On 17 February 2023, two members of MAP travelled to Padua, Italy, as part of the project to provide psychological and educational support to Ukrainian refugee children, in partnership with the Mission Bambini Foundation and the Department of Psychology of the University of Padua.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, more than 27,000 children have been welcomed in Italy. This project aims to facilitate the reception process of Ukrainian schoolchildren fleeing the war in Milan and Padova, accompanying them in the first phase of their school integration, while preparing and supporting the educational community. The first phase of the project, which ran from April to June 2022, demonstrated the increased need for individual follow-up with 11-14 year-olds, who are more aware of and affected by the war, and less receptive to integration in the classroom.

The day was centered around a visit to the Giovanni XXIII school, where 98% of the students come from disadvantaged and precarious families, most of whom are monitored by the social services and seek asylum. The project to support Ukrainian children was set up within the pre-existing “Spazio Mission Bambini” space, which allows marginalised pupils to be accompanied by Mission Bambini educators, former students of the University. This allowed for individual follow-up with educators to deal with the stress and trauma resulting from the war, and to facilitate their integration into the classroom with the other students. Parents are also followed up in weekly discussion groups. This case-by-case approach is necessary because of the varied contexts of each Ukrainian refugee family.