A short description of the Project

The “Free to Navigate” project represents a small variation of Sailing with School, which has been running in Italian schools for over 20 years. Learning to sail is not only a sporting experience but also an opportunity for inclusion for students with disabilities and an opportunity to address scientific issues, with a STEAM approach, and historical-environmental issues related to the island of Ventotene. The general project, already funded, as sub-projects, in other calls for proposals from the Lazio Region, has overall involved several thousand students from schools not eligible for funding from Regional and European calls.

Communication ans Choise of Participants

This year, as part of the funding provided for in Call DD-G10801 of 07/08/24/ PR FSE+ 2021-2027, the project was replicated and used separately by four schools:

  • Liceo J.F. Kennedy
  • IIS L. Einaudi
  • IIS Croce-Aleramo
  • IC S. Beatrice

The schools formed a single ATS (Temporary Association for a Purpose) with the Circolo Velico Ventotene as the Lead Partner and Proposer/Implementer, but they participated at separate times in the School Camps scheduled on the island of Ventotene.

The project was implemented with the same implementation standard:

  1. Presentations in four calls, before each departure, to teachers, students, and families of each school, during which information was provided on the characteristics of the trip from a transportation and hospitality perspective and the topics covered during the stay on Ventotene were outlined.
  2. During the stay on Ventotene, all the topics foreseen by the individual specific programs were covered, with the differentiation that for the three secondary schools, activities related to PCTO were carried out, with recognition of 50 hours of certified activity.

In the S. Beatrice IC camp, all teaching activities were adapted to the special educational needs of six students with disabilities. The following topics were addressed in the four camps, with in-depth analysis and methodologies consistent with the school curriculum and teachers’ requests:

  • History and natural topics
  • Sports-related topics
  • Topics related to STEAM methodology

Photo Gallery

communication and selection of participants

In this context, the four schools, each using their own criteria, selected the students who participated in the Ventotene Stay. The communication informed families that the “Sailing with the School-Free to Navigate” project and the related trip would be held thanks to funding allocated by the Lazio Region Call for Proposals with DD-G10801 of 07/08/24/PR FSE+ 2021-2027. Each individual school, with the support of their teachers and experts from the Circolo Velico Ventotene, provided information to families and students. The activities were held in separate shifts for the various schools.

Ventotene Island - Destination of the project

The four school camps took place on the island of Ventotene, an island of hospitality, culture, nature, and sport. Its unique landscape makes it an ideal open-air laboratory for organizing such stays. The sailing camps were led by a group of FIV sailing instructors and experts in historical and environmental topics. The training program on the island and at online conferences was combined, for high school students, with a PCTO (Personal Training Program), awarding each student 50 certified hours of activity.