For a sustainable food education in multi-cultural settings. Policies, education practices, and teachers’ training

The Italian legal system does not provide a national regulatory framework for the right to proper nutrition in educational institutions and schools. In recent years, though, this topic has gained momentum in connection with policies aimed at poverty reduction and contrasting early school leaving (Save The Children, 2018; Educ-Azioni, 2021). Specifically, the following policy development can be considered significant for our Task: 

• the National Action Plan for the implementation of the Child Guarantee in Italy (NAP) which connects to the provision of high quality education with ‘ensuring at least one healthy meal daily at school’ (see 1.1.3 ‘Nutrition’). Canteen time is recognized as a sharing moment of socialization in conditions of equality within a common educational project. 
• the National Guidelines for School Canteen (Ministry of Health, 2010) highlight the importance of focusing on the educational and intercultural aspects of school meals, as crucial elements for promoting a healthy and sustainable diet in multicultural contexts.   

As part of the NAP, the set-up of a technical coordination board bringing together multiple actors (Ministries, Public Authorities, Local Government Bodies) and stakeholders (Italian Society of Paediatrics, Third Sector, parent and pupil representatives, YAB) is foreseen to ensure a shared strategy for improving the quality of meal provision in early childhood education and care (ECEC) and school institutions with a specific focus on reducing inequalities. Investing in the training of school and non-school staff to manage canteen time in ECEC and primary school setting, in order to reinforce nutrition education are seen as strategic actions in this regard. 
The task coordinated by UNIBO and D 7.3.1.2 in particular, significantly contribute to such national policy priorities, by piloting small-scale staff training initiatives and co-designing inter-institutional collaboration protocols at the level of Local Authorities which could be successfully upscaled, thus also contributing to D7.4.3.2 coordinated by CREA.
 

• Access to fieldwork and stakeholders’ engagement (M1-7)
  Identification of the settings (childcare services, nursery/primary/1st level secondary schools; mother-child facilities for asylum seekers) in Bologna and Modena and of the stakeholders to be involved (principals, teachers and auxiliary staff; families; representatives of associations, community groups and health promotion bodies). 
• Needs Analysis (M7-14)
  Data collection: a) participant observation in schools and educational settings and in welfare facilities for asylum seekers; b) in-depth interviews with representatives of stakeholders’ organizations and school managers; c) focus groups with teachers, auxiliary staff and families. Report on results analysis.
• Elaboration of the Training Toolkits (TT) (M14-32)
  a) TT co-design with stakeholders (contents, teaching strategies and methodology); b) experimentation of the TT with school staff; documentation (participant observation) of the testing; c) stakeholders, school staff and principals’ involvement in focus groups to evaluate the intervention; children/adolescents’ involvement through participatory methods in the evaluation of their educational experience; d) finalization of the TT.
• Recommendations and  Dissemination (M14-36)
  Participatory dissemination of the needs analysis and of the educational intervention and elaboration of the guidelines for responsive food education programmes (M36).
   

Increased understanding of the gap between current food education practices and actual schools and community needs for healthy diets and culturally responsive food education programmes:

• increased awareness target groups (principals, teaching and auxiliary staff; families; children) on the relevance of healthy and sustainable diets for children’s development and environment sustainability;
• increased engagement of stakeholders (principals, teaching and auxiliary staff; families; children; civil society; health promotion bodies) in the design of culturally responsive food education programmes;
• Increased teachers and school personnel’s competences in the implementation of  food education programmes.