STUDENT AID

Arcetri staff is made up of mothers and fathers. We know what it means to have one’s kid far away, that’s why we love to give support to study abroad students.

Many US universities have a campus in Florence and thousands of kids study in Florence every year. Most are on their first intercontinental trip on their own. When we support students, they feel safer, they feel their parents are nearer and this is so important. We don’t do anything extraordinary: we simply keep an eye on them, checking on them if they need something for their house, want to attend a special activity in Florence (painting or ceramic class, a gym…) or simply need to book a taxi to the airport.

Differently, when a kid is not feeling well or has a serious problem, parents urge us to get in touch with him/her on the same day and try to help: we take them for medical assistance, we bring them food if they are sick, we provide any useful item to help them feel better and be happy again. In Winter, we usually deliver extra blankets, herbal tea, honey… in warm months it’s more about fresh vegetable and advice about rides, walks and country explorations.

General Help

We help students who travel over the weekend and need help to book a taxi to the airport or a private driver if they are leaving from a different town. It’s mostly about giving them suggestions so as to travel safely and to avoid waste of time and money.

We also give suggestions regarding local workshops: painting, drawing, ceramics, making leather goods items and of course cooking classes.

Medical Visits

Usually when something is wrong with a student’s health, his/her mom contacts us via mail asking for help. Kids often prefer not to see a doctor, thinking it can be difficult here in Florence to book a visit, to explain their problem, to understand what the doctor says… please, no! Better get a visit straight away and solve the problem before it gets any worse.

This is what we can really be useful for, much more than with a birthday cake!

This is what we do: we talk/message with the student, understand what to do, book the visit, go with her/him and, if it’s necessary, go to the pharmacy to get the medicine.

The following days we’ll check if the problem is disappearing or another visit is necessary. They will be looked after until they have completely recovered.

Police Reports

Florence is a safe place to live. Of course in the night some areas can be risky, especially for foreign girls. That’s why we often suggest our young friends to share a taxi and go home safely. In case of pickpocketing or bag-snatching, we can help place a report at the police station. It’s very unlikely to find one’s own bag again but a report is always advisable.

Phones can be easily stolen (even from the owner’s hands!) because we all walk looking at google maps or booking a table at the restaurant … We can help with advice and translation when at the police station.