Opening the proceedings - moderated by Andrea Zapparoli, an expert in youth distress and addiction - was the greeting of Claudia Pratelli, Councilor for School, Formation, and Labor of Roma Capitale, who highlighted the importance of "fostering common strategies capable of connecting places of knowledge with the city, in continuous and mutual contamination. The educational mission of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians is extremely precious for our city: education, in fact, is the main tool to promote a more just city."
In her greetings, Mother Chiara Cazzuola, Mother General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) and Grand Chancellor of the Faculty "Auxilium," underlined the value of thinking and working in a network among institutions in favor of education, "an effective way to humanize the world and history, a question of love and co-responsibility that is proposed as an antidote to individualism, of waste [or leaving behind], to feeling without belonging."
The starting point of the round table was the presentation of historical data documenting the presence of the FMA in Rome since 1891: "They preferred the urban and human peripheries: here they brought respect for every person, the sense of duty and the common good. Many of those houses are now an integral part of the city, grappling with new forms of poverty and educational challenges," Sister Grazia Loparco, professor of Church History at the Faculty, explained as regards the 16 FMA houses in the capital.
Another pivotal moment in the presence of the FMA in Rome dates back to 1978, when, again in the peripheries, the first Pontifical Faculty entrusted to women arose, dedicated to the formation of educational figures. "Today the 'Auxilium' Faculty, on our territory, constitutes a 'pole' capable of inverting the perspective that usually pushes in a centripetal direction in the search for educational excellence," commented Marco Della Porta, president of Municipio XIV. "It represents not only a cultural garrison but also a value and gender one, hosting a community within the community, with a strong international vocation."
He was echoed by Sabrina Giuseppetti, president of Municipio XIII, who dwelt on the title of the round table: "Educating to female perspectives means educating for an equitable society, a promoter of the values baggage that gives depth to the relational fabric."
Sister Piera Ruffinatto, Dean of the "Auxilium" Faculty, highlighted the institution's commitment to form educational professionals who understand the educational profession in a project-related and totalizing dimension. Today, she said, "it is necessary to forge an alliance in which each person offers his or her contribution to critically understand and govern with foresight the radical transition underway."
After the testimonies of some past pupils of the Faculty who today invest their skills in the various socio-educational sectors of the city, in the conclusions, some issues were addressed, issues concerning the educational actions and projects that the "Auxilium" Faculty could put in place to foster the network’s implementation with the territory, generating trajectories that intersect educational, social, and cultural policies.
