Fondazione Agnelli, Fondazione Cav. Lav. Pesenti and UniCredit Foundation, in partnership with Fondazione Intercultura, are proud to announce the winners of the project
“A Scuola in Europa” stems from a partnership between Fondazione Agnelli, Fondazione Cav. Lav. Carlo Pesenti and UniCredit Foundation with Fondazione Intercultura. The winners selected for the initiative in Piedmont are Sara C. from Lusernetta (Turin), a student of Istituto Scolastico Prever (Professional Institute for Enogastronomy and Hotel Hospitality) in Pinerolo, and Sofia S. from Bra (Cuneo), who goes to the Istituto Scolastico Guala (Technical Institute for Tourism) in her hometown.
All winning students are entitled to a scholarship for a trimester abroad, hosted by local families and supported by Intercultura volunteers.
Sara C. will take part in a three-month programme in Serbia, while Sofia S. will go to France.
Currently in its second edition, the “A Scuola in Europa” project invites students residing in Campania, Lombardy or Piedmont to apply for scholarships that fully cover three-month programmes in Belgium (Flemish Region), France, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Serbia, and Hungary. The initiative’s distinctive feature is that it is dedicated to technical-professional institutes, which often offer fewer opportunities to study abroad than other secondary schools. This represents an investment in tomorrow’s talents that is more important than ever, in the face of the growing demand for technical and specialist training triggered by changes in the work environment and by companies’ emerging needs. The three foundations collaborating on the initiative are particularly aware of the issue, and therefore have decided to support the project again – to provide an important educational opportunity for the future of new generations and to encourage dialogue between cultures and international youth exchanges.
Students will leave for their experiences abroad during the summer of 2023. During their stay, they will be welcomed by selected families, attend a local school providing education in line with their original institute, and have the assistance of a group of on-site volunteers always at their side. At the end of the trimester, students will receive from Intercultura a certification of the skills they acquired in each phase of the programme, which required a total investment of 100,000 euros.
The winners were announced during a ceremony opened by Carlo Pesenti, President of Fondazione Cav. Lav. Pesenti and by Giorgio Barba Navaretti (Università degli Studi di Milano). Partnering foundations were represented by Silvia Cappellini, General Director of UniCredit Foundation; Barbara Romano, Researcher at Fondazione Agnelli; and Sergio Crippa, Secretary General of Fondazione Cav. Lav. Pesenti. The Secretary General of the Intercultura association, Andrea Franzoi, was also present at the event.
Andrea Gavosto, Director of Fondazione Agnelli, commented: “Living in a different European country and attending school there for a few months is a positive experience for students, from every standpoint. In terms of learning a new language and exchanging educational experiences, but also – and perhaps most importantly, in these difficult times – in terms of recognising and resonating with values of civil and political coexistence. For young generations, feeling European is easier and comes more naturally. But the school system still has the responsibility of reinforcing this sense of belonging, which we are happy to support with an initiative dedicated specifically to technical and professional institutes, where opportunities for exchanges abroad are less common.”
