Volunteering program for disadvantaged students.

The ISLA de la DEVA SCHOOL promoted a Volunteering program in which 11th grade students took part to help disadvantaged 7th and 8th graders.

Students of baccalaureate and 4 º of ES0 have become during this course 2017/18 in mentors of the students of 1st and 2nd of ESO, and they have done it by vocation. Yesterday was celebrated in the House of meetings of the woman in Piedras Blancas a "meeting of students mentors and volunteers" of the IES Selgas of El Pito, and of the IES Island of the Deva of Piedras Blancas, and to which were invited students of the IES of Salinas , who will launch the program next year. It was a day of coexistence in which the volunteer students carried out recreational, collaborative and mentoring activities with students of 1st and 2nd of ESO, in order to train future volunteer mentors to give continuity to the program for the next course. The event was supported and assisted by the City Council of Castrillón.

The impetus for this initiative comes from the collaboration in European projects of the aforementioned centres. The objectives pursued are several: to foster mutual help among students, focusing not only on academic collaboration, but also personal and social, fostering leadership and initiative in ones and self-confidence and integration in others, and improving strategies Both communicative and understanding, say M ª Isabel Álvarez and Manuel García-Morán Escobedo, responsible for the project In the IES Selgas of El Pito and in the IES Island of the Deva, of Piedras Blancas.

These actions are part of the Erasmus +, SMILE (Intelligent methods for individualized learning) projects, aimed at combating early school dropout, and WRACTIVEEUROPE (opening pathways to active citizenship), which seeks to encourage Self-esteem and autonomous and independent learning. Both are financed by the European Union.