When three years ago the school principal asked me to coordinate the Mentoring Project, I did not imagine the type of experience I would have had. I did not know the Mentoring program and the people I had to work with, mentors and psychologist, but I knew the majority of kids and their different problems and, as soon as I understood the aims of the project, I thought it could have been a good opportunity for their growth.

Indeed, day after day I had the chance to observe the evolution of the relationship between each mentor and his mentee and between all the components of the group.

The commitment, availability, the attention of each mentor for his mentee has helped to make kids feel special, allowing them to become more self-confident, to improve relationships with peers, to learnrespect and tolerance of other people' point of view, to cooperate with others, to become supportive of each other.

The relationship established by mentors has allowed mentees to open, confide without fear of being judged and has restored the smile on one of them who, three years ago, had a sad and dark look.

The school results of some children have not been positive after all because of some basic gaps, but they continued attending school regularly and working, thus keeping alive the desire to improve.

Every mentees has lived this experience as a wonderful adventure. Other peers keep looking for me to have information about how to enroll in Mentoring.

The Mentoring Project, thanks to the valuable help of Dr. Laura Tiziani, psychologist, has allowed me to approach the world of kids in a context – even though a school one – completely different from that one of the classroom, and using different methods from those used in the classroom. Each teacher is called to respond to multiple requests which come from students with different characteristics and a better understanding of their world may favor the understanding of how to organize the educational activity. Teaching can only benefit from a relationship which greatly involve an emotional level.

Angela Maria Faragasso, coordinator