They are young, talented, good willed; they studied hard and they have developed ideas that can make a difference. The future seems promising and exiting. However, for different reasons and a lengthy economic crisis that is narrowing the number of opportunities, some projects and some careers do not take off as planned.
Don’t despair, support is on the way. This was the case for 21 young girls and boys plus 1 team representing the class of Carminate Middle School in the north of Italy, who were the winners of the 2015/16 Progetto Diventerò ( I will Be). This yeas, five scholarships were also granted to 5 young refugees, particularly women, for degree courses in Medicine and Nursing.
Progetto Diventerò is a multi-year undertaking of Fondazione Bracco designed to follow and support talented young people throughout their training and professional path.
The project was created in 2012 to offer concrete opportunities, such as scholarships or tailored training programs, in a time of great difficulty. In Italy, for example, the youth are very concerned about the future. There is a very low social mobility and a very high number of NEET (young people who are not employed or engaged in study or training programs).
Confronted with this situation, the Bracco Foundation has developed Progetto Diventerò to strengthen the link between education and work. It is an investment in human capital and young people aged 19 and 35 - years old, recently graduated or engaged in post graduation training such as doctorates or training internships.
Since 2012, our project has awarded 157 well-deserving students. During years of severe economic crisis whose burden is weighed especially heavily on the younger, we can be proud of what we have done to help young talents.
The project provides the allocation of scholarships. The winners of the Bracco Foundation scholarships will pair with a mentor who will help them to develop the so-called "soft skills". Mentors are professionals working in the young person’s sector of reference.
«This project is a light of hope. It is simply great when people who come from other places are finally considered as carriers of opportunities. For me, the word dream has a special meaning. I will never pull back when it comes to realizing a dream. Knowing that public and private institutions are seeking to contribute to the realization of the dreams of the young and the less fortunate ones, fills my heart» said MEP Cecile Kyenge in her speech today in Milan, Italy.
MEP Cecile Kyenge
Addressing the young audience, the socialist member of the European Parliament motivated the young students presented at the awarding ceremony by sharing how she worked hard to make her dream of becoming a doctor come true. Her aspiration made her leave her country in Africa and start over in Italy where she knew nobody. «Faith, hope and the books I kept on reading were my saviours » she said.
