United States, Asia, and Europe with Intercultura and Fondazione Pesenti.
Bergamo, July 16, 2019 – Today took place the awarding of the Intercultura Scholarships promoted by Fondazione Pesenti for the 2019-2020 school year, which also celebrated 10 years of collaboration between these two prestigious Foundations.
“Living in a different country at the age of seventeen is a unique opportunity to learn about diversity and appreciate it from a global perspective” stated at the opening lawyer Mietta Denti Rodeschini, former Vice President of Fondazione Intercultura and Philanthropy Advisor of Fondazione Intercultura. “These young people will be ambassadors of Bergamo and Italy worldwide, and upon their return, they will bring back new ideas and perspectives to share with their families, friends, and teachers. We are grateful to Fondazione Pesenti for the concrete contribution it has offered for 10 years to support Intercultura’s educational project ”.
Fondazione Pesenti’s collaboration with Intercultura began and developed during the 2009/2010 school year. Over 10 years, this initiative has grown, involving about 40 outstanding students who had the chance to spend an entire school year in deeply different educational, social, and cultural environments.
“In these ten years of collaboration with Intercultura, we have witnessed the growth of a truly international generation” emphasized Carlo Pesenti, President of the Foundation. “Last year, we saw three scholars depart for the United States and Germany, initially hesitant to leave their family’s safe environment but aware of the great opportunity this experience offers. After following them from afar through their reports on studying abroad, today we had the chance to hear their stories — which do not hide the difficulties but highlight the excitement for the friends and places they met, and above all their great transformation in terms of awareness, responsibility, and autonomy. It is an important path of personal and professional growth, benefiting not only the young people involved but also us adults, who learn from them the courage to open up to the world, face new situations, and adopt broader perspectives.”
The scholarships for the 2019/20 school year were awarded during a meeting held at Fondazione Pesenti in Bergamo to three female winners residing in Bergamo and its province, highlighting merit and competence all in female hands:
- Nicole Meli (departing for the United States)
- Julia Szewczyk (departing for Hong Kong)
- Giorgia Pagnoncelli (departing for Germany)
Joining Carlo Pesenti’s good wishes were messages from the 2018-2019 scholarship recipients Vittoria Cornolti, Noemi Guadagni, and Sara Rota Conti, who shared their experiences of spending a year in the United States and Germany.
Fondazione Pesenti aims to promote and spread a culture of innovation understood as the development of ideas, projects, and actions capable of creating a positive impact socially, environmentally, and culturally. The Foundation fosters modern forms of interaction among the public sector, for-profit private sector, and the non-profit world, by designing sustainable solutions that address major social challenges. Its new focus areas—alongside its traditional commitment to preserving national historic and artistic heritage, educational and scientific programs, public conferences and publications, humanitarian and social solidarity projects—are designed to support initiatives with a positive impact in creating socially valuable new businesses, especially developed by younger generations.
Associazione Intercultura Onlus has promoted intercultural dialogue for over 60 years through international exchange programs involving thousands of young people and families worldwide. It works to internationalize Italian schools by providing examples of best practices and training sessions on exchange management (it is an accredited body for school staff training by the Ministry of Education). The Association offers scholarships to support the international mobility of deserving students. The Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs are members of Fondazione Intercultura and support its activities.
DOCUMENTAZIONE Comunicato stampa Fondazione Pesenti - Intercultura 2019 Programma 16 luglio 2019 Brochure Fondazione Pesenti RASSEGNA STAMPA Eco di Bergamo 17-017-2019