Monday, March 23rd, at 5:00 PM, the public presentation event of the "Safe School" Fidae protocol at the Gonzaga Campus with families, institutions, and the educational community
The Gonzaga Campus in Palermo promotes a public meeting dedicated to the theme of child protection, prevention of bullying and cyberbullying, and educational co-responsibility on Monday, March 23rd, at 5:00 PM, at its Auditorium. During the evening, open to families, institutions, the world of education, and the city, the Gonzaga Campus will be awarded the FIDAE “Safe School” certification. The Gonzaga Campus presents itself as the first school in Sicily to adopt the FIDAE national protocol and receive the certificate of conformity.
The meeting will be attended by Virginia Kaladich (national president of FIDAE) and Avv. Emanuele Montemarano (coordinator of the drafting of the Protocol) who will illustrate the operational contents of the document and its educational and organizational value for schools. The program also includes a moment of discussion on the theme of the educational pact between school, families, and the territory.
The FIDAE Protocol “Safe School” organically addresses the main aspects related to the protection of minors in Catholic schools: protection from all forms of abuse and harmful behavior, combating bullying and cyberbullying, protection of the privacy of minors, the safety of school environments, transportation, and facilities that host off-site activities. The document also refers to the Guidelines for the protection of minors in Catholic schools published by the National Council of Catholic Schools in 2022.
More than a set of procedures, the Protocol proposes a true culture of care: not just intervening when the problem arises, but building environments, relationships, and adult responsibilities in the daily life of the school that are capable of preventing discomfort, recognizing signs of fragility, and safeguarding the dignity of every minor. In this sense, the "safe school" is not just a school that applies rules but an educational community that organizes itself around prevention, listening, transparency, and co-responsibility.
“The document is the result of a complex work that involved, at the national level, teachers and educational coordinators of schools– declares Virginia Kaladich, national president of FIDAE –.In this first phase we are addressing Catholic schools but, we believe it is essential to extend this path to the entire Italian school system. In accordance with current legislation, the Protocol aims to be a guide that focuses primarily on prevention, placing, in a broad way, the care, respect, and protection of our young people at the center”. The president of FIDAE also emphasizes the value of the path started by the Gonzaga Campus, which has chosen to take on this commitment in a public and verifiable way.
“The Protocol intends to strengthen the path of protection of minors in schools, offering school staff a complete guide regarding the measures to be adopted, both in a preventive function and in the management of critical episodes– states Avv. Emanuele Montemarano–.In particular, it represents an important guarantee for families precisely because of the integral approach dedicated to the protection of the minor and for the possibility, for Catholic schools, to obtain the 'Safe School' certification from FIDAE’”. During the day of March 23rd, Avv. Montemarano will also meet with young people and teachers in moments specifically dedicated to the study of the Protocol.
“Educating means first of all taking care of people– declares p. Vitangelo Denora, general director of the Gonzaga Campus –.Being the first school in Sicily to adopt this Protocol means taking on a responsibility and sharing a cultural path that we hope can also be undertaken by other schools on the Island. For us, this recognition does not represent a simple formal goal but the public expression of a deeper educational commitment: to grow healthy relationships in a positive and serene school environment, where every child, boy, and adolescent can feel protected, listened to, respected, and accompanied”. “It is not enough to repress the negative episode when it manifests itself; it is necessary to build educational contexts and healthy relationships that make good possible – adds p. Denora–. In a city like Palermo, where the growth of young people is intertwined with social fragility but also with a strong tradition of educational citizenship, the school is called to be a stronghold of trust, legality, and alliance between adults”.
Also the General States for childhood, adolescence and youth policies of the city of Palermo have recalled the urgency of putting the rights, needs, and aspirations of the youngest at the center, recognizing the fundamental role of educational communities and emphasizing that prevention is built with a network of communities, with proximity services and with educational alliances territorial between schools, families, associations, parishes, and institutions. “In this framework– concludes p. Denora–we consider the certification not as a point of arrival but as the beginning of a path shared with families and with the entire educational community. As a school of the Jesuit tradition, we also deeply feel the strong commitment that the Catholic Church and the Society of Jesus are expressing on the theme of the protection of minors: for us it is not an accessory aspect, but an essential dimension of the educational mission”.