Starting from the end of 2022, we initiated the early stages of a broad initiative (with a long-term horizon) in Palermo, aimed at enriching the educational offerings and countering the risk of educational failure in certain public schools in the city, particularly in the neighborhoods of Settecannoli, Cuba-Calatafimi, Albergheria-Ballarò, and Brancaccio-Sperone, which are characterized by high levels of educational poverty.

Now in its second year of operation, the Masì initiative, which means “together” in Greek, currently involves 11 schools, 108 classes (fourth and fifth grades of elementary school, and first, second, and third grades of middle school), and over 1,800 students.

This initiative thrives on close collaboration between schools and several local nonprofit organizations (Libera Palermo, Mare Memoria Viva, Centro d’Accoglienza Padre Nostro, and Per Esempio), whose educators, with nearly 40,000 hours of planned educational activities throughout the year, are now an integral part of the educational offerings of the three institutions.

Through the implementation of innovative and interdisciplinary teaching methodologies among teachers and educators, the initiative aims to prevent educational failure among students and the phenomenon of infrequency, promoting an improvement in learning outcomes