This project was developed with the objective of preventing the students’ dropping off in VETs schools. In order to achieve this aim, eight partners (from different countries and backgrounds) are cooperating for creating methodological strategies that enhance motivation and well-being of students. From 15th to 17th November 2022, members of 3H project gathered in UFIL Puerta Bonita, a VET school that provides formation to young people at high risk of social exclusion.
UFIL Puerta Bonita has 35 years of experience in this area, and the program is fully designed to provide a holistic formation that improves knowledge skills, enhances social integration, and prepares students for their insertion into the labor world. Flexibility and putting the students in the focus of their formation are part of this program’s curriculum. The first part of the training was devoted to explaining the peculiarities of our school and students, even though UFIL is part of the public educational system, there are some differences that made the functioning of the school different from all other VET schools: – Students from 16 to 19 years old, without a secondary school degree with a wide range of profiles and backgrounds. – Joint tutoring: one technical and one classroom teacher per group – Individualized and flexible approach – Coordination with other resources (NGOs, associations…) – Students participate in the decision–making process – UFIL has enrollment process is open yearly Once a context was provided, the next step of the training was describing what good practices related to well-being and motivation are being developed in the school. The first session was dedicated to coexistence. One strength related to this aspect is the Women’s Group. This good practice is the response to the necessities of the female students at the school. They have a very vulnerable socio-affective context and are very influenced by the idea of romantic love, so they tend to establish toxic relationships. The group gathers fortnightly, the program is designed by the teachers and the students together attending to the necessities and expectations of the students, the approach of the sessions is feminist and systemic, the privacy is respected, and the teachers in charge create a safe atmosphere. As a result of this work there is a good communication between the teachers and the female students, they have established a mutual support group and tend to help frequently each other. Another good practice that improves the coexistence in the school is the mediation project. It has the aim of preventing bullying situations and it is coordinated by the technical professor of community services (PTSC). A team of students and the coordinator teacher has been created, they have the task of identifying conflicts, trying to solve it and informing the teachers. If they are not able to get an agreement, then we carry out mediation, at this moment only the PTSC is doing this assignment but in the next steps the students will take part. The next sessions were dedicated to the workshops and motivation. One of our hallmarks, the Production Projects, has been considered an important tool to improve the engagement of the students with the school and the trade that they are studying. These projects are intimately related to the labor world since they are work essays with the main goal of approaching the reality to the workshops. The first step of this practice consist of the order made by an institution to the school, then the students and the teachers together do a budget, and a material provision, after they make the work itself. This way of working with the pupils improves the responsibility and personal autonomy, the teamwork and develops customer-dealing skills. The last session was the most well evaluated, and the most interesting. The teachers visiting the school were able to work with the students following the model that we have for our Workshops exchanges, in which each group of students visits and works with another group of a different workshop for some hours. This practice allows one to know better the workshop that the person is visiting, to establish relationships and to put in valor the work that is carried on in the different workshops. As a conclusion these days of training in UFIL were a chance to reflect on how we are contributing to enhance the wellbeing and the motivation of our students. The discussions, workshops and evaluations gave all the participants a starting point to implement these good practices in the different organizations and an opportunity for improvement for our school. 3 H Project is coordinated by ENAC, Italy. Other partners are: • ENDO-FAP, Roma, Italy • Centro San Viator, Sopuerta, Basque country, Spain Friesland College, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands • Luovi Vocational College, Oulu, Finland • Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore, Milano, Italy • UFIL Puerta Bonita, Madrid, Spain • STEP Institut, Ljubljana, Slovenia
