The research project sets out to analyse the processes and conditions that can facilitate or, on the contrary, penalise forms of participation and identity construction by young children, particularly migrant children, in education and healthcare.

The general goal of the study is to expand and improve the competence of adults who take care of young children and adolescents in understanding their relationship, education, wellbeing and health needs, in order to facilitate processes of participation and identity construction in these important real-life contexts.
 

More specifically, the research goal involves exploring the multiple skills that children and teenagers have acquired and used during their educational, wellness and healthcare experiences, focusing also on the ways in which these competences are recognised and validated by adults who take care of them.

The research pursues these objectives through 5 specific actions:

1. Reconstruction of the situation of child migrants in the education and healthcare systems through the analysis of data and best practices nationwide and within the 5 specific action areas (Alessandria, Turin, Modena, Reggio Emilia and Florence)
2. Quantitative analysis of children (migrants and Italians), their parents, teachers and healthcare workers in order to reconstruct the cultural and social life conditions within the specific areas
3. Qualitative analysis that, regarding UNIPO, is oriented toward collecting and comparing the point of view of Italian and migrant children suffering from diabetes and asthma, and of their parents and healthcare workers who look after them as regards auto and hetero competences, in the understanding and management of chronic disease. Particular attention will be paid to analysis of potential difficulties or strengths in management of chronic disease in the scholastic field, and the communicative ways in which relationships and integration are constructed in education and healthcare contexts.
4. Analysis and integration of data collected by quantitative and qualitative studies
5. From the point of view of innovation: production of guidelines for concrete actions in the education field, creation of tools for training of parents and healthcare workers and evaluation of their work. Such materials and tools will be announced through the creation of websites.

Participating universities: Universities of Piemonte Orientale, Turin, Modena and Reggio Emilia, and Florence.
Organisations: Elementary and middle schools in the 5 participating areas, Children’s Hospitals (for the project section managed by UNIUPO: Ospedale Infantile Regina Margherita of Turin and Ospedale Infantile “Cesare Arrigo” of Alessandria), intercultural mediation cooperatives in the 5 areas of the research project.