Pegaso Project: from a building confiscated from the mafia to an educational community

La 4Bll

On December 9th 2024 our class went to Cinisello Balsamo to visit a building confiscated from the mafia which is now home to an educational community which has been dedicated to Rita Atria, one of the numerous victims of the mafia. The community now welcomes children from six to thirteen years of age thanks to the will and determination of the components of the Pegaso Project. 

The community’s mission consists in undertaking an educational accompaniment path together with the children and their families, which aims to restore family ties to reach a point where children can return to their family of origin. 

One of the main peculiarities is the importance given to the reestablishment of the parental figure that is also followed during the process. 

The community also takes care of placing the children in stimulating contexts from both a social and a scholastic point of view. One of the things that we have noticed is the educators’ devotion towards their work, in fact while they were telling us about their profession, we perceived passion and expertise, as it is a job that is both emotionally and psychologically demanding. 

After an in-depth presentation of the community's mission and after making us discover Rita Atria’s story, the educators guided us on a tour of the building, passing through the common room, already decorated for Christmas by the community's guests themselves, where the house’s rules that the children need to follow were hung on a wall. We then moved on to the kids' rooms and immersed ourselves in their daily life; we could notice how strong their bonds are and how, despite not having any blood ties, they are all part of a large family which also includes their educators. 

A common thought that was brought up when talking about our experience is how meaningful this type of educational trips is, as they offer a broader perspective on life and greater awareness of everyday reality. 

It is certainly relevant to underline the importance of the building itself, its reconversion and its transition from being in possession of the mafia for illegal purposes, to being used to save family ties and therefore to do good. 

At the end of the day, on our way back to school, as we were reflecting on the touching reality which we had the privilege of visiting guided by excellent educators, profound thoughts came out such as, for example, how lucky we are and how much we give our normal everyday life for granted. 

Our class would like to thank Dr. Chiara Cossio, psychologist and technical director and supervisor of the community, who made this experience possible, the educators who accompanied us during our visit and our teachers. We have found this experience very educational and different from the ones done before and it has helped us not only open our minds but also our hearts.