That is why, on the occasion of the ten-year anniversary of the publication of the "Operational Manual – Interventions and strategies for High Cognitive Potential in support of the school system for gifted children and for boys/girls with good cognitive potential – Enhancing the potential in the school system and Guide for Parents", the International Salesian Institute for Educational Research (ISRE), in collaboration with the Veneto Region, organised a conference dedicated to refocusing on the subject, which took place in Mestre, in the main hall of the San Marco Salesian Institute, on the afternoon of Wednesday 3 April 2024.
The conference was an opportunity to take stock of some significant experiences gained in the area, of job prospects and commitment in the field and in the future, with the aim of putting the well-being of many children and young people, with or without giftedness, at the centre of the interventions and testimonies.
Among the contributors, Elena Donazzan, Regional Councillor for Education, Training, Work and Equal Opportunities said, "Today we are celebrating an important decade, of which I am very proud: ten years of attention paid to the world of schools and the entire educating community, which at that time saw the Veneto Region as a key player in the first resolution in Italy and Europe - attracting British research institutes - for the training of teachers in the accompaniment of children with High Cognitive Potential and for their families. With Professor Lucangeli, with the then director of the Veneto School Office, Carmela Palumbo, we saw the need to build a network between school, the world of health and families to enhance the attitudes of gifted children. Now Veneto must continue to work in this direction."
Prof. Daniela Lucangeli, Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Padua stressed: "Ten years ago we were focused on Special Educational Needs (SEN) and attention disorders, but we also had to see the high potential in place and build a training and educational-school path able to grasp them and make them express themselves. Vulnerability in developmental age exists both at the bottom, as a risk factor, and at the top, precisely among the cognitive potentials, it is not possible, as a world of science, as institutions, as politicians, to turn away: we risk losing a good portion of children and young people, if we do not focus on emotional intelligence instead of performance."
Finally, Michela Possamai, President of ISRE, said: "As an educational and research institution, we are committed to always focusing on the needs of our day, even more on experimentation in the implementation of regional guidelines for children with high cognitive potential, so that we can build methodologies and support strategies for the enhancement of talents and peculiarities."
For those who wish, his YouTube Video of the event is available.
