"SAVE – Stand by me: Addressing Social Workers' Vulnerability to Support Youth From Social Exclusion" stems from the awareness that the quality of educational work and the ability to counter the social exclusion of young people also depend on the protection and sustainability of the professional lives of those who work daily in highly complex environments.
Università Cattolica, together with Fondazione Don Gino Rigoldi and with the support of Fondazione Cariplo, aims through this project to analyze the main forms of vulnerability currently affecting educational work – from emotional burden to the risk of burnout, from organizational instability to the lack of professional recognition – to identify tools, practices, and conditions capable of sustaining the role of educators over time and strengthening their social impact.
The launch event is scheduled for:
Tuesday, February 18, 2026
from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM (welcome coffee starting at 2:00 PM)
at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, via Nirone 15 – Milan
(Room NI 110)
The meeting will represent a first open space for discussion between professionals, researchers, third-sector entities, and organizations interested in the themes of education, care, and social inclusion.
During the event, preliminary data and initial interpretive frameworks regarding the Italian context will be shared, offering an analysis of the challenges facing contemporary educational work. The project launch will also provide an opportunity to begin building a network of individuals, entities, and institutions interested in supporting and contributing to the development of the research, fostering a continuous exchange between the academic world and field practices.