The third edition of My Future Buddy, promoted by the Ortygia Foundation and UniCredit Foundation in collaboration with the University of Naples Federico II, has kicked off.
With the new school year, the Ortygia Foundation returns to high schools with the third edition of the educational and career guidance project, My Future Buddy. It aims to provide young people in Southern Italy with the opportunity to discover their talents and explore potential future paths. The program, involving psychologists and educators, includes a series of orientation workshops, soft skills development, mentoring sessions by female STEAM students and graduates, as well as professional testimonials.
To date, My Future Buddy has engaged over 500 students from 20 schools and 50 Buddies, aiming to enhance their confidence, talent, motivation, and self-esteem. From project results analysis, 85% of respondents have gained a better understanding of criteria for choosing their university path, while 82% reported increased self-awareness of their aspirations and improved confidence in their abilities.
The third edition of My Future Buddy commenced on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, with an event titled "A Glimpse into the Future: Guidance and Equal Opportunities in the South." The event took place in the picturesque Piazza Duomo in the heart of Ortigia, organized in collaboration with UniCredit Foundation and under the patronage of the Municipality of Syracuse. Speakers included Lucrezia Reichlin, President of the Ortygia Foundation, Pietro Bertè, Strategic Partnership Manager of UniCredit Foundation, Antonello Giannelli, President of the National Association of School Principals and High Professions in Schools, Maria Pia Pensabene, President of Fondazione ITS Volta Palermo, Lorenzo Pandolfi, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Naples Federico II, and the writer Stefania Auci.
This occasion marked the launch of the new edition of the project promoted by UniCredit Foundation in partnership with the Department of Economic and Statistical Sciences at the University of Naples Federico II. They will be conducting experimental research to study the impact of such interventions on the educational and career success of participating students. My Future Buddy was selected to be a part of the Mentoring and Schooling Choices: Experimental Evidence from Italy project, which won research funding from UniCredit Foundation. The findings from this study will be crucial in identifying effective policies to support students in Southern Italy and will be subsequently discussed with institutional stakeholders.
You can review the event clicking here. Fo further information about the program: https://www.capitaleumanosud.it
