thanks Jen,

you've done an excellent job! I'm back in London and still a bit nostalgic about our intense days on Nave Italia !

take care,

Ale

ciao jenni!
very well written.
un bacio, a presto!

luigi

Dear all,

Nave Italia YPG8 program developed an educational program aimed to reach a consensus on the G8 Summit topics. This has been summurized in the Declaration submitted to each of G8 summit Presidents trough the Italian Foreign Office.
In addition, all eductors concentrated their effort on teaching functional life (FL) skills as the better approach to unclude young people with same disadvantage. This was mainly accomplished trough an experience learning and team building approach.
Functional Life skills are skills that are important for day to day living. These skills often include skills that will have to be taught by somebody else if not taught at school.
Thus, when returning home, all YPG8 partecipants must take in consideration that programming ideas to support responsibility and life skills training is a useful, meaninful way at their own school. It should be promoted during the next year to include fellows with some disadvantage. This can be accomplished as following:
- In the Classroom
Help with taking down or putting up bulletin boards
Care for plants or pets
Organize materials, pencils, books, crayons etc.
Hand out completed assignments
Distribute newsletters or items in need of being distributed
Help with checklists for money for trips, food or permissions forms
Clean boards and brushes.
- In the Gym
Help with any set up
Prep the gym for assemblies
Keep the storage room in the gym organized
- Throughout the School
Be responsible for the audio visual delivery and pick up to classrooms
Help in the library by returning books to shelves and repairing damaged books
Wipe down the computer monitors and shut them down each day
Clean the computer keyboards with slightly damp paintbrushes
Distribute the attendance records back to classes for the morning
Help with the filling of pop/water machines
Help keep the staffroom tidy
Help in the Office
Bring mail and newsletters to the staff mailboxes or deliver to each of the classrooms
Help photocopy materials and count them into their piles as per need
Collate photocopied materials
Alphabetize any files that need sorting
Supporting the Custodian
Help with regular school maintenance, sweeping, floor polishing, shoveling, window cleaning, dusting and any outdoor maintenance as you did for Nave Italia.

A few things you might want to remember when programming for life skills:
1.) Don't take anything for granted.
2.) Teach, model, let try, support and reinforce the skill.
3.) Reinforcing may be required on each new day the special need person performs the skill required.
3.) Be patient, understanding and persevere as you did with all persons in Nave Italia.

Everyone needs life skills for daily, personal functioning. However, some special students will require repetition, redundancy, review and regular reinforcement to become successful.

Go head with Inclusion and tell us your story.
Best wishes

Paolo