Thanks to an agreement with the online University, these youths were able to follow distance teaching lectures and take their exams in the Pole located at the Community

Coriano (Italy), the 24th February 2017 – From this day they are doctors in Psychology: six youths, who followed a rehabilitation path at San Patrignano Community and decided to stop there to offer their help to other young people, were awarded, for the first time, a three-year degree by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO.
The graduation sessions and proclamation took place today, at the Community’s site, in the presence of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, University and Research, Gabriele Toccafondi; of UNINETTUNO’s rector, Maria Amata Garito, and of the co-founder of the Fondazione San Patrignano, Letizia Moratti.
An important achievement, that the six newly graduates reached, that puts into practice the idea of rehabilitation of the individual through his full reintegration into society. The graduation of these students, former drug addicts, actually proves that education can contribute to the successful completion of their rehabilitation path giving them the opportunity of planning their lives after a period past in the Community.
Thanks to this agreement between UNINETTUNO and San Patrignano, the six students enrolled at the Psychology Faculty were able to follow the lectures of the three-year degree course by means of the University’s online learning platform and, therefore, take the exams at the Pole realized by UNINETTUNO in the Community’s premises. Actually, since many years San Patrignano and UNINETTUNO have been cooperating to support the Community students’ learning and academic training.
Starting from 2012 – year of implementation of the “Comunità di San Patrignano Onlus’ Technological Pole” – enrolments at this online University amount to 36. The Psychology Faculty is the one that attracted most students: 72.2% of the total amount (26 enrolments); the Economics faculty, with 13.9%, the Communication Sciences and Engineering faculties, that equally reach a 5.6% percentage and that of Law with a 2.8% on the total amount.
Guidance in prisons, aid relations in the Community, sexual abuse and drug-addiction, evolutionary dyslexia, game and addiction and, finally, empowerment and educational processes were the issues chosen by the students to prepare their dissertations and defend them in the presence of the Graduation Commission, composed of professors and researchers of the Psychology Faculty of UNINETTUNO and chaired by the Rector.
Representing the Government, the Undersecretary Toccafondi, deeply wished to participate; he thanked the UNINETTUNO University: “Since, thanks to this experimentation, started in 2012, it has been possible for the youths of San Patrignano to successfully complete their study path, an example of concrete engagement”.
“For me, being here, is a great emotion – UNINETTUNO’s Rector Garito remarked – since we can see the results of a work started years ago and that proves the effectiveness of a psycho-pedagogic model that, beside successfully educating, thanks to its learning platform in 5 languages, its 15,000 enrolled students coming from over 156 countries across the world, was able to approach people who were socially impaired, inspiring in them an interest in study and research. During the graduation sessions held today we were able to see the excellent skill level of the students in conducting and illustrating, from a scientific standpoint, clever and important research works. Finally, I thank my young teachers who learned how to communicate knowledge and expertise through the new technologies as well as starting social relations with their own students interacting via Web in a constructive way never leaving them alone during their academic path”.
“My satisfaction is twofold: because of my personal involvement with San Patrignano and because of my experience as Minister of Education, University and Research. – Letizia Moratti, co-founder of Fondazione San Patrignano remarked -  I remember well when, in 2012, we set up a new Technological Pole at the Community, we were very motivated and convinced of the success of this project that gave a further educational opportunity to these young people. After nearly five years, I can say that we were right and I am particularly satisfied to see the completion of this university training path thanks to distance degree courses, a model that I approved during my appointment at the Ministry of Education”.
The one who went up to the stage at the end, Antonio Tinelli, president of San Patrignano’s social committee, said: “Thanks to their sacrifice and commitment San Patrignano’s students represent a concrete example of how, in a community, you can get a chance for a full rehabilitation and reintegration into society at the end of an entirely free path and it is for this reason that San Patrignano needs the support and help of all”. The president, actually, reminded that in these days a fund raising campaign was taking place via SMS messages to the number 45518.