 21) and management teams (n = 8) from five secondary schools in Spain. This includes schools in high-need areas with high dropout rates. Throughout the thematic analysis process, the results are presented according to their theoretical and conceptual relevance. This enables the identification of facilitators and barriers to student participation in schools in relation to the concept of school democracy, including structural, relational, cultural, ethical, and pedagogical aspects.

The analysis focuses on practices aimed at enhancing students’ participation in secondary schools and strengthening their engagement with education and society as a strategy to prevent early school leaving. Indeed, according to the participants, the main challenge of school democracy in terms of participation is making students feel like co-participants in the educational community and fostering a shared identity. This aspect occupies a central position in the participants' narratives. In this regard, the key factors identified in the study are: 1) fostering social relationships between peers and between students (and their families) and teachers; 2) respecting and valuing differences; 3) implementing activities and methodologies that encourage students to play an active role; and 4) promoting activities, subjects and/or projects that encourage students to engage with their local community. Additionally, the study reaffirms the need to move toward a conception of participation as a structural dimension of the educational project of secondary schools, one that goes beyond the classic representative model and incorporates everyday practices of deliberation, co-responsibility, and collective action (Cook-Sather, 2020; Lozano-Estivalis et al., 2023), while also opening the debate on the meaning, forms, and limits of school democracy in broader terms.

Interactions between young children are key to understanding how the foundations for participation and belonging are articulated from early childhood. Various pedagogical approaches agree that educational democracy requires environments that guarantee pupils' dignity, promote genuine forms of participation and address the structural causes that give rise to exclusion or inequality. These premises find an obvious parallel in the role that daily interactions between children in the early years of life play in the nursery school context, as they shape relational spaces where autonomy, negotiation, peer care and coexistence are at play.

Firstly, children's interactions constitute early practices of freedom and democracy. Democratic and critical pedagogies, represented by authors such as Dewey and Freire, argue that democracy is learnt by living and practising it in everyday life, especially in relationships (Dewey, 1997; Freire, 2000). From this perspective, children's spontaneous interactions—negotiating meanings, listening and being listened to, managing conflicts and exercising autonomy—become experiences that anticipate incipient forms of agency and democratic coexistence.

A well-designed early years setting, as a mindful context, is a space where participation and individual responsibility in collective endeavour are put into practice, and not merely a place where rules or values are taught in an abstract way.

Secondly, educational research indicates that participation, voice and trusting relationships become protective factors against early school leaving, especially in contexts characterised by social inequalities. When, from early childhood, environments are provided where the child is listened to, cooperation is promoted and relationships are valued, conditions are created that foster well-being, educational continuity and a bond with the school.

In this context, a significant contribution is made through a qualitative study that analyses in depth the interactions between children aged 1 to 3.5 years in nursery school. Through a process of direct and systematic observation, the relational network that emerges from the children's daily lives is described and classified, and the nature, the duration and complexity of interactions in natural situations, offering a glimpse into the richness and diversity of these early forms of relationship that are the basis of a participatory and democratic education.

The results reveal the richness, variety and sociocognitive value of these relationships, demonstrating that children learn from and with their peers and that their interactions constitute mechanisms of mutual learning, the construction of agency and socio-emotional development. This empirical corpus reinforces the idea that true democratic education begins in the early years of life by showing that early interactions operate as genuine practices of freedom and coexistence, anticipating forms of participation and social engagement characteristic of participatory education.

In summary, interactions between young children can be understood as the first manifestation of a daily democratic practice. These experiences foster the building of bonds and the creation of caring and belonging environments, thus contributing to the prevention of future inequalities. Indeed, the need is highlighted to address early childhood as a privileged space for promoting democratic education practices from day one.

Early school leaving is increasingly understood as the outcome of intertwined educational, social and cultural processes, calling for systemic approaches that connect schools with territorial resources and non-formal educational services (European Commission, 2020; Pandolfi, 2017; Save the Children, 2025). Yet, in many contexts, schools struggle to recognize after-school settings as a pedagogical infrastructure, often treating them as ancillary support (Jilink, Leseman, Slot & Gevers, 2025). This paper addresses this tension by focusing on the professional learning of pre-service primary teachers and their capacity to “see” and interpret didactic processes occurring beyond the classroom (Passalacqua, 2022), with specific attention to peer tutoring practices in a community-based service.

The study is situated in San Siro (Milan), within the “L’ABC del quartiere” service, a polyfunctional educational centre aimed at preventing educational vulnerability and supporting learning in a complex multicultural area. The service is managed by a multidisciplinary team, under the scientific supervision of Prof. Zecca (University of Milan-Bicocca) and educators and student-teachers get involved through internship pathways and community service learning programs (Fredella, 2025; Zecca 2024).

In line with previous work on individualized tutoring in ABC (Cotza, Coacci, Fredella, 2025), the focus is on tutoring interactions as intentional dialogic practices that support learning through scaffolding, co-construction of meaning, and the mediation between formal school demands and meaningful educational activities.

We examine a training experiment within the third-year course “Metodologia della Ricerca Pedagogica” (Primary Teacher Education, University of Milano-Bicocca). Students carried out structured fieldwork in ABC (and other non-formal settings), combining an online briefing, a guided visit with agreed documentation, interviews with key actors, and a short research report focused on peer tutoring and the educational meaning of the school–after-school relationship.

Data include explicitation interviews with ABC coordinators, course instructors, and approximately 12 participating students. A thematic analysis examines (1) students’ initial representations of after-school services, (2) shifts in beliefs about learning, vulnerability and agency emerging from boundary crossing, and (3) students’ recognition of after-school tutoring as didactic work that can be supported, translated and connected to schooling.

Results indicate a reframing trajectory rather than a sharp conversion: students’ initial tendency to interpret after-school mainly as homework support progressively expands towards a more articulated understanding of peer tutoring as situated pedagogy, in which relationships, dialogic mediation and pupils’ agency are seen as educational levers that can sustain engagement and continuity between learning environments.

We outline three practical implications: strengthen research-based placements in non-formal settings as guided inquiry (not simple visits) to build a shared language with community services. Sharpen the didactic focus through systematic observation tools targeting tutoring moves (tasks, scaffolding, feedback, participation). Finally, involve young peer tutors as co-informants, inviting them to narrate and explain their practices to make tacit strategies visible and foster school–after-school dialogue.

This contribution is situated within the broader debate on “educational poverty”, acknowledging the ambivalent nature of this concept. On the one hand, the notion of educational poverty aims to compensate for inequalities experienced by children growing up in disadvantaged contexts (Bersanti, 2023; Milani, 2020). On the other hand, it risks reinforcing a deficit-based perspective, positioning individuals and families as “needy” and potentially obscuring broader social responsibilities (Arena, 2025; Finetti, 2023).

The contribution focuses on selected final results of the “Il Ponte” (The Bridge) Project, coordinated by Associazione La Strada – Der Weg and funded by the social enterprise Con i Bambini. The project targeted preschool children attending ten kindergartens in South Tyrol. It was implemented in collaboration with several third-sector organizations, including Arciragazzi Bolzano, Cooperativa sociale EOS, Fondazione Forum Prävention, and Fondazione Südtiroler Kinderdorf ONLUS.

The main objective of the project was to foster the creation of an inclusive educational environment capable of strengthening connections between kindergartens, families, and local services. This goal was pursued through the introduction of a dedicated educator figure within kindergartens. This professional role was designed to act as a “bridge” between different educational actors, supporting children’s development, facilitating communication with families, and promoting access to community resources. Educators carried out activities on three levels: within the kindergarten with children and teachers; in fostering cooperation between kindergartens and families; and in promoting collaboration between kindergartens and local services and organizations.

The evaluation of the project was conducted by the Libera Università di Bolzano-Bozen using a participatory approach aimed at giving voice to professionals and families involved in the project. The research design adopted followed a convergent mixed-methods approach (Trinchero & Robasto, 2019), in which qualitative and quantitative data were collected with interviews and questionnaires in parallel and subsequently integrated into a comprehensive interpretative framework with the goals of describing the initial context, documenting implemented actions, and assessing perceived outcomes.

Parallel to the evaluation process, the partner organizations—coordinated by Fondazione Forum Prävention—initiated a participatory process to define the professional profile, responsibilities, and functions of the educator within the kindergarten. This process aims to clarify the educator’s role in relation to kindergartens, families, and territorial services with the key objective to promote institutional recognition at the provincial level and move beyond project-based funding towards sustainable policy frameworks.

The presentation will illustrate selected project activities, key outcomes emerging from the evaluation, and the current state of work on formalizing the educator’s role.