Individual resilience/community resilience. Assessment of an action research project about the social neglect of children

Abstract

The project “Homework and so on” was about the development of resilience, that is, the ability to cope with adversities, or not only surviving but also positively projecting one's own future.

The target of this intervention was two-fold: the team of educators from the “Homework and so on" Centre, an after-school centre for neglected children; and the children.

The core of the intervention with the educators was fostering community resilience and making educators become “resilience tutors”, producing positive effects for the individual. Consistent with this purpose, educators attended some training meetings during which they learned the meaning of resilience, the referenced theoretical models, and the development of tools for measuring and monitoring the children's resilience. The purpose for the intervention with the children was to foster their resilience by after-school activities at the “Homework and so on” Centre. The intervention's implementation, consequences, and evaluation focused on 4 areas: self, relationships, family and school. The method employed was an action research with educators, side by side with the centre's usual activities with moments for reflection and evaluation.