BIOITALIA INVESTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE

Investing in the education of future generations: the protagonists of tomorrow who will represent the true competitive advantage for Italian businesses. It is with this vision that Bioitalia S.r.l. Società Benefit has chosen to support the mission of the Intercultura Foundation.

The collaboration between the two organizations, united by the desire to contribute to the personal growth of young people, has led the Intercultura Foundation to offer a partial scholarship worth €5,000 for an overseas program ranging from two months to one school year. This scholarship is available to deserving students born between February 1, 2007, and August 31, 2010, residing in the province of Naples, with an ISEE of up to €30,000. [https://www.intercultura.it/bioitalia]

The organization of the overseas experience is entrusted to Intercultura ODV, a non-profit volunteer association member of the international AFS organization and leader in the field of intercultural school exchanges, recognized by the President of the Italian Republic. Since 1955, Intercultura has promoted international school exchange experiences in over 60 countries worldwide, sending over 2,000 Italian students abroad each year to live and study.

Intercultura’s mission is to build bridges between different cultures and a more open society—a commitment rooted in its history. The organization has a long history of solidarity and internationalism, beginning in 1915 with the idea of assisting the wounded from World War I, regardless of their nationality, and continuing after World War II with the launch of a school exchange program between students from different countries, organized by an international network that today boasts two hundred thousand volunteers worldwide.

Thanks to the dedicated support of Intercultura’s volunteers, these adolescents, during their time abroad, come into contact with a culture, traditions, and ways of thinking different from their own. They have the opportunity to develop personal and interpersonal skills to better face the challenges of the workforce, as well as to become global citizens. Among these skills: valuing human dignity and human rights, cultural diversity, openness to cultural differences, respect, critical and analytical thinking, language, communication, and multilingual abilities, as well as a critical understanding of cultures and religions.

Moreover, a study conducted by the Intercultura Foundation to explore the benefits of studying abroad during adolescence, analyzing its transformative potential and how to optimize its impact on the local community, reveals that:

• 90% of students participating in overseas study programs—and their families—report satisfaction with their experience with Intercultura (Source: Final evaluation questionnaires 2023 answered by 716 students and 954 families).

• 32% of Intercultura program participants graduated with honors ("110 and Lode") vs. 24% of the national average (Source: IPSOS Research conducted by the Intercultura Foundation on 900 former participants from 1977 to 2012).

• 84% report having found it easier to find or change jobs (Source: IPSOS Research conducted by the Intercultura Foundation on 900 former participants from 1977 to 2012).

A study by Human Foundation on the Social Return on Investment (SROI) of Intercultura calculated that every euro invested in the project generates a value of €3.13 for society as a whole.

Student mobility is also a key element in the internationalization process of Italian schools: 52% of institutions report that at least one of their students is studying abroad (Source: 2023 Intercultura Foundation Report). These are the students of the "Generation I," international by vocation and necessity, who add international experience to their curriculum to develop linguistic skills and, most importantly, cross-cutting skills such as critical thinking, awareness of their own abilities, effective communication, and empathy. And even more, to be active protagonists of change in the society they live in.