Cirillo F. (2020), Working with school to promote community development: The «Let’s start together» initiative, in “Relational Social Work”, 4(1): 59-66 - DOI: 10.14605/RSW412005

Multi-ethnic neighbourhoods are widespread in Italy, especially in suburban areas, and are often characterised by economic and educational poverty. In this context, schools perform a significant role. Educational institutions help children experience first-hand socialisation by helping them learn the rules of society and develop social relationships. To carry out this important task, «educational coresponsibility» with families is an unchallengeable condition. This collaboration, especially within a multicultural context, can sometimes be difficult to achieve because of different cultural backgrounds of the families; this is why it should be promoted through innovative projects and actions. This is one of the objectives pursued by «relAzioni», a non-profit organisation (NPO) that has been operating in a city in the north of Italy since 2012. The NPO runs a big project in a neighbourhood isolated from the rest of the city, where the immigrant foreign population, physically separated from the Italian population, currently lives. This situation also has repercussions at the school level, starting from the presence of immigrant children who have been registered mainly near the neighbourhood. This study focuses on the methodology of the community social work applied to improving multiethnic cohabitation and strengthening relationships and social ties within the school. The action will focus, in particular, on some activities carried out with families with children aged between 3 and 10 years. The participatory methods and strategies implemented will highlight the importance of collaboration between schools, parents, and community members.