ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sociol.
Sec. Migration and Society
This article is part of the Research TopicSustainable migration: Educational and socio-economical challengesView all articles
Community as the Key to Socio-Education: An Analysis of Challenges and Practices in Migratory Contexts
Provisionally accepted
- 1Universidad Catolica San Antonio de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- 2University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
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This study examines the role and experiences of socio-educational workers in reception centers for unaccompanied foreign minors, with a specific focus on the area of Salerno, in southern Italy. The aim is twofold: on one hand, to understand the tools and resources available to professionals; on the other, to reflect on the effectiveness and challenges of residential educational intervention. The research is based on a real case: the "Neverland" reception center, managed by an authorized social cooperative. Various institutional figures - such as judges, law enforcement, and prosecutors - were involved to explore legal aspects and gather data on the minors hosted. The study highlights the complexity of relationships within the educational community, often marked by fragile dynamics and limited integration with the surrounding social context. The minors come from difficult backgrounds, often affected by poverty and conflict, and arrive in Italy seeking a better future. Professionals face demanding situations where it is crucial to balance emotional closeness with professional boundaries. In this setting, skills such as active listening, empathy, and intercultural awareness are essential for building meaningful educational relationships. The study does not aim to offer generalizations, but rather to provide a space for reflection on the specific nature of this type of intervention and the importance of enhancing educational practices within reception contexts.
Keywords: reception center, Socio-educational agents, Unaccompanied foreign minors, Socialwork, Educational tools
Received: 12 Jun 2025; Accepted: 27 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Santoro, Iniesta Martínez, Muñoz, Battista and Santaniello. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Domenico Santaniello, dsantaniello@unisa.it
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