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DIVERCITYb e c a u s e w o r d s m a t t e r
®
COVER STORY, ADELE CAMBRIAValentina Dolciotti
WHAT
ABOUT
DECADES?
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 20214
THE MANDARINS
Editorial, Valentina Dolciotti
T he birth cohorts that are currently used for useful classification in
sociology and statistics are the following: the Silent Generation (born
between 1926 and 1945), Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and
1964), Generation X (born between 1965 and 1979), Generation
Y (or Millennials, born between 1980 and 1994), and the iGeneration (born
between 1995 and 2015).
The positive and creative coexistence of generations is a topic that affects
everyone – families, companies, institutions, schools, sports, businesses...
Companies have also realised this, as they often host at least 3 generations of
employees within their (now virtual) walls at the same time.
Apart from their private life experiences, personalities, and individual choices,
people born during the same historical period share, at least in part, an educa-
tion and training that we could define as collective and that have forged their
memories and thoughts; they belong to a culture (potentially reinforced by
geographical correspondence) that determines points of reference (musical,
literary, political...) and that, therefore, makes them similar in some respects.
This is another reason why I believe that projects that put people from differ-
ent generations in contact with each other are very valuable, whether they fo-
cus on a specific project, an exchange of work roles or simple mutual acquaint-
ance: each person brings with them a different and unique set of experiences,
will have a specific and unique set of references and corollaries that can enrich
both the other person and the relationship, and therefore themselves.
I don’t know if this always applies, but it certainly applies often.
In the relationships between teacher/learner, grandparent/grandchild, mentor/
mentee, master/apprentice, coach/player, supervisor/trainee, scout leader/ cub
scout... an age difference is played out that is, yes, profound, but not bottom-
less, a fluid and mutual space of knowledge, a dance.
I have read that J.M. Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego University
and the author of many essays on adolescence, suggests that the following
phases define the iGeneration, or our little ones: immaturity, hyperconnected-
ness, incorporeality, instability, isolation, uncertainty, indefiniteness, inclusive-
ness. This seems like a lot of ‘stuff’ to me. I don’t think I totally agree with these
characteristics, but I do think that, at least once, for one reason or another,
every generation has gone through these phases. And if not all generations,
then many.
Therefore, I – who am exactly in the middle – refrain from judging those who
are younger or older, and try to give the dance the space it needs to begin and,
also, to avoid stepping on each other’s toes, because life goes through so many
phases that what is true today may not be true tomorrow, and I like to think
that we all have been (or will be) Hemingway’s old Santiago, who sleeps and
dreams of lions and, at the same time, the young fisherman who, sitting next
to him, watches him dream.
‘Santiago,’ the boy said to him as they climbed the bank
from where the skiff was hauled up.
‘I could go with you again. We’ve made some money.’
The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy
loved him.
‘No,’ the old man said. ‘You’re with a lucky boat. Stay
with them.’
The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway, 1952
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 5
06 Redazione THE CORO DEI PICCOLI CANTORI DI MILANO
08 Carolina Lucchesini IS THERE AN AGE AT WHICH YOU STOP
BEING A WOMAN?
10 Alexa Pantanella COMMON WORDS
11 Nicola Palmarini THE GOLDEN AGE
12 Redazione FACCIAVISTA ASSOCIATION
14 Silvia Camisasca e Irene Canfora WHO PROTECTS CHILDREN’S RIGHT
TO FOOD AWARENESS?
16 Elena Mozzo SEXUAL EDUCATION
18 Nicole Riva LETTER FROM A TEACHER
20 Valentina Sorbi CARRÀ, RAFFAELLA
22 Véronique Fabbri-Balduzzi, Daria Dall’Igna FIND YOUR OWN WAY AT ANY AGE
24 Stefano Di Niola DIVERSITY ROMA
25 Antonio Rotelli GIVING THE VOTE TO 16-YEAR-OLDS
26 Fondazione Libellula NEXT GENERATION
28 Fondazione Comunità Comasca Onlus CO-HOUSING
30 Redazione INTERVIEW WITH BEATRICE UGUCCIONI
32 Redazione HUMAN AGE INSTITUTE FOUNDATION
33 Michelina della Porta CO-STANZA
34 Cover Story ADELE CAMBRIA
38 Redazione CHILD MALTREATMENT
40 Gianluca Cabula OLIVETTI BEYOND THE GENERATIONS
42 MANDELA Silvia Camisasca CHILD EXPLOITATION
43 OPHELIA Lucio Guarinoni EDUCATING OURSELVES TO BE OURSELVE
44 DIVER SOUND Davide Sapienza ROGER WATERS
45 BOVARY Silvia Rota Sperti THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
46 PURE STYLE Angela Bianchi BEYOND GENDER
47 CAUNTER-SITE Elena Luciano THE CULTURES OF CHILDHOOD
48 PAGE WITH A VIEW Paola Suardi A TRUE STORY
50 CASSIOPEA Valeria Cantoni Mamiani TODAY’S WORD: MAGISTERIUM
54 Agos IN SEARCH OF DIVERSITY
56 Angelini Pharma OUR SHADOW BOARD
58 Banca d’Italia MENTORING AT BANCA D’ITALIA
60 Baker Hughes THE GENERATIONAL FACTOR
62 Chiesi JOY
64 Deloitte THE POWER OF ALLYSHIP
66 Dow MEETING BETWEEN GENERATIONS
68 Fastweb MENTORING
70 Findomestic LISTENING
72 Generali INTER GENERATIONAL LEARNING
74 Janssen GENERATION Z
76 Lavazza BASEMENT CAFÈ BY LAVAZZA
78 Manpower DIVERSITY THAT GENERATES VALUE
80 Mutti A PACT BETWEEN GENERATIONS
82 NielsenIQ CONNECTING FIVE GENERATIONS
84 Pfizer iTALent
86 Sanofi AT SANOFI WE TRAIN EMOTIONAL AGILITY
88 Seltis Hub AGEING AND WORK
90 Snam GENDER EQUALITY
92 Sodexo GENDER AND GENERATIONS
94 State Street WHEN WOMEN LEAD, CHANGE HAPPENS
96 Synergie INTERVIEW WITH FRANÇOIS PINTE
98 TikTok GENERATION T
100 BULLETIN FOR SAILORS Rose Cartolari WHAT’S IN A NUMBER?
101 RICE AND SILK Alessia Mosca DECENNIALS
102 POINT BREAK Valeria Colombo PNRR NATIONAL RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE PLAN
103 UNLIMITED VIEWS Claudio Guffanti THE DIVERSITY OF GENERATIONS
106 Appointments UPCOMING EVENTS
INDEX
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 20216
By the editorial staff
THE CORO DEI PICCOLI CANTORI
DI MILANO
Life experience, singing and music since 1964
Achoir is not just a collection of voices. It is also
a collection of stories, of experiences, of friend-
ship and diversity. One example of this is the
Coro dei Piccoli Cantori di Milano, a children’s
choir that, for almost 60 years, has been one of the most
important artistic players in the capital of Lombardy.
Founded in 1964 by Niny Comolli, the choir, now directed
by Laura Marcora, is composed of almost 90 boys and girls
from a wide range of backgrounds.
The Associazione dei Piccoli Cantori aims to enhance chil-
dren’s singing potential through the study of singing, with a
focus on the social and humanly constructive dimension of
the musical experience. For many children who come from
challenging backgrounds (e.g., from families with low incomes
or of foreign origin), this experience is a way of overcoming
stereotypes and the difficulties they encounter on their path
to integration.
Talent is the key to becoming one of the young singers of
Milan: every year, director Laura Marcora selects – through
auditions in schools or oratories – children with pronounced
musicality and a natural predisposition to singing. These se-
lections also take place in the peripheral areas of the city,
contributing to children from all walks of life and nationalities
joining. And it is precisely the ability of the choir to overcome
the limits set by starting conditions that constitutes the real
vocal and cultural wealth of the Piccoli Cantori di Milano.
Every year, over 30% of these children’s families cannot af-
ford the fee required for lessons, but the choir, which has
always been interested in inclusion, uses donations from or-
ganisations, companies and individuals, to ensure that these
children have the opportunity to cultivate their talent. But
the choir is not only about singing: being a part of the choir
provides children from foreign families with an even greater
opportunity: that of feeling that they are part of a group,
which favours the integration of children (and parents) in the
metropolis.
Because a choir is not just a collection of voices; in the choir,
stories and lives also overlap.
‘When I sing, I’m happy because we’re all singing together,
with lots of people,’ says Chiara, who joined when she was
just 4 years old and is now 12. ‘It’s nice because it’s a group
where everyone knows what they have to do. The most beau-
tiful thing is to be all together. Despite the differences in age
and diversity we are a good group, very united.’
‘Chiara,’ adds her mother, Silvia, ‘never wanted to be a soloist.
There have been songs and concerts in which she has sung as a
soloist, but for her, singing is singing in the choir.’ She also em-
phasises how enriching the experience has been for her: ‘Over
the years we have spent evenings together, afternoons in the
park, our free time. Sincere friendships have been created. We
have had the opportunity to meet families from Sri Lanka, the
Philippines and China. ‘In spite of the differences,’ she emphasis-
es, ‘once they arrive at the choir, the children are all the same.’
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 7
And the concept of inclusion is also underlined by Francesca,
now a university student in Riga (Latvia), who was part of the
choir from ages 8 to 13: ‘When I was in the choir, there were
children of many ethnicities with me, but when I was a child
I never paid attention to this “diversity”. I never paid atten-
tion to the colour of their skin, their parents’ clothes, their
different family backgrounds. To me, they were the children
in the choir.’
‘When you’re a child,’ Francesca adds further, ‘you don’t pay
attention to these distinctions: when I think back, I never
cared about “diversity,” I think it’s something you maybe pay
attention to as you get older.’
‘The choir has given me and my friends extraordinary experi-
ences: we performed in Palermo at concert to commemorate
Giovanni Falcone, we performed at the Quirinale, we have
sung on many television shows. It was an experience that
changed me, teaching me how to relate to many different
people.’
The children who are in the choir now also emphasise the
impact this experience has on their lives.
‘When I’m in the choir, I feel important,’ says Nethuki, 13,
whose parents are originally from Sri Lanka. ‘I didn’t think I
was good at singing; in fact, I thought I sang out of tune. Then
I was selected for the choir during an audition at my school.
Since I’ve been a part of the choir I feel like a real musician,
now I’m also attending a musical middle school, I play guitar
and I’m very good!’
For Nethuki, like for many other boys and girls over the
years, the choir has provided an opportunity they otherwise
would not have had. ‘If Laura (the choir director) hadn’t come
to hold an audition in my classroom,’ Nethuki continues, ‘I
never would have gone to singing school and never would
have started singing. Now I would like my younger brother to
start singing in the choir too, but he still has trouble with the
words in Italian.’
‘I’ve been directing the choir since 1986,’ says Laura Marco-
ra, ‘and in over 30 years I’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of
children pass through it, each very different from the next.
But there has always been a common thread among all the
little singers: passion for singing and talent. In the spirit of the
choir, this is what counts and, for this reason, our association
wants to offer everyone the same possibilities and opportu-
nities, overcoming the limits related to the economic, social
and cultural situations of the families of origin.’
www.piccolicantori.com
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 20218
Carolina Lucchesini
IS THERE AN AGE AT WHICH YOU STOP BEING A
WOMAN?Interview with Stéphanie Chuat,
director of Ladies, a documentary about the invisible world of women over 60
and their intimate relationships.
Ageism is the discrimination of our century, it is
transversal and insidious, it affects everyone,
regardless of social or economic situation. Our
culture is impregnated with gerontophobia, the
words we use in our daily lives (‘in spite of your age,’ ‘you
can still...,’ ‘you’re old’) cast ageing as a problem, something
to escape from. There’s more: ageism is even more devious
and ferocious when it refers to sexuality and the body, espe-
cially in relation to women, as Ashton Applewhite says in her
‘Manifesto Against Ageism.’ Women’s bodies, which until the
age of 50 are measured and judged according to the aes-
thetic canons of perfection, suddenly become non-existent,
invisible.
The documentary Ladies, by Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique
Reymond, on the sexuality of women over the age of 60,
opens the door on the intimate lives of 5 60-year-olds strug-
gling with their battles against loneliness during a stage in life
in which men have disappeared from their emotional univers-
es. Made invisible by the many prejudices and stereotypes
that view this stage of life through a single lens: that of the in-
evitable sunset, where you live only with needs, not dreams,
or the desire to get involved and change. The 5 protagonists
of Ladies show us and teach us that it is not age that defines
what is right or possible, but how we decide to experience
each phase of life, made up of many layers of cultural and
social conditioning.
Stéphanie Chuat, director of Ladies, what is the reason you decided to make this film? Véronique and I work in theatre and, over the years, we no-
ticed that most of the audiences for our shows were women
over 60. Another thing that gave us pause was that past the
age of 55 we were only seeing women spending time with
STEPHANIE CHUAT, film director.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 9
other women of the same age. This separation of genders
scared us a bit and opened up questions that, later, led to
the film.
Do the women whose stories you tell have real-life connec-tions to each other? Our protagonists didn’t know each other before the film.
In order to find them, we launched a call during a TV show,
we left our contact information, and hundreds of women
responded. When they called, they thanked us by saying,
‘Thank you because we feel invisible, as if we are no longer
part of society.’ We made the initial selections through in-
terviews and identified 5 women. They met only when we
showed them the film for the first time, and it was an incredi-
ble moment of exchange and mutual support. From there on,
a beautiful friendship was born between some.
The film is set in Switzerland, but the theme is so trans-versal that it could have been shot anywhere else in the world. What was the response from audiences outside of Switzerland? It was very difficult to get financing for this film because no one
found it interesting that we were telling the stories of ‘normal’
women, and women over 60, for that matter. They wanted us
to portray heroines or talk about the extraordinary stories of
ordinary women. That’s when we realised that women over 60,
their needs, their dreams, their bodies are invisible in our coun-
try. When the film began to be distributed, we saw how this
theme applies to every culture: women, in Europe as well as in
the United States, felt connected to ‘our’ protagonists because
they recognised themselves in the stories, they grasped the uni-
versality of the theme of age and the feeling of invisibility.
What are the most powerful things that emerge from the film and the women’s stories? When we started shooting, we had no idea that the film
would go in this direction. It’s a documentary, so we relied on
observation and the words of our female protagonists. As we
conducted the interviews, we realised that the most powerful
theme, for them, was love. We felt that they lit up when they
talked about love, because it’s a feeling that really crosses all
ages. So we went in that direction. What does it mean to love,
to be loved, to have an active sex life or to feel deprived of it?
How did you manage to convince the protagonists to show you their intimate lives? These women had the desire to tell their stories, they wanted
to testify to something. For this reason, they decided to show
their lives ‘on camera’ – their fears, their daily lives. It was the
first time they were filmed: they found the courage because
they really wanted to communicate to the world, to the soci-
ety in which they live.
CAROLINA LUCCHESINI, 1984. Journalist and Media Strategist. Focuses on strategic communications, storytelling and documentaries. She facilitates relationships between people and organisations with technology and strategic thinking. She is founder of the Storytelling Agency Puntozero.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202110
Alexa Pantanella
COMMON WORDS
Raise your hand if you have ever said or heard phras-
es such as, ‘Did you hear me, or are you deaf?,’ or
‘You look as deaf as my Aunt Erminia.’ These are,
unfortunately, quite common expressions.
And what role does the language we use play in perpetuating
or helping to overcome the stereotypes and stigma that still
surround the topic of hearing and hearing loss?
In order to answer this question and to identify working
guidelines, a research project was carried out in collabora-
tion between the Research and Study Centre of the company
Amplifon and the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Mi-
lan, thanks to Diversity & Inclusion Speaking (an organisation
dedicated to creating awareness and conducting research on
the subject of inclusive languages).
This is a project I am very proud of, precisely because of the
attention I decided to dedicate to the words that make up
those common words that we often pay less attention to than
would be useful.
Let’s start with some numbers. Today hearing loss affects 7.3
million people (12% of the Italian population) and is destined
to grow by 55% in the next 30 years, affecting 11 million
people. If we add to these numbers the network of family and
friends (which can be involved) we get a sense of the scope –
in terms not only of numbers – of this phenomenon.
And yet, it’s still a little talked about topic. And this means
that little is known about it: for example, how many people
have heard of ‘hypoacusis’ or ‘presbyacusis,’ terms that refer,
respectively, to hearing loss related to different causes, and
hearing loss due specifically to ageing?
Talking about this so little or, rather, talking about it using this
type of terminology, also perpetuates a sense of distance and
stigma that a change in language could help to overcome.
The evidence from the research project titled ‘Le Parole del
Sentire Comune’ (Commonly Heard Words) – conducted in 2
phases and coordinated by Prof. Claudia Manzi, Professor of
Social Psychology at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
in Milan – allows us to draw clear conclusions about these
issues.
In the first research phase, the results of which have already
been published in the prestigious international scientific jour-
nal The Journal of Language and Social Psychology, the issue
of how hearing loss is represented in the media was exam-
ined by analysing over 650 articles published in print and on
the internet in Italy over a period of 2 years.
What emerged is that the subject of age-related hearing loss
(presbyacusis) is dealt with very little in the press, which fo-
cuses instead on issues related to deafness or, in general, to
hearing problems in younger generations.
Moreover, the textual analysis showed, explains Manzi, that
‘journalistic language is very different from colloquial lan-
guage, preferring the use of a rich and articulated lexicon
where medical terms, which tend to be cold, prevail (e.g. pa-
tient, hearing loss, tinnitus, disorder, disease).’
The second phase aimed to understand if and how the techni-
cal/medical language used by the media could influence atti-
tudes towards hearing loss and hearing solutions. The results
were unequivocal: people show more favourable attitudes
when they read an article on this topic written in colloquial,
everyday language, rather than technical/medical language.
The study also aimed to analyse the role of the language
used by the medical profession in addressing this topic.
Here’s the bottom line: when interacting with healthcare pro-
fessionals, using technical language that includes medical
words fosters positive attitudes toward the issue and possi-
ble solutions.
So, for those in the world of journalism who have the oppor-
tunity to reach a large segment of the population affected by
the issue, the advice is to do so using words that bring people
closer together and familiarise them, replacing ‘patient’ with
‘person,’ ‘disorder/disease’ with ‘condition,’ ‘hearing loss’ with
‘reduction/decline’ (not ‘loss’) of hearing.
For the medical profession, from which we expect more tech-
nical-medical language, it is preferable, instead, to use lan-
guage that goes in this direction.
And, for all the other people who find themselves making
jokes about hearing poorly, let’s pause a little longer and ask
ourselves if the joke is really funny. Or if, perhaps, it only
makes us laugh.
ALEXA PANTANELLA, Year of birth: My shoe size is 38.5/39 depending on the shoes. Job description: I study the consequences of words. Job title: Inclusive language expert and Founder of Diversity&Inclusion Speaking.
www.diversityspeaking.com
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 11
Nicola Palmarini
THE GOLDEN AGE (And its surroundings)
Just a month ago, a headline in the Italian newspaper
La Repubblica read: ‘Vanessa Ferrari beyond time
and history: silver medal in the floor exercises at
thirty years old.’ Thirty years old, that is – let’s be
clear – old.
At the same time, in the same newspaper, in the article ‘Do
you hear the scream of youth?’ Riccardo Luna celebrated
the youth of Tamberi (29) and Jacobs (26), symbols of the
generation (which one?) of ‘let’s change everything’.
From the pages of the Corriere, Antonio Polito echoed him:
‘Sport has all 3 of the key factors for success in today’s world:
it is young, it is inclusive and it is meritocratic.’
Let’s try to understand: Hend Zaza or Kokona Hiraki were in
Tokyo aged 12, so what does that make them? Because if they
were the ‘young’ ones, all the others would be hopelessly ‘old.’
Without mentioning other Olympians like Kevin Durant (32),
April Ross (39) and Mary Hanna (64). Can we therefore say
that sport is ‘young’ (and therefore according to Polito’s syllo-
gism ‘successful’)? The question is, once again: what is ‘young,’
what is ‘old’? And, more importantly, what does age add to a
narrative? Are those medals worth more or less?
I’m asking Luna and Polito (who also happens to be the au-
thor of a fine essay on ageing) because I’d like them to ex-
plain how they see it: where is the line that separates youth
and old age in sports and, therefore, according to their anal-
ogy, in life?
Their articles exploit youth with that somewhat superficial
haste that has brought us this far, to celebrate what is young
as good, what is old as bad, powerless or socially and eco-
nomically useless.
That somewhat facetious haste that I found again during
‘Next Gen It’ a winking (can we say it was an attempt to cover
one’s ass?) event organised at the beginning of the summer
that encapsulated that collection of stereotypes that framed
the error of perspective triggered by the Next Generation
Fund and resulted in a misunderstanding of ‘who’ would be
the future, ‘who’ the future would belong to, ‘who’ should
build the future and ‘who’ should benefit from this future.
The event, organised by Repubblica, was demagogic and a bit
anachronistic because it tried to celebrate ‘this scream’ of rebel-
lion of the young (Gianmarco Tamberi?) against the old (Vanessa
Ferrari?), instead of trying, finally, to go beyond the easy consen-
sus and suggest a narrative based on the observation of the de-
mographic reality of the planet, move a step beyond this sterile
generational conflict and launch the only meaningful message to
design the future we have in front of us: do it together.
In my opinion, it is not true, as Polito claims, that ‘we will not
create another “economic miracle” without young people.’ I
believe that we won’t do it if we don’t systematically involve
‘young people’ and ‘old people’ in a strategic project.
Especially in Italy, the second oldest country in the world!
Nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary. If they had or-
ganised a festival of meetings and exchanges between gen-
erations, instead of the celebration of an unspecified young
age, perhaps they would have given an implicit but strategic
piece of advice to this (and many other) governments, sug-
gesting that the future is no longer designed by stirring up
the umpteenth social conflict or a war between generations
(according to Stan Druckenmiller: there already has been
and the kids have lost it), but by creating an intergenerational
platform capable of ‘putting the arrow in,’ bringing together a
country of bellwethers (including demographics) and showing
the rest of the world that the ‘Next Generation fund’ capable
of shaping the shape of innovation for the next 50 years is
made by the All Generations Party.
While Orietta Berti, Ornella Vanoni and Gianni Morandi duet
with pseudo-young or real young people to sanction the sac-
rosanct truth that at the end of the day, life is all a remix,
just a remix, nothing but a remix, Luna relaunched a sort of
‘youth, springtime of beauty.’ It’s a lyric that has always had
a certain pull, no matter what music accompanies it: wheth-
er it’s by Led Zeppelin or their Euro-celebrated remix called
Måneskin. In his piece on the youth values of sport, Polito
commented: ‘Our Constitution, which is the most beautiful
in the world, does not contain the word “sport” even once.’
Not realising that the word ‘age’ does not appear in Article 3
of this beautiful Constitution either, where it talks about dis-
crimination. And yet this discrimination also exists, it is called
ageism. It is as widespread as it is unconscious, to the point
that no one takes the trouble to fight it. On the contrary.
NICOLA PALMARINI, Director, of the UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing Director
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202112
By the editorial staff
FACCIAVISTA ASSOCIATION
Art as an innovative educational project
Facciavista is a social inclusion project that aims to
identify and support the unique artistic abilities of
people with autism spectrum disorder. It kicked off in
2018 in Monza, starting with the experiences of one
family, that of Matteo Perego and Melissa La Scala and their
son Alessandro, a teenager with an autism spectrum disorder;
it began with their need to imagine a future for young peo-
ple who are completing their ‘institutional’ study path. After
compulsory schooling, in fact, there is no longer anything that
aims to find a path to help these young people emancipate
themselves from their families – families united, for this rea-
son, by a fear of the future.
The idea behind the project is to apply a contemporary ar-
tistic path guided by David De Carolis, teacher of Pictorial
Disciplines at the Liceo Artistico Modigliani in Giussano who,
working with the students, directs and coordinates efforts to
create works of art that have artistic value in their own right.
The goal is to create works that follow their own coherent aes-
thetic line, using the tools and resources available, products
that have a market and therefore meet high quality standards.
It is not, therefore, the aim to settle for simple works that are
purchased ‘out of pity,’ something that unfortunately still hap-
pens too much with art therapy.
A small group of 6 adolescents participates in the project,
selected based on their characteristics and modes of interac-
tion. The teens are engaged for 2 hours in a structured envi-
ronment that helps them organise and relate, but at the same
time leaves room for their instincts and needs, in a relaxed,
familiar atmosphere. The methodology is based on three cor-
nerstones: ritual, recurring themes and the use of toolkits built
with the children. This methodology makes it possible to re-
spect the typical needs of people with autism spectrum dis-
orders and, at the same time, forces educators and all those
who interact with the children to adapt their way of seeing to
their own, discovering new points of view, new perspectives.
Recently, the project has entered ‘phase 2’: not only to create
artistic objects sold through social networks (or, sometimes,
created on commission), but also to start collaborations with
companies, with the dual intent of expanding the types of ar-
tistic products created by the young people and to give them
the opportunity to start approaching businesses and the mar-
ketplace.
The idea behind the project is to apply a contemporary artistic path guided by David De Carolis, teacher of Pictorial Disciplines at the Liceo Artistico Modigliani in Giussano who, working with the students, directs and coordinates efforts to create works of art that have artistic value in their own right.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 13
One of the first collaborations was with a wine producer, Er-
manno Costa Cascine Spagnolo, who asked for a label for a
Barbera d’Alba DOC. The brainstorming started with a ques-
tion: ‘Guys, what is wine for you?’ And the label bears their
answer, brilliant in its disarming simplicity: ‘It’s for drinking.’
The label was then reworked by Professor De Carolis from a
graphic and aesthetic point of view and the result is an excel-
lent union between a typical mind and an atypical mind. The
non-profit organisation is always looking for new collabora-
tions of this kind, under the banner of the richness inherent in
the concept of co-creation.
But companies can also be involved at a different and, per-
haps, even more important level. The innovative methodology
used in the laboratory to promote interaction between young
people and their creativity could, in fact, be successfully used
in other contexts, such as corporate training, both for ‘neu-
rotypical’ employees and for those with various degrees of
disability. The union that, just like in the case of the wine label,
is created between the typical mind and the atypical mind
makes it possible to go beyond the limits, which are often un-
conscious, set by our conventions, giving life to a multiplicity
of points of view and approaches that can only create richness
and creativity for the benefit of companies and people.
One of the fundamental themes that Facciavista’s project high-
lights is that there is still a big problem with inclusion – in the
school environment even more than in the corporate environ-
ment – due to a widespread struggle to understand and value
the horizon of diversity. But these kids won’t stay teenagers
forever, and there is a great need for companies to focus in-
creasingly on training their neurotypical employees, and even
before that their managers and executives, with an approach
that leans toward understanding, to foster greater awareness
and open-mindedness. More and more often, in fact, compa-
nies talk about inclusion, but there are still too many cases in
which this remains only a superficial objective, without real ap-
plication within the company. On the contrary, it is essential to
reward and respect the dignity of these people, as well as all
vulnerable groups, and to stop seeing them as a problem and a
burden and instead consider them an opportunity.
Autistic children, for example, are often endowed with great
creativity and in a country like Italy, which bases much of its
wealth on creativity, they can be a very important added val-
ue, if they are included and involved in a way that respects
their uniqueness.
There is still a long way to go, but organisations like Facciavis-
ta, although small and limited to a specific area, provide an
important sign of hope for the future. The next step, the fun-
damental one, will be to create a network of inclusive projects
to export this innovative educational approach to as many
companies as possible.
http://facciavista.com
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202114
Silvia Camisasca Irene Canfora
WHOPROTECTS CHIL-
DREN’S RIGHT TO FOOD
AWARENESS?
‘Substance intended for human consumption’:
this is the definition of food created by Euro-
pean law in 2002. Food, by its very nature a
consumer good that is carefully monitored, also
due to its impact on people’s health, has always ended up on
our tables on the basis of daily food choices influenced by
cultural traditions, ethics, lifestyle, advertising and informa-
tion conveyed through product labelling. All aspects related
to safety and information have become central to legislators,
especially after the food crises of the end of the millennium.
When such foods are intended for consumers who are not
aware of these issues, such as infants or minors, it is necessary
to promote growth that prevents potential health problems and
aims to develop critical consciousness in mature consumers.
‘For food products there is now consolidated legislation, of Eu-
ropean origins, ranging from the rules imposed on companies
during all stages of production and distribution, up to informa-
tion and advertising’ clarifies Irene Canfora, Professor of Food
Law at the University of Bari, one of the foremost European
experts on the subject and the author of over 150 scientific
publications, stressing that ‘from the legal point of view, the
tools available to the legislator, to promote good nutrition-
al choices, concern both companies and public measures to
guide consumers (of all ages) towards conscious choices’.
I suppose that one very delicate aspect of this are the rules
and obligations imposed on companies.
Undoubtedly: think, for example, of the ‘new’ nutritional
claims, which find themselves halfway between the evidence
of scientific data on nutritional efficacy itself (subject to ver-
ification by authorities prior to marketing), the informative
impact and, at the same time, attractiveness to the consum-
er, as in the case of the statement ‘high protein content.’ The
other aspect concerns public interventions aimed at food
education: beyond product information, one can actively in-
tervene through information campaigns, even in the field of
education or in the selection of canteen meal choices.
The parameter normally adopted to evaluate the awareness
of the consumer, in the food sector, is that of a subject who is
‘For food products there is now consolidated legislation, of European origins, ranging from the rules imposed on companies during all stages of production and distribution, up to information and advertising’
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 15
‘reasonably well informed and reasonably circumspect,’ as ju-
risprudence has repeatedly stated, in interpreting the norms
of food law: a criterion that is valid in general, but not for
the youngest consumers, who are also exposed to misleading
and aggressive advertising.
If every age group has its rights, this applies, first and fore-
most, to the right to proper nutrition and is reflected, at the
legal level, in the need to calibrate the tools for protection,
especially for children as consumers. This is undoubtedly
true for products intended for infants and young children,
which respond to a logic similar to that of products intended
for categories of subjects requiring a special diet: a specific
EU discipline deals with their composition and labelling, even
though purchase and use will be mediated by an adult figure.
Laws on prohibitions of the sale and administration of alco-
holic beverages act with the same perspective.
Another issue, which is quite different because it relates to
the behaviour of children in the consumption of certain prod-
ucts, concerns ‘junk food,’ which involves the risk of obesity.
A WHO study from 2021 indicates that in Europe the phe-
nomenon continues to be worrying (4th report - WHO Euro-pean Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative). Children suf-
fer the effects of advertising and attractive images packaged
by the food industry and targeted primarily at minors. An
appropriate legislative response should be twofold: nutrition
education from school age onwards, and outside this sphere
– since children are still being persuaded by advertising cam-
paigns – interventions aimed at curbing the consumption of
unhealthy products.
What is your opinion on the adoption, which is challenged
and debatable, by some European countries of traffic light
labelling (nutri-score), aimed at more informed food choices?
It is a ploy to visually simplify nutritional characteristics that
are already compulsory on packaging, but for children, who are
not directly responsible for purchasing, it is necessary to inter-
vene in the various media that channel advertising, purposely
inserted into programmes dedicated to them, whose messag-
es exalt products that put them ‘at risk of obesity.’ The Euro-
pean directive on audio-visual media services now encourages
soft law tools, codes of conduct for companies, ‘to effectively
reduce the exposure of minors’ both to ‘audio-visual commer-
cial communications on alcoholic beverages’ and to those of
‘foodstuffs or beverages containing nutrients, the excessive in-
take of which in the general diet is not recommended,’ and the
Italian legislator has fully embraced this opportunity. It is now
a question of seeing how this will be implemented, in order to
give effect to the European legislation.
For food products, there is established legislation ranging
from the rules imposed on companies for information and
advertising communication.
SILVIA CAMISASCA, born in 1976, has a PhD in nuclear physics with a doctorate in physical applications to cultural heritage. Professional journalist.
IRENE CANFORA, 1970, is a Professor of Agri-food Law and an expert in international law at the University of Bari.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202116
Elena Mozzo
SEXUAL EDUCATION
An opportunity for different generations
to meet and exchange ideas
‘Isn’t it too early?’ is one of the most frequent objec-
tions to the proposal to introduce sexual education
courses in preschools and elementary school. The
fear is that addressing issues such as sexual orien-
tation and gender identity could cause confusion or, even
worse, a kind of indoctrination of young minds.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines sexual educa-
tion as: ‘A process based on teaching and learning about the
cognitive, emotional, biological and social aspects of sexual-
ity. It aims to provide children and young people with knowl-
edge, skills, attitudes and values that enable them to realise
their own health, wellbeing and dignity; develop respectful
social and sexual relationships; consider how their choices
affect their own wellbeing and that of others; and understand
and ensure the protection of their rights.’
Sexual education is, therefore, a pathway, not something to
be completed in a meeting over a couple of hours at school.
A project that should begin, according to WHO guidelines,
at the age of 5. From kindergarten onwards, children should
receive information characterised by different levels of detail
according to their age and without taboos or censorship, but
consistently linked to scientific knowledge. Below are the the-
matic areas identified by the WHO:
1) Relationships
2) Sociocultural aspects of sexuality
3) Gender
4) Violence and consent
5) Communication skills and techniques
6) Puberty and knowledge of the body
7) Reproduction
8) Sexually Transmitted Infections
As conceived by the WHO, sexual education is a spiral-shaped
In this process of growth, adults play a fundamental role. Today more than ever, it is necessary for education about emotions and sexuality to be a central theme that is addressed through numerous services and in different meeting places, formal and informal, aimed at different developmental stages.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 17
path that has at its core key concepts such as self-respect
and respect for others, consent and assertive communica-
tion. The ultimate goal is to support children and adolescents
on the path towards adulthood, providing them with all the
essential tools they need for balanced psycho-physical devel-
opment and to defend themselves against the main threats
that they may encounter as they are growing up: bullying,
cyber-bullying, violence, toxic relationships.
In this process of growth, adults play a fundamental role.
Today more than ever, in a society so complex and full of
sources of misinformation, it is necessary for education
about emotions and sexuality to be a central theme that is
addressed through numerous services and in different meet-
ing places, formal and informal, aimed at different develop-
mental stages.
Parents, teachers, educators, health workers, sports coaches:
we are all called on to be part of the Educating Community.
A network of competent adults who are ready to support
children in their growth, helping them to build a positive
concept of sexuality. I speak of ‘supporting’ because I be-
lieve it is important to walk alongside the children without
tracing a predetermined path chosen by us, but rather, pro-
viding them with the tools to make informed choices. In this
journey, adults also grow: educating means, in fact, staying
constantly up-to-date, questioning oneself, being ready to
revise one’s points of view, going deeper. Supporting children
and young people in the construction of a positive sexuality
can become, even for adults, a valuable training opportunity
through which they can learn new strategies to experience
their own emotional and sexual lives with greater fullness.
Many adults, not having received a proper sexual education
when they were young, lack training in this regard and de-
clare themselves to have little or no background knowledge.
Building this educating community is the sense and purpose
of the activities that I carry out in collaboration with a group
of educators. In addition to meeting young people in schools
to undertake emotional-sexual education programmes, start-
ing in kindergarten we plan training sessions for parents and
the various figures who, in their daily work, meet with chil-
dren and adolescents. Moments during which, in addition to
providing the means and content to promote active dialogue
on issues related to sexuality and emotions, we frame the
content addressed in the current sociocultural context. In
order to fully understand what young people need, it is es-
sential to immerse oneself in their world, understanding the
enormous opportunities, but also the deceptions that can
influence healthy psycho-sexual development.
It is also essential to create a climate that is open to dia-
logue and non-judgemental, where the educator acts as a
competent, not omniscient, guide. This attitude favours mu-
tual enrichment. To paraphrase a famous animated movie,
it is true that we are all part of the circle of life, and through
honest and respectful dialogue each generation can enrich
the others.
ELENA MOZZO, 1983, paediatrician, sex counsellor.www.associazionecasa.comassociazionecasa.ets@gmail.come http://eepurl.com/hFItHv
Credits photo Matteo Busetto (IG @chromaticdefibrillation)
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202118
Nicole Riva
LETTER FROM A
TEACHERReflections on schools
today starting with Don Milani’s generation
In 1962, we found ourselves following the negotiations
between the DC and the PCI concerning Italian schools.
On December 31, an agreement was reached with Law n.
1859: the unified middle school was born, which would
allow anyone attending it to enter high school.
This Nuova Media may seem like an achievement, but in Vic-
chio, a small Tuscan town located in Mugello, there was a
different school that was not satisfied with the crumbs and,
with a book entitled Letter to a Teacher, aimed to unmask
the Italian school system, which had eyes only for those lucky
enough to be born into the right families.
The school was that of Barbiana, founded by Don Lorenzo Milani.
The book is written from the viewpoint of someone who, until
then, had not had the opportunity to speak, having come
out of a state school almost illiterate, and having managed to
learn, wanted to become a teacher.
The ascent to a teaching position, however, was not so easy be-
cause the risk, for a child of peasants, of remaining stuck in the
same class for a long time, was real. According to statistics, during
the 1963-64 school year, 1,031,000 students failed out of com-
pulsory school, including Gianni and my father. My father had the
good fortune of having far-sighted parents and he finished the
eighth grade before starting to work; Gianni, on the other hand,
one of the boys at the Barbiana school, stopped studying at the
age of 14 after failing his private exam and found a job.
As a teacher who doesn’t have a permanent teaching posi-
tion, this open letter written by the students to the teaching
staff has been essential for my education.
Sixty years have passed, but some situations that didn’t work
out well then still play out before my eyes. Is it not true that
many students are careerists? The only purpose for studying
is the grade one is given, as if the only representation of one-
self were a number obtained for a performance. I have made
the speech in class many times: ‘You are not a number, you
are people,’ but I see it – when I hand back the tests – that the
interest is in the mark and not in learning from one’s mistakes.
At the end of the year they ask me if 5.5 is a passing or failing
grade, as if only the average counts and not the course. Who
puts these ideas into the heads of boys and girls?
‘You are not a number, you are people,’ but I see it that the interest is in the mark and not in learning from one’s mistakes. At the end of the year they ask me if 5.5 is a passing or failing grade, as if only the average counts and not the course.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 19
Another critical point is the connection between school and life.
The boys of Barbiana complained about not going further than
the First World War when they studied history; we go a few dec-
ades further but without considering all that has happened in
recent years. The programmes have been replaced by National
Indications and yet, for some teachers, they are an obsession.
Today more than ever, greater importance should be given
to current events, to reading newspapers, to the opinions of
the students: ‘The mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but
wood that needs igniting.’
Finally, there are the boys and girls that no one wants. Back
then they went to work or landed in Barbiana; today they go
to private schools (if they were born into the right family) or
continue to be rejected until the time to drop out arrives. Art.
3 of the Constitution says that we must ‘remove obstacles of
an economic and social nature.’
Sometimes students continue to repeat the year because
they don’t know Italian, they don’t know how to ask for help;
sometimes because they don’t study, but before I say why
they have failed, I always ask myself: ‘What have I done to
help that boy/girl?’ or ‘Am I sure that their behaviour doesn’t
mask something?’ Because as the children of Barbiana
wrote: school cannot be a hospital that cures the healthy and
rejects the sick. It’s easy to teach someone who always gets
good marks. For me, the greatest satisfaction is seeing those
with a failing grade get a passing one.
I have been working at school for 3 years, my colleagues say
that I feel this way because I am young and that I will lose
my enthusiasm as the years go by: when that day comes I
will change jobs. Unfortunately, the Italian educational sys-
tem also has those who consider teaching a fallback, and I
don’t blame them: there is the salary, an eighteen-hour week
(if you don’t consider all the time spent on preparation and
correction) and even the possibility of getting work as a sub-
stitute without having to do an interview.
In Barbiana, they say that if they force teachers to work more
hours with an after-school programme for students who need
it, many will disappear. I believe that too.
What pushes me to go to school every day is my passion
for my work, even if, like the narrator of the book, I come
up against a recruitment system that makes me turn up my
nose: he had a teacher who flunked him out of high school;
I’m waiting for a testing session that will allow me to access
a permanent position; we both find ourselves sacrificing the
in-depth studies we need to teach because we have to study
concise little books.
‘I study like a worm’ to be evaluated by a crossword test,
when for me school is so much more, I get ahead by training
with paid courses or putting myself on reserve lists. ‘I will be a
teacher and do school better than you,’ says the narrator. His
cockiness gives me the strength to keep pursuing my goal.
NICOLE RIVA, 1991. Master’s Degree in Modern Philology, Teacher of Italian, History and Geography in Secondary School
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202120
Valentina Sorbi
CARRÀ, RAFFAELLA
World heritage between generations
People often ask me why I have a blonde bob wig as
the headrest of my car. I answer that it is there to
celebrate ‘la Raffa.’ Always.
Despite the astonishment and laughter, no one has
ever disagreed with my celebratory impulse for the undis-
puted queen of Italian and international television. On the
contrary, I find in people of all different ages and sociocultur-
al backgrounds a feeling of sincere affection and esteem for
‘la Raffa,’ who was described by The Guardian, last autumn,
as ‘the Italian pop star who taught Europe the joys of sex.’
The paper described the ‘60-year career for a cultural icon
who revolutionised Italian entertainment – and gave women
agency in the bedroom.’
Raffaella Maria Roberta Pelloni, born in Bologna in 1943, ali-
as Raffaella Carrà, began her career as an actress at the age
of 8. In the first half of the 1960s, the director Dante Guarda-
magna, a lover of painting, suggested her lucky pseudonym,
adding to her name, inspired by Raffaella, the surname of
another renowned artist: Carlo Carrà.
From the beginning of the ‘70s onwards, after deciding to
set aside acting as a result of average results and to focus on
a television career as a dancer, singer, soubrette, presenter
and creator of programmes, ‘La Raffa’ had one success after
another, with impressive viewing figures (with Carràmba! Che sorpresa she reached 14 million viewers).
Among the greatest successes, to name just a few: Canzo-nissima presented alone and with Corrado (which earned
her some censorship from RAI, which was subsequently
withdrawn, for showing her belly button during the opening
theme song in an Italy that was still bigoted and closed-mind-
ed); Milleluci with Mina, another immense icon; 2 editions
of Fantastico!; the 51st Festival of San Remo; the formats of
Pronto, Raffaella? with the equally emblematic can of beans
and Carràmba, che sorpresa, which was adapted in numer-
ous versions for Italian, Spanish, but also French, Greek, Ger-
man, South and North American television.
Not to mention the immemorial hits translated (even into
English: ‘Do it do it again’ is the English version of ‘A far
l’amore comincia tu’) and over 60 million records recorded
and sold in Italy and worldwide (with 23 awards, including
gold and platinum records received over the course of her
long career); 13 Telegatti and hundreds of other awards at
home and abroad, especially in Spain, which has always paid
tribute to her by naming squares after her, giving her insti-
tutional medals of civil merit and awarding her the title of
‘Ambassador of love and world gay icon’ on the occasion of
World Pride in Madrid in 2017.
When I have the opportunity, I wear that blond bob. During
an aperitif, a few weeks ago, a curious little girl asked if she
could borrow it: I am happy to proselytise the younger gen-
eration. My generation, born in or around 1980, grew up
with ‘la Raffa’.
She was everywhere, omnipresent on TV, on the covers of
magazines and papers, always with her unmistakable style:
her way of moving, laughter, clothes and that unmistakable
blond bob. A trademark combined (almost always) with hun-
dreds of thousands of spangles (not sequins!), which identify
her and make her immediately recognisable to anyone. On
the other hand, ‘Carrà is not a woman, it’s a lifestyle’ de-
clared Pedro Almodóvar in an interview.
I already wore that bob, virtually, when I was 5 years old,
sitting in front of the TV watching reruns of the theme song
of Fantastico 3, when I shook my head and danced dizzily
with my grandmother – born in 1926 – at my side. ‘La Raffa’
has conquered, for decades, not only the radio charts and
excelled on national and international TV, but has managed
to speak – through competence, authenticity, irony and intel-
ligence, to millions of people, crossing through fragments of
histories, both private and public. ‘La Raffa’ is, to all intents
and purposes, a piece of our history. The history of all of us.
VALENTINA SORBI was born in 1980 and has a Master’s in Gender Studies and Social Change. She is a D&I consultant, project manager and much more.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202122
Véronique Fabbri-Balduzzi Daria Dall’Igna
FIND YOUR OWN WAY
AT ANY AGE
Is there a right age for finding one’s way?
We are convinced that it is never too early or too late to
understand who we are and that, today, knowing how to
orient oneself is a real necessity. Statistics in fact tell us that
• every year one out of 5 students makes a mistake in
choosing which high school to attend;
• 3 out of 10 students regret their choice of university right
from the first year;
• fixed-term employment contracts are on the rise and the
permanent job is disappearing;
• the world of work is changing rapidly and new jobs are
emerging;
• life expectancy is lengthening and the recent pandemic
has forced us to look for a meaningful life project.
These trends force us to train our self-orientation skills and
continue to educate ourselves.
We, counsellors who specialise in school guidance and career
reorientation, have also re-invented ourselves several times and
for assorted reasons: poor career choices, relocation, changing
priorities post-maternity. Thanks to our history, it came naturally
to us to want to support others going through similar situations.
We are convinced that knowing how to orient oneself is a
fundamental skill that should be acquired as soon as possible
and that can be reused during every transition in life.
We believe, however, that it is important to base the choice
of learning how to navigate this not on external reasons, but
on internal ones: starting with oneself, exploring one’s talents
and passions and then checking what the world has to offer
in line with the identified ingredients.
For example, we ask those who have to choose a high school
to create an alternative report card where they can indicate
grades for commitment and interest in each subject. It is a
new way to tell the story of one’s schooling.
‘I had never looked at school and subjects from this perspec-tive,’ says Nicholas, 13. ‘I realised that my passion for science experiments is important and I want to find a school where I can learn by doing.’
Starting with self-knowledge is therefore crucial at any age.
Matilda also realised this during her post-graduation jour-
ney: ‘It was very helpful to start not with the options, which are vast and endless and can be overwhelming, but with what I like and am passionate about.’
Discovering one’s passion to project oneself into the future is not always a simple matter. Regarding making choices post-high school graduation, our aim is first to identify a professional goal and only then do we explore the different possible paths of study to get there. We, counsellors who specialise in school guidance and career reorientation, have also re-invented ourselves several times and for assorted reasons: poor career choices, relocation, changing priorities post-maternity.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 23
Discovering one’s passion to project oneself into the future
is not, however, always a simple matter. Regarding making
choices post-high school graduation, our aim is first to identi-
fy a professional goal and only then do we explore the differ-
ent possible paths of study to get there.
We also encourage teens to expand their horizons in search
of multiple career options to see what interests them most.
We generally encounter 2 scenarios: on the one hand, there
are those who have ‘too many’ interests, and on the other
hand, those who feel ‘at sea.’
‘My problem is having so many passions and interests,’ says
Alice initially, but at the end of the journey she says: ‘I managed to discover myself, to identify my priorities for a future job, put-ting together different interests, such as journalism and fashion.’ Seeking one’s own path is not only possible, but also neces-
sary as one grows older. We support adults in their search for
alternative stories that can put them back in touch with their
resources and strengthen their identities. This approach, de-
rived from Narrative Practices, values the uniqueness of the
individual as the sole expert on their own life, helps them
break free from limiting labels, and supports them in their
search for a new, preferred story.
Those who go through a crisis during a period of transition
(separation, bereavement, layoff, pandemic...) need to re-
store their identity and (re)find meaning through a new nar-
rative of their experience.
Matilde, 30 years old, writes: ‘This path has allowed me to focus on both my skills and my goals; what I took for granted is, in fact, a resource.’Raffaella, 55, who is in the process of ‘rethinking’ her career,
says: ‘Being supported has allowed me to reflect deeply and
clearly recognise my values, my motivational drivers, my cri-teria for choice.’‘Know thyself’ said the ancient Greeks. ‘Become what you are,’ added Kierkegaard. ‘Do what you are,’ we conclude.
Start your personal orientation journey as early as possible
and continue it throughout life. It is never too early or too late
to (re)become the author of your own life.
VÉRONIQUE FABBRI-BALDUZZI, 1963. MA Counselling Psychology. School, career and life transition professional counsellor.
DARIA DALL’IGNA, 1970. BA European Studies. Profes-sional Counselling Certificate. School, career, multicultu-ral professional counsellor.
www.orientamentosinopia.com
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202124
Stefano Di Niola
DIVERSITY ROMA
Valuing differences is good for business and the community
Rome, as regards its history and the character of its
inhabitants, can be considered – apart from a few
bad episodes – a welcoming city, capable of inclu-
sion. But this should not lead us to think that no
further effort is necessary, that we do not need a courageous
initiative to improve the environment around us and face the
challenges of the future.
As the CNA (Confederation of Craft Trades) of Rome, the larg-
est organisation representing craftsmanship and small and
medium-sized businesses in the region, we believe that an eco-
nomic area, if it does not want to regress, if it wants to develop,
attract people, investments and be fully included among the
most modern and competitive economic and social systems,
must be able to welcome, enhance and include diversity.
With the Diversity Roma project, the first in Italy aimed at
SMEs, we wanted to start a process of awareness raising,
information and training on Diversity & Inclusion, involving
owners and employees of companies in the spirit of sharing
the values of hospitality and inclusiveness, principles that are
the basis of civil society and crucial for the reputation of a
territory and its economy.
To build a working environment in which each employee feels
welcomed, respected, but above all valued for who they are, with
their own choices, their religion and their personal attitudes.
Welcoming and addressing customers, aware that these dif-
ferences are not concessions but rights to be recognised and
respected.
Transmit and share these values with your suppliers and your
supply chain, triggering a beneficial ‘domino effect.’
And to do all this bearing in mind the positive results of Di-
versity & Inclusion policies on companies’ economic perfor-
mance. Being inclusive means not only respecting others, but
also being more competitive in a market with increasingly
attentive and demanding consumers.
According to a survey conducted by the CNA of Rome with
SWG, for 55% of companies in the capital, diversity is a
strength and contributes to the success of a company. An-
other interesting fact that emerges from the research is that,
in the management of the recent crisis, the most inclusive
companies are those that have fired the fewest employees.
In essence, including and valuing differences is very good for
the economy of companies.
With this project we have targeted entrepreneurs who own
businesses, bars and restaurants, hotels and any other type
of business linked to the tourism macro-chain, but also entre-
preneurs in manufacturing, agribusiness and other sectors.
The goal is to create a welcoming working environment for
both employees and customers through careful training on
issues such as gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual
orientation and gender identity, and finally by drawing up a
code of ethics for inclusive business to which Roman compa-
nies can adhere.
Together, but starting with our individual visions, we will build
a new model of a more modern, more competitive, more wel-
coming company.
STEFANO DI NIOLA, Secretary CNA of Rome
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 25
Antonio Rotelli
GIVING THE VOTE TO 16-YEAR-OLDS
The Italian Constitution establishes that voters are
defined as all citizens who have legally come of
age, which is not established by the Constitution,
but by ordinary law.
The age of majority, correlated to the right to vote, has been
modified several times since the unification of Italy, being
lowered progressively from 25 to 21 to 18, as part of cycles
that last approximately 50 years and correspond to political,
social and juridical changes within the country.
Another 50 years on, the subject is re-emerging due to a re-
quest to give the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds, cohorts that
– according to some pollsters – may tend to feel unprepared
and uninterested in voting.
For the moment in Italy this request seems extemporaneous:
in the last 20 years, there have been 4 bills to lower the age
of majority to 16, and none in the last legislature; instead,
there are about 2 dozen that, particularly in the last legislature
(carried by the wave of the Fridays for Future events organised
by young people all over the world), propose (or proposed)
to give the right to vote to citizens who have turned 16, limit-
ed to municipal or regional elections or, in 2 proposals, to all
elections including those for Parliament (as happens in Brazil,
Austria and Malta), but without changing the age of majority.
Separating the age of majority from exercising the right to
vote is an option, but leads to contradictions and problems,
since a person would be able to determine the fate of the
country, but would not be able to act independently for him-
or herself, despite the fact that there is an evident tendency
of the legal system to extend the prerogatives and rights of
sixteen-year-olds with regard to the involvement and expres-
sion of their will in the choices that concern them and, more
recently, in the digital consensus, which has become so im-
portant in our lives, thus showing that 16 is considered an
age at which a person can be recognised as having the ability
to choose for themselves and transition to adulthood.
Even the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which
defines as a ‘child’ anyone under the age of 18, specifies that
state law may establish a lower age for the attainment of ma-
jority, showing that the standard age that the vast majority
of countries have shared since the 1960s and 1970s can be
questioned as a consequence of increased schooling and the
long wave of youth movements that have claimed spaces of
autonomy and participation in choices regarding public life.
However, at the moment the age of majority is reached at 16
in about 8 countries and, in Europe, only in Scotland.
It should be borne in mind that the Constitution and inter-
national conventions, by prohibiting discrimination on the
basis of age, require that even the choice of an age for com-
ing of age, by questioning the currently established age, be
anchored to non-arbitrary parameters, since fundamental
rights at the basis of democracy, such as inclusion and the
right to vote, are at stake.
With respect to the right to vote, the legal perspective men-
tioned relates to the sociocultural realities of Generation Z
and Italy.
In our legal system, those who can exercise the right to vote
are not asked to be responsible, interested in politics, in-
formed and able to discern. It would be desirable for them
to do so, but there are no sanctions for those who do not
assume their responsibilities, since democracy and universal
suffrage incorporate this risk.
The limits imposed on sixteen-year-olds (immaturity, impul-
siveness, the risk of being exploited) are not, therefore, de-
fects of their age that disappear at the age of 18, nor would
they be a new risk that the legal system, as mentioned, can-
not absorb.
Instead, it would be rather useful to reverse the perspective
in order to focus on the limits of the system (and the nec-
essary corrective measures), especially the educational one,
which is evaluated as not being able to provide young people
with the minimum tools of citizenship to stimulate their inter-
est and acquire the knowledge needed to participate more
consciously in voting at the age of 16, at the end of the 10
years of compulsory schooling.
There is also a general theme that concerns the ageing of the
population and the electoral body, and is intertwined with
the historically limited focus on the needs and expectations
of young people, in a context in which the digital revolution
has created new skills, opportunities and potential, but also
new problems. The new age cohorts that would be allowed to
vote would represent just over a million people (about 2.9%
of voters, equal to the percentage of those over 85), a pro-
portion not capable of upsetting Italian politics, but certainly
important in containing the existing imbalance.
ANTONIO ROTELLI, 1975, attorney at law
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202126
Annalisa Valsasina, Fondazione Libellula
NEXT GENERATION
Working with new generations on gender-based violence
Gender-based violence is a complex phenomenon
with cultural, social and individual roots. It is a
‘global’ phenomenon found all over the world
that affects all age groups. The common ele-
ment is that it is mainly children, girls and women who are
its victims. It is estimated that in Europe 2.5 million women
(UNICEF data, 2020) have experienced sexual violence be-
fore the age of 15. For 30% of women on the entire planet,
their first sexual experience was forced. In Italy, 1 in 3 women
between the ages of 16 and 70 has been a victim of violence
in her lifetime, whether physical or sexual, psychological, or
economic (ISTAT data, 2016).
Gender-based violence manifests in multiple ways, as much
for minors as for adult and elderly women, about whom lit-
tle is said. Physical and sexual violence is mainly acted out
within the family or in a couple’s relationship and manifests
through threats, beatings and sexual abuse. In many coun-
tries, girls and young women are victims of forced and re-
parative marriages, forced into sexual slavery and prostitu-
tion. Other forms of violence stem from traditional cultural
practices, such as female genital mutilation.
In Italy, cases of abuse and violence against girls and young
women have increased by 18% in the last 10 years (Terres
des Hommes, 2019) as has the prevalence of underage rap-
ists and gang rapes, also due to the almost complete absence
of sexual education. Suffice it to say that 68% of boys be-
tween 12 and 19 have already watched a pornographic film,
a factor that contributes to maintaining a questionable rape
culture. Finally, let’s not forget other forms of violence, such
as stalking and cyberstalking, or violence that often escapes
monitoring, such as psychological and economic violence.
Gender violence and the younger generations: what’s hap-pening in our country?In Italy, among very young people, most bullying episodes are
based on gender and among the younger generations, worrying
stereotypes persist. Nineteen per cent of young people believe
that if a man is cheated on, it is normal for him to become vio-
lent. In a 2019 research project, 10% of the girls surveyed say
they have been harassed, 38% have been seriously insulted by
their partner in front of others, 79% limit their behaviour out of
fear of their partners’ reactions who, in 68% of cases, claim to
control their communications and phones. One girl out of 10 is
afraid of the boy she is dating but one out of 3 declares herself
ready to forgive him if there should be physical violence. In 75%
of cases girls decide not to talk about this with anyone.
The Next Generation programme consists of a series of meetings dedicated to adults and their sons and daughters.The meetings offer space for discussion to promote awareness of gender issues in the educational process and encourage the development in younger generations of behaviours that are open to diversity and free from stereotypes.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 27
How to intervene? Fondazione Libellula’s Next Generation programme If gender violence is based on cultural factors, on particular
stereotyped representations of male and female, it is on this
level that we must intervene, intensifying prevention activi-
ties at all levels.
The Next Generation programme was created with this aim in
mind: it consists of a series of meetings dedicated to adults
– the employees of the network’s member companies – and
their sons and daughters, depending on the age group. The
meetings offer space for discussion to promote awareness of
gender issues in the educational process and encourage the
development in younger generations of behaviours that are
open to diversity and free from stereotypes.
In the work with parents, the focus is on the way in which ste-
reotypes can unconsciously influence relationships, expecta-
tions and attributions, conditioning the free development of
others’ identities.
For adolescents, the activities propose, from a gender perspec-
tive, the typical topics appropriate to their development: the
body, affectivity and relationships, identity, cyber-bullying, the
potential and risks of the digital world. The sessions, which are
interactive and concrete, offer tools and stimuli to recognise
potentially harmful situations and prevent or deal with them.
What emerges from these experiences?Several companies in the network have activated the Next
Generation programme and one thing has emerged clearly:
the need to talk about these issues in order to fill important
gaps in awareness. Adults and young people often do not
have a map of the phenomenon of violence, just as they lack
references for what makes relationships between the sexes
fully positive and respectful.
Finally, we believe it is fundamental to bring people to un-
derstand that the phenomenon of violence is not ‘nothing to
do with me,’ but has its roots in a cultural background that
inevitably influences all of us, and that – as such – each of
us, in our own roles, areas, developmental paths and age, can
contribute to changing, even by taking small steps.
ANNALISA VALSASINA, 1975. Psychologist, psychothe-rapist, Senior Consultant and D&I Project Designer of Fondazione Libellula
www.fondazionelibellula.com
Credits photo: Matthew Henry
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202128
Fondazione Provinciale della Comunità Comasca onlus
CO-HOUSINGA happy sharing
of spaces, hopes and needs
‘I used to see the elderly in my parish looking sad. They
were still able to fend for themselves despite their age,
but something was missing for them to be happy. Based
on this, I felt the need to start co-housing: apartments
that would allow them to still be independent, but with com-
mon spaces and the possibility to connect with others.’
Don Natalino Pedrana, parish priest of Rovellasca, starts
telling us about his inclusion project, what he has already
done and what he would like to accomplish. Everything starts
with the idea of allocating some unused spaces belonging to
the oratory to a co-housing project; thus the first 5 apart-
ments were born, with several common spaces to encourage
socialising and home to 2 elderly people and 2 university
students. While the former benefit from subsidised rent and
a day centre where they can carry out recreational activities,
the students are granted a free apartment on condition that
they help and assist the elderly when needed.
Continuing the engaging story, Don Natalino talks about
how, based on continuous exchanges between 2 seemingly
distant generations, relationships characterised by friend-
ship and affection are actually born that are rewarding for
both parties.
This ‘super parish priest’ has begun work on a second build-
ing that will house 8 more apartments and a garden open to
the entire community, designed as a place of inclusion and
meeting, for grandparents and children together. The Fon-
dazione Provinciale della Comunità Comasca onlus, which
works to promote giving, to improve the quality of life of
the local community (www.fondazione-comasca.it), imme-
diately took the project to heart by starting a fundraising
campaign. The goal of the foundation is now to make the Ro-
vellasca project an example to be ‘exported;’ the population
is constantly ageing and it is, therefore, necessary to give
the elderly the opportunity to live better, at a very low cost
(compared to a retirement home, for example) and avoiding
having these individuals go through the terrible experience
of feeling invisible. Mrs Onorina, who lives there, and Da-
vide, a young university student, wanted to talk about their
experience.
Why did you decide to join this initiative?D: I am one of the 2 custodians who have lived here since
last September. I joined this initiative thanks to Giacomo, my
friend and current roommate, who at the beginning of the
summer was looking for an apartment near Milan. So he tried
to involve me in this experience and I accepted ‘the chal-
lenge’ with enthusiasm.
O: Knowing about this wonderful initiative, I decided to move
in because I love socialising and I wanted to get closer to the
centre of the village.
‘I used to see the elderly in my parish looking sad. They were still able to fend for themselves despite their age, but something was missing for them to be happy. Based on this, I felt the need to start co-housing: apartments that would allow them to still be independent, but with common spaces and the possibility to connect with others.’
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 29
What do you like most about co-housing?D: Co-housing is very nice because it allows you to have
neighbours for whom you not only provide a sense of secu-
rity, but are also like a grandchild. In addition, for us young
people and students, it is perfect to have the comfort of an
apartment near Milan while ‘paying’ by providing a useful
service to the community.
O: Not living alone; having an elevator, food that is ready at
noon and in the evening, and an assistant at night.
What is one fond memory from this experience? D: One of the best memories is a pizza party with the res-
idents and some of their friends. Or simple everyday mo-
ments, like when we have coffee or chat and joke around
– that’s where the beauty of co-housing lies.
O: One of the best memories that comes to mind is celebrat-
ing birthdays all together.
Would you recommend this experience to others?D: Of course, I would recommend this experience to anyone
who wants to try living with a friend but, at the same time, is
willing to devote a some of their time to those in need. In this
way you can fully experience exchanges between 2 different
generations, which are mutually enriching.
O: I would recommend it because for us seniors companion-
ship is important but at the same time we can be autono-
mous and free to do what we want.
Do you want to make an appeal to those who read this? D: I would urge everyone to donate so that more apartments can
be built, so that seniors don’t have to be lonely during their final
years. Loneliness can be more painful than many other illnesses.
In addition, these arrangements allow an elderly person who is
still self-sufficient to be able to live in a facility built to measure.
O: At present there are only a few apartments and, in or-
der to accommodate as many people as possible, there is a
need to create more apartments. Help us; donating enriches
everyone.
To launch the new fundraising campaign, a video interview
was conducted by director Paolo Lipari, including the testi-
monies of residents, who have become the best representa-
tives of its benefits. Famous people, such as Davide Van de
Sfroos, Andrea Vitali and Beppe Bergomi, who have always
been at the foundation’s side, have joined in.
Anyone wishing to contribute to the project can donate at the
following link: https://dona.fondazione-comasca.it/cohousing/
DON NATALINO PEDRANA, Parish Priest of Rovellasca.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202130
by the Editorial Staff
INTERVIEW WITH BEATRICE
UGUCCIONIVice President of Milan City Council
Good morning Beatrice, let’s start at the begin-ning: were you born in Milan? Yes, and that’s also why my commitment and
passion are concentrated here.
How did the cultural diversity of your parents – or that of the environment you grew up in – influence your growth? My parents have always been very close, strong in character
but at the same time different: my mother is tenacious and
infinitely patient, my father is a hard worker, apparently gruff,
but with a huge and generous heart. They taught me to be
a dreamer and at the same time to be concrete, not to stop
in the face of obstacles, to always be respectful of others, to
question myself but also to be determined to pursue what I
believe in, to be consistent in my choices, to listen a lot. As
a girl I was much more impulsive and touchier, now I have
smoothed out some of the rough edges and have become
more reflective. Political work and the roles I have played
over the years have had a profound influence on the latter.
What did you study?I was educated in Italy: I attended a classical lyceum and
have a degree in philosophy, with an experimental thesis on
immigration.
What was your first political assignment and what expec-tations did you have when you started to get involved in politics?My passion for politics was born around 1987, but I started
to be active in the institutions in 2001 as a councillor of Zona
9 (currently City Hall) in opposition. In 2006, I was elected
President of Zona 9 in the same Zone, a role I held for 10
years, that is, until 2016, when I was elected City Councillor,
appointed Vice President of the Council and since July 2020,
Councillor delegated to the mobility of the Metropolitan City
of Milan. Yet the expectations are the same as today: to take
care of my city, contributing to improving the lives of those
who live there and experience it daily, proposing feasible ac-
tions and projects; combining vision and concreteness.
How have you seen D&I change in the last 5 years?Milan has definitely evolved in the last 10 years and, espe-
cially after Expo, it has become ‘unprovincialised’ and has
changed its approach to diversity and inclusion. More work
needs to be done because, as is often the case in large cit-
ies, Milan too embodies many contradictions: it is the city
with the most women entrepreneurs, but the gender pay gap
persists; it has the highest number of employed women, giv-
en the presence of a good (always improvable) network of
services, but it is also a city where many women leave their
jobs for family reasons. Companies in Milan have also taken
steps to promote projects that focus on inclusion because
they have realised that it is not only ethically correct, but
also economically advantageous: those who feel comforta-
I think it is necessary to permanently break down those barriers (architectural and mental!) that are still present and prevent people from living peacefully.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 31
ble in their companies because they do not feel excluded or
discriminated against work better and the company benefits.
Certainly, we need to accelerate in this area as well in order
to make this approach the standard and not the exception.
What does diversity mean to you?It means paying attention to the many facets of life. It means
meeting the individual with his or her own unique traits, ac-
cepting and valuing them, guaranteeing equal opportunities
for everyone.
What are your main commitments?As President of the Area Council – first – and as Vice Presi-
dent of the City Council – second – I have always paid spe-
cial attention to the younger generations, i.e. today’s citizens
(not those of the distant future!) because change certainly
passes through them. And so, for example, in partnership
with schools, we have promoted awareness projects about
bullying and cyber-bullying, discrimination and gender stere-
otypes. Actions to make everyone more aware because only
the awareness of what still happens around us can give rise
to the ability to change things.
Why is diversity a strategic lever for sustainable growth?Because it is through diversity that we evolve, confronting it
we grow and learn.
What are the problems that need to be solved, today, and what positive changes do you expect in the near future?I think it is necessary to permanently break down those bar-
riers (architectural and mental!) that are still present and
prevent people from living peacefully. On the one hand, this
involves concrete actions and projects – think of the acces-
sibility still denied to some in public transport, bars and res-
taurants, stadiums, but also the difficulty of moving on roads
and sidewalks; on the other hand, we need to accelerate the
transformation of the mentality necessary so that no one
feels isolated.
How do you make this change happen?With commitment, without going backwards, with determi-
nation and in collaboration with all the pulsating forces of
the city that are asking to continue to go down the road of
inclusion which is, after all, a road of civilisation.
How would you describe an inclusive work environment?As a non-rejectionist environment, in which each person can
feel at home, in which there is respect and an exchange of
ideas and opinions, in which those who work feel appreciated
and involved, in which it is clear that each person has unique
skills and strengths that can be put at the service of the com-
pany and the community.
BEATRICE UGUCCIONI, Vice President of Milan City Council. Council Group Democratic Party
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202132
by the Editorial Staff
HUMAN AGE INSTITUTE
FOUNDATIONT
he Human Age Institute Foundation, promoted by
the ManpowerGroup, has become a major hub for
Talent that connects people, companies and insti-
tutions to generate innovative solutions and en-
courage the meeting and growth of talent since its creation
in September 2014.
Our definition of talent is not excellence in a specific skill, but
a heterogeneous and transversal set of qualities, skills and
experiences. Talent is seen as the key to human improvement
in all its dimensions: economic, emotional, intellectual, oper-
ational, ecological, ethical, spiritual, creative and social.
Talent becomes the crucial differentiating element and, in
order to stimulate it, companies can no longer involve their
people with a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather with an
individualised and sensitive approach. A talent is not just a
person, it is much more.
Based on this concept, the Human Age Institute Foundation
develops motivational and work orientation paths (Talent
Lab) with the aim of putting the people who benefit from its
paths in a position to turn – independently and effectively –
towards the world of work.
‘In the catalytic capacity that Talent has to generate agents
of change and individual and collective transformation,’ said
Marilena Ferri, Secretary General of the Human Age Institute
Foundation and People & Culture Director of the Manpow-
erGroup, ‘with the foundation we bring to companies a set
of strategies and a culture of inclusion, we deal with current
issues that are now more relevant than ever, such as: wom-
en who have experienced violence, people with physical or
mental disabilities, refugees, victims of trafficking, transgen-
der individuals, and we turn our gaze to transversal issues in
the world of work, such as Neet* and unemployed people
over the age of 50.’
*(Not in Education, Employment, or Training)
Stefano Scabbio, President of the Human Age Institute Foun-
dation and President of the Southern and Eastern Europe
ManpowerGroup, shares these objectives, adding: ‘For us,
doing well by doing good is a daily commitment to people,
companies and communities. The foundation is the expres-
sion of the ManpowerGroup’s values.’
We want to be an engine of transformation and a lever of
motivation for people, organisations and companies on their
journey towards excellence, success and differentiation,
based on a comprehensive, ethical and supportive vision of
human beings and Talent.
Work is the true social inclusion, it restores dignity to people
and helps them to regulate their lives, but it also brings value
to companies themselves. It is essential to create connec-
tions and synergies between the talent that exists in people
and companies, society, to encourage shared learning, con-
tinuous improvement and collective development.
With the foundation, in partnership with Arcigay, we are
creating an internal project within Manpower dedicated to
LGBT+ issues in order to solidify good practices and educate
the population regarding inclusion. In the short-term, the aim
is to also bring this project to our partner companies.
MARILENA FERRI, Secretary General of the Human Age Institute Foundation and People & Culture Director of the ManpowerGroup
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 33
Michelina della Porta
CO-STANZA A community welfare project that puts the person at the centre of the system
Co-Stanza is a co-working space with an area for
babies for freelancers and public and private sec-
tor employees who choose agile working in a mul-
tifunctional space, with areas dedicated to work
and wellness and a community of experts to support their
professional and personal life. In order to promote female
employment and, at the same time, the wellbeing of work-
ers, CO-STANZA has created a welfare project shared with
and accessible to companies, third-sector entities and public
administrations, which focuses on children, young people,
adults, the elderly and families.
It supports the concepts of identity, culture, diversity and in-
clusion by activating projects in which skills, abilities, experi-
mentation and learning favour exchanges and the sharing of
time and spaces by adults and children. Since its inception it
has promoted processes of listening to local voices in order
to identify the specific and emerging needs of the communi-
ty, to enhance people and ideas and co-design interventions
aimed at fostering growth from a human, professional, cul-
tural and social point of view. A system of integrated services
that – by facilitating meetings with otherness, in a network
with members of private and public social life and through
tools and languages that are appropriate to ages and needs
– addresses issues related to everyone’s everyday life.
We are convinced that we are a resource that can move
change and innovation from childhood onwards, and are
capable of bringing out new social resources and activating
community ties – we build spaces for intergenerational and
inter-institutional convergence. These are places dedicated
to encouraging the recognition of people in the diversity of
their subjectivities and biographies, places that enhance cre-
ative and expressive skills to trigger dynamics that provide an
opportunity, especially to younger generations, to engage as
actors and advocates within and for their local communities,
to express themselves in social, cultural and artistic activities,
giving rise to new forms of self-organisation and, finally, to find
themselves in the political culture of ‘emerging from problems
together’, co-producing common goods that are accessible to
all, with an inclusive perspective, interacting with institutions
and building equal dialogue with the adults in the community.
The pandemic has revealed that, above all, children and
young people are at the mercy of the economic and cultural
resources of their own families, which often lack an organised
system that can compensate for cases in which that endow-
ment is reduced. The ‘attempted’ tools of family-work recon-
ciliation have revealed a conflict between different rights and
different subjects: the contradictory nature of interventions
that de-institutionalise the family cycle has emerged, taking
the form either of gender or equal opportunity policies, or of
policies aimed at only one of the subjects (children, women,
single women, the elderly) and not at the family, or finally,
of workfare policies, in which the shift towards using work to
resolve the problem is the predominant point of view. Each
of these options has weaknesses. It is necessary to adopt a
perspective that leads to a vision of reconciliation that not
only allows for the multiplicity of factors and all the actors
and players involved in the process to be considered, but
also, through the consideration of reconciliation as a social
relationship, allows for the connection between dimensions
and subjectivity.
MICHELINA DELLA PORTA, 1980. Cooperator, welfare community manager, co-founder of Co-Stanza Space.
www.spaziocostanza.it
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202134
COVER STORY Valentina Dolciotti
ADELECAMBRIA
The first time I saw Adele’s blue eyes was on the
landing of her house, in Rome, in Via de’ Pettinari,
several years ago.
I was hot, had a backpack on my shoulder and a
bunch of sunflowers in my hand, brought with me to thank
her for her hospitality. Adele was waiting on the top floor of
the building, in front of the elevator: when the doors opened,
she smiled at me.
From that moment onwards I had access to the ‘wonderful
world of Adele,’ made of meetings, stories, books, email ex-
changes, evenings at the theatre and lunches on the terrace
that oscillated between the past and the present: born dur-
ing a sweltering summer in Calabria in 1931, Adele’s child-
hood unfolded in the ‘30s in Reggio Calabria. She was only
14 years old when, from an open window, she glimpsed
American soldiers crossing the city on Liberation Day.
It was her stubborn desire to study to become a journalist
that made her leave the South (‘I’ll come back, but as a tour-
ist,’ she had said since she was a little girl). But in order to
study, it was necessary to take the ferry every day and go
to the Faculty of Messina (accompanied by her mother: it
was not appropriate for a girl to travel alone), already moving
away from a Calabria that, in those years, had neither news-
papers nor universities.
Adele would have liked to study Literature but, with the
clear-sightedness that would forever guide her, she realised
that that would not be the shortest way to leave home. ‘I
would have been stuck there as a substitute teacher in the
suburbs forever,’ so she decided to go to law school.
At the age of 22, after graduating (magna cum laude), Adele
applied for the public competition to join the Judiciary, but
the answer she received after a few months was lapidary: she
had all the requisite qualifications but one: being male.
In fact, prior to 1963, Italian law precluded women from
having a career as magistrates because they were ‘unfit for
judgement and balance, and subject to the capacity for emo-
tion.’ Verbatim.
But Adele was stubborn, courageous and shrewd: in 1955
she left Calabria (her case was more unique than rare, at the
time of the Wilma Montesi case) with permission to move to
Rome to participate in an INPS competition for law gradu-
ates (INPS is the largest social security and welfare institute
in Italy).
Armed with a typewriter and a black patent leather bag full
of articles, she undauntedly pursued her goal of becoming a
journalist.
And she became a journalist, one of the few female journal-
ists in Italy at the end of the fifties, together with the great
Camilla Cederna and Oriana Fallaci.
‘...But only I had the courage to have 2 children,’ she loved to
emphasise, smiling, but not joking.
Together with the 2 writers we find her again, a few years
later, interviewed by her friend Pier Paolo Pasolini in Comizi d’amore (1965).
Adele threw herself headlong into her work, visiting art gal-
leries (‘They were the only places I could go to even without
an invitation’), meeting and hanging out with intellectuals,
writers, editors, artists.
Initially, she wrote about costumes and fashion (the only top-
ics granted to women by the editorial staff) but, little by little,
her interests grew, her gaze was refined and her pen became
unstoppable.
Her first article for a national weekly was published in Leo
Longanesi’s Il Borghese in 1955, where she described with
sarcasm and irony the ‘good’ girls of Reggio Calabria. Be-
cause of this article she was then offended on the front pages
of a Calabrian weekly with close ties to the DC, her virtue
questioned. It was insinuated that her presence in such an
important newspaper (Il Borghese) was not due solely to
competence (then, as now, discrediting a woman in the pro-
fessional sphere does not pass through her professional life).
Adele’s father suffered terribly and decided to sue the jour-
nalist.
(The Cambria family would go on to win the lawsuit; Adele
went on to ask, as symbolic compensation, for one lira: how
classy!).
But the lawsuits continued. Nineteen in the first year of her
apprenticeship alone! Adele took the assignment given to
her by her director, Baldacci, literally: ‘Cambria, you go, see,
and write.’ And she obeyed, without filters or frills.
In the first few months, she tolerated having to sign off with
the male pseudonym Leone Paganini but, as time went by,
her by-line became well-known and she worked for increas-
ingly important newspapers, such as Il Giorno, by Enrico
Mattei (directed by Gaetano Baldacci), a very important dai-
ly newspaper that has the merit of having modernised the
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202136
Italian press; Il Mondo (by Mario Pannunzio), Paese Sera, La Stampa, Il Messaggero, L’Espresso...
Adele caught the last flashes of Roman literary society and
dove into it: she was the only ‘gazzettiera’ admitted to the
tables of Elsa Morante, Alberto Moravia, Pier Paolo Pasolini,
Goffredo Parise, Luchino Visconti...
It was the year 1969 when she went ‘back home’, for the
first time in 15 years, and she did so for work: she wanted
to follow the revolt underway in her place of origin, the pop-
ular uprising that has passed into history as ‘the hundred
days of Reggio’, triggered by the dispute between Catanzaro
and Reggio Calabria regarding the allocation of the capital.
The urban guerrilla warfare lasted over 3 months and Adele
followed it on behalf of l’Europeo, a prestigious weekly she
worked for (after refusing to become the editor because she
had 2 children and was divorced).
On that occasion she met and became friends with Adriano
Sofri, sharing his point of view on the revolt: Adele’s article
did not support, therefore, the disavowal that the left exhibits
towards the Calabrian uprisings, she did not think it was a
fascist regurgitation, but a search for identity... but her writ-
ing was censored and Adele decided to resign.
This was neither the first nor the last time that, out of princi-
ple or solidarity with others, she would decide to resign from
a newspaper.
Speaking of ethical principles, journalists and resignation, I
invite everyone to read one of her last books, perhaps the
most beautiful and ironic. It is an autobiography, entitled
Nove dimissioni e mezzo (Nine and a half resignations), [pub-
lished by Donzelli editore, 2010], in which she outlines with
skill and sarcasm the high price that one pays to be a jour-
nalist and citizen guided by professional ethics and a con-
science.
Adele’s journalism career spanned the decades between the
1960s and 2015. Yet... Adele Cambria was not as renowned
as other female journalists of her time. Some have never
heard of her. She is a woman who didn’t rock the boat, she
didn’t push to get ahead, she didn’t ‘shoe-horn’ anyone. She
was sober, elegant and patient.
I wish I could define her as a ‘woman of another time,’ but
that would be the worst injustice I could do her, because no
one knew how to be contemporary better than she did.
Contemporary, in fact, refers to ‘a person who belongs to,
lives and operates in the present age.’
And so, Adele was a loving mother even when being a moth-
er meant necessarily giving up work; she was a passionate
worker when that meant, necessarily, neglecting her children.
She was a wife and an ex-wife; she was a feminist when wom-
en’s right to self-determination was not even taken serious-
ly, and she took to the streets for the right to abortion and
divorce when machismo and patriarchy were commonplace.
She was director of the newspaper Lotta continua in the ’70s,
when the murder of Luigi Calabresi and the article written by
Adriano Sofri cost her a summary trial for crime apologia and
the withdrawal of her passport for 7 years.
She was a co-founder of the Casa Internazionale delle Donne
(which won a dispute with the Municipality of Rome just 3
days ago, on September 18, 2021, and which, therefore, will
Index of the first issue of Effe, November 1973
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 37
remain in its headquarters in Via della Lungara for quite a
while).
She was one of the founders of the theatre La Maddalena,
along with Dacia Maraini and many others, and Director of
Effe, a weekly that offered counter-information to women.
She was the first in Italy to write about assisted reproduction
in a weekly magazine; her play Nonostante Gramsci made
it to New York. She acted in 2 films by Pasolini (Accattone,
1961 and Teorema, 1968), she was the author of 14 books
and thousands of interviews.
That is how Adele was. Always on the ball. Contemporary.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I spent the summer
in Rome at Adele’s house, working together on editing a
book, while my future husband walked across Italy. I would
get up in the morning and she was, of course, already ready.
Some people wake up early to buy bread. Adele would buy
the newspaper. Or rather, she would compare 3: La Repub-blica, Il Messaggero, L’Unità. (Oh, I forgot: Adele also wrote
for L’Unità from 2003 until April 2009).
She would read, underline passages and arrange them on a
large table in the hallway, after having placed several post-it
notes on them to be able to find the articles again easily.
I would find her in the kitchen, with a small radio on in her
robe pocket, listening to the press review while drinking a
cup of coffee. She would smile and say, ‘Good morning dear,’
addressing both me and the baby bump, ‘now let’s get to
work.’
The memory of that summer in Rome, that last summer as
a non-mother that brings back so many feelings and reflec-
tions, is made of many laughs, of lemon ice creams bought
from the Sicilian shop downstairs, of evenings at the theatre
(I remember, in particular, a reading by Iaia Forte in the gar-
dens of the Acqua Paola fountain on Janiculum Hill), Adele’s
reckless driving along the capital’s avenues (without ever
shifting into second gear), episodes of Ballarò on the couch
in the evening, home-style dinners with potato gâteau and
‘sgaloppine’ (escalopes) in white wine.
‘Adele, we say scaloppine.’
‘Scaloppine? But are you sure?’
‘Pretty sure.’
‘Scaloppine it is.’
Now that Adele is gone, we miss her, I miss her. I miss her
ability to be contemporary. Human. Funny.
Thinking about her today does not change my idea of her, it
only makes it more tender and nostalgic. I would like to have
her opinion on so many issues; I would like to hear her talk
about the time she interviewed Cocteau, Fellini, Sartre, Su-
san Sontag, Peggy Guggenheim (in a gondola) … of the time
when, at the age of 18, she attended a Traviata with Maria
Callas in flesh and blood (and voice) or of her friendship with
Goliarda Sapienza or again of the time when, in Milan, her
roommate was Anna Maria Ortese and, at night, she heard
her crying.
I have so many memories of Adele and in all of them there
is her voice narrating, her eyes searching, witty and clear.
I treasure excerpts of stories that cannot yet be shared,
not here. A picture of my daughter hangs on the door of
her kitchen cabinet, a thought that moves me every time it
comes to me.
Dedicating a cover story to someone who is no longer with us
is not easy, and it’s even less easy to frame the relationship
with Adele; many years separated her birth from mine, and in
a company this friendship would perhaps be called ‘reverse
mentoring’...
But she loved to call me/us ‘the northern piece of my family,’
and I think that’s the description I love best.
For the b/w photo credits Archivia, Casa Internazionale delle Donne, Rome
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202138
by the Editorial Staff
CHILD MALTREATMENT
Second National Survey on the Maltreatment of Children and
Adolescents in Italy prepared by CISMAI and Terre des Hommes.
The Second National Survey on the Maltreatment
of Children and Adolescents in Italy, was a natural
development of the commitment CISMAI and Terre
des Hommes have made to build a data collection
system regarding violence against children and adolescents
in Italy.
Both organisations have been a part, since its inception, of
the Working Group for the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child (CRC Group), a network of 100 third-sector actors
responsible for monitoring the rights of children in our coun-
try, with annual supplementary reports to those submitted
by the Italian government, which are sent to the UN Commit-
tee on the Rights of the Child.
CISMAI (Coordinamento Italiano dei Servizi contro l’Abuso
e il Maltrattamento all’Infanzia) is a scientific society at the
Italian Ministry of Health, while Terre des Hommes Italia is an
international organisation for the protection of children. For
many years they have both been committed to these issues
and to the creation of statistically reliable data collections
that quantify the extent of the phenomenon of child mal-
treatment in our country.
Since 2014 the same CRC group has, constantly, reiterated
the lack of a data collection system in Italy, urging that the
recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the
Child be implemented to compensate for this deficit, CISMAI
and Terre des Hommes wanted to strengthen their commit-
ment on this front, proposing to the Autorità Garante per l’in-
fanzia e l’Adolescenza (the Authority Guarantor for Children
and Adolescents (AGIA)) that it support a second national
survey on maltreatment that, after the previous survey in
2015, could provide a new and up-to-date overview of the
phenomenon.
This is in line with a need detected not only in our country but
globally, as highlighted by the WHO in its ‘European Report on
preventing child maltreatment’ in 2018, where it indicates as
its first objective that of verifying whether and how European
Union countries are taking action to reveal the phenomenon of
maltreatment, making it more visible and quantifying it.
It is therefore within this general framework that, between
2019 and 2020, the Second National Survey on the Mal-
treatment of Children and Adolescents in Italy is being con-
ducted on behalf of AGIA.
CISMAI and Terre des Hommes wanted to strengthen their commitment proposing to the Autorità Garante per l’infanzia e l’Adolescenza (the Authority Guarantor for Children and Adolescents (AGIA) that it support a second national survey on maltreatment that, after the previous survey in 2015, could provide a new and up-to-date overview of the phenomenon.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 39
The data show us that, as of 31 December 2018, social ser-
vices in Italy are involved in the lives of 401,766 children and
young people, 77,493 of whom are victims of maltreatment.
The survey confirms itself as robust and statistically signifi-
cant because it covers an actual pool of 2.1 million minors
residing in the 196 Italian municipalities involved and select-
ed by ISTAT (the Italian National Institute of Statistics).
With regard to the forms of mistreatment that the minors
surveyed are victims of, the main type relates to problems
with care (neglect, carelessness and overcare) which 40.7%
of minors in the care of social services are victims of, followed
by witnessing violence (32.4%). On the other hand, 14.1%
of minors are victims of psychological abuse, while physical
abuse is recorded in 9.6% of cases and sexual abuse in 3.5%.
While more males are generally followed up by social ser-
vices, girls and young women are more frequently victims of
mistreatment (201 out of 1000, compared to 186 males).
Foreigners are also more frequently followed up than Italians:
for every 1000 children who are victims of maltreatment, 7
are Italians and 23 are foreigners.
This second survey has modified and expanded the data
collection grid used in the past, allowing us to explore new
aspects of the phenomenon; thus, we know that 40.7% of
minors are victims of multiple types of maltreatment and, in
91.4% of cases, the maltreater mostly belongs to the family
sphere (parents, close relatives, friends of parents, etc.).
As for the source of the report of mistreatment, in the ma-
jority of cases, it is the judicial authority that acts (42.6%).
Hospitals and paediatricians are in last place.
Social services intervene more frequently in the North than
in the South, and in 65.6% of cases remain involved for over
2 years. Faced with these reports, the main interventions by
municipalities are financial assistance and home care (28.4%
and 23.9% of cases, respectively, or a total of 52.3% of cas-
es), which are used much more than the removal of the minor
from the family (in total, placement in a community and fami-
ly foster care amounts to 35%).
A great novelty introduced by the survey is the possibility
of comparing data on the maltreatment of children and ad-
olescents with a sample of 117 municipalities that had also
taken part in the 2015 survey (2013 data). The data collect-
ed describe an increase in the phenomenon from every point
of view: in fact, both the number of minors the services are
involved with in general and those referred for maltreatment,
is growing. We are talking about a +3.6% in the number of
children and young people monitored by social services in
general and a +14.8% in the number of girls, boys and ado-
lescents who are helped because they have been mistreated.
The survey, dictated by the need to bring Italy into line with
other countries and to respond to international recommen-
dations and to the solicitations of the UN Committee on the
Rights of the Child, shows that, even in our country, it is pos-
sible to conduct data collection on maltreatment that is sig-
nificant in quantitative and qualitative terms and to monitor
the trends of these phenomena.
Institutional representatives and policymakers have a duty to
face and deal with the phenomenon of violence against girls,
boys and adolescents and to take responsibility for address-
ing the problem in a systematic and urgent manner.
SILVIA ALLEGRO. 1979. Directive Council CISMAI
ROCCO BRIGANTI. 1976. Directive Council CISMAI
FEDERICA GIANNOTTA. 1973. Responsible Advocacy and Programmes Italy - Terre des Hommes.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202140
Gianluca Cabula
OLIVETTI BEYOND THE
GENERATIONSNotes in the margins 120 years later
‘If you do not consider it as necessary and urgent as I do to push the workshop towards the greatest pos-
sible increase, it seems to me that the workshop can
very well go on with Mr Burzio and has no need of
my employment [...]. Otherwise, I would prefer not to waste
another week.’
It was the end of 1925 and an impetuous Adriano Olivetti
wrote to his father Camillo from Detroit, during his ‘grand tour’
of American industry. The polemical target was ‘Mr Burzio’,
the artisan smith trained by Camillo himself, one of the first
workers who later became technical director. But, in the eyes
of 24-year-old Adriano, Burzio was a man of the past, a repre-
sentative of an old ‘centralising and eliminating’ way of doing
things, a symbol of a kind of factory that was perhaps ingen-
ious but still entirely empirical, far removed from the dictates
of scientific management that already informed American
Fordism and that dazzled the young engineer from Ivrea.
In this issue of DiverCity we are talking about ‘generations,’
and the story of Olivetti itself is that of a company born of
the frank and fruitful encounter between a father and son.
If we were to let the architecture of Ivrea, which has recently
been promoted to a UNESCO site, speak for itself, it is at
least emblematic that the old red brick factory, founded in
1908 by the father, Camillo, during the years of the compa-
ny’s rise, was not demolished but extended and connected
with a passageway to the new company.
In the same way, Adriano maintained the core of his father’s
way of thinking: the ideal of a factory on a human scale, in-
spired by the idea of social solidarity that Camillo nurtured
and also practised, if it is true that he sent his adolescent
son to a drill department, so that he could experience ‘the
blackness of a Monday in the life of a worker’. Adriano un-
derstood, however, that this paternalism had to evolve into a
new humanism, that the man who lives in the workshop ‘does
not seal his humanity in his working overalls,’ that fragment-
ed tasks were more efficient, but risked becoming devoid of
meaning. It was then necessary to look at the person in his
or her entirety and, for this, the company had to be ready
to expand to the limits of its ambition, with a vast range of
services that we are still essentially pursuing today.
But not only that. Returning to the metaphor of architecture,
a company should not isolate itself behind a curtain of bricks,
but become a transparent diaphragm in osmosis with society
and the landscape. Here, then, every volume dissolves in con-
tinuous glass walls crossed by light, testifying to a corporate
life that is continually urged to open up to knowledge that
challenges with its novelty and otherness: sociology, psychol-
ogy, town planning, art, literature and emerging environmen-
talism. Against the current temptation to see the company as
a fortress, I would like to draw attention to another aspect of
Adriano’s thinking, which is in some ways revolutionary. We
know that Olivetti envisaged a new constitutional order, a
daring construction of political engineering based on the con-
cept of ‘community’, which he gave to many of his writings.
Leaving aside the short-lived or naive aspects of this ideal
and solitary project, it is important to underline one aspect
of it. Olivetti observed that the democracy of representation
and parties was essentially inadequate to guarantee the full
rights of the individual. This is why he envisaged an ‘integrat-
ed’ democracy, or better still, a democracy ‘compensated’
by the presence of the company, to which Olivetti had always
attributed an intrinsic intelligence and superior rationality.
The company is seen, therefore, not only as a place for the
production of value, but also as a place where democracy is
fulfilled, innervated and perfected. The society of difference
was still on the horizon – the theme of class struggle was ab-
sorbing – but it seems to me that this idea of responsibility still
has a lot to say to those who deal with diversity and inclusion.
Olivetti said that factories should be thought of at night and
built during the day.
We should try to do the same.
GIANLUCA CABULA, 1983. Degree in Political Science and Cultural Heritage – Diversity Manager SACE S.p.A.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 41
RIFERIMENTI BIBLIOGRAFICIA. Olivetti, Ai lavoratori, Edizioni di Comunità, Roma/Ivrea 2012
A. Olivetti, Città dell’uomo, Edizioni di Comunità, Roma/Ivrea 2015
A. Olivetti, Dall’America: lettere ai familiari (1925-26), Edizioni di Comu-
nità, Roma/Ivrea 2016
A. Olivetti, Il Dente del Gigante, Edizioni di Comunità, Roma/Ivrea 2020
F. Colombo, M.P. Ottieri, Il tempo di Adriano Olivetti, Edizioni di Comunità,
Roma/Ivrea 2019
P. Ciorra, F. Limana, M. Trevisani (a cura di), Universo Olivetti. Comuni-tà come utopia concreta (catalogo della mostra), Edizioni di Comunità,
Roma/Ivrea 2020
Direzione dei servizi e della direzione pubblicità e stampa della Società
Olivetti (a cura di), Servizi ed assistenza sociale in fabbrica, Stamperia
Artistica Nazionale, Torino 1963
F. Novara, R. Rozzi, R. Garruccio (a cura di), Uomini e lavoro alla Olivetti, Bruno Mondadori, Milano 2005
At that time, it was necessary to look at the person in his or
her entirety and, to do this, the company had to be ready
to expand to the limits of ambition, with an unlimited
range of services that we are still essentially pursuing today.
Portr
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iano
Oliv
etti
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ICO
in Iv
rea,
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959.
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| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202142
MANDELARights columnCHILD EXPLOITATION
As I write these reflections, I think of the flurry
of figures for this day: for the first time in 20
years, the trend that had led to a 38% reduction
in child exploitation between 2000 and 2015,
freeing 94 million children from the slavery of forced labour,
prostitution and begging, has come to a halt. The curve is
rising again, reaching, according to official estimates, 160
million: that many children are taken away from school, from
play, from the possibility of growing up healthy and in a way
that respects their age. Newspapers, the internet and press
agencies proceed diligently, as they do every 12 June, the In-
ternational Day against Child Exploitation, to copy and paste
the communiqués of the ILO (World Labour Organisation)
and UNICEF.
With one new element: 2021 has been proclaimed by the
UN as the International Year for the Elimination of Child La-
bour. When the resolution was passed at the UN in 2019, the
world had not yet been hit by the pandemic that wiped out
years of intense work and, like in a cynical game of Snakes
and Ladders, we were back at square one. Worse than that:
the interrupted schooling of a billion children in 130 coun-
tries is having permanent psychological and physical conse-
quences on thousands. Some 70 million children and ado-
lescents have not been able to attend school, even remotely,
with once again irreparable repercussions. As a result of the
suspension of traditional vaccination campaigns in some 30
countries, 94 million children did not receive protection from
measles and, in some 60 countries, thousands of displaced
children, refugees and asylum seekers were excluded from
COVID-19 social protection programmes as a result of bor-
der closures between countries.
By the end of the decade, 10 million more forced marriages
are expected. This glimpse of childhood denied breaks the
heart. But we cannot allow it to break our hope. If the term
‘dignity’ still has any meaning. If there is still anything resem-
bling compassion (cum-patìre). In order to deserve to belong
to the human race, we know what to do: the direction was
taken at the beginning of the new millennium and, on the
basis of that fruitful experience, we need a Marshall Plan for
institutions, businesses, schools, associations and police forc-
es to work together to prevent and work against a crime as
barbaric as it is devious. And, above all, for us. We, the ‘civil’
society, must be able to read the many faces of a phenome-
non that is much more contiguous than we think.
It enters our homes with sushi and pizzas, it sells by the hour
in suburban motels. And we often look elsewhere. We ob-
serve little and investigate even less, given that the latest na-
tional research – conducted by the B. Trentin Association of
the CGIL and Save the Children – dates back to 2013 and,
although it left no room for interpretation (340,000 minors
aged 16 with work experience behind them), the definition of
‘an emergency within an emergency’ was not enough for rad-
ical shock therapy. Children are not only exploited in African
mines or Asian textile factories: we must prevent them from
falling into the grey area of abuse, mistreatment and black-
mail. We must prevent them from a hell that not only burns
the South but also scorched the earth all around it. Wherever
there is poverty and marginalisation.
SILVIA CAMISASCA, 1976, Doctor of Nuclear Physics with a PhD in physical applications to cultural heritage. Professional journalist.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 43
OPHELIATheatre columnEDUCATING OURSELVES TO BE OURSELVES
A chat with Irene Serini on ‘Abracadabra - studio 5, l’educa-
zione del bambino e della bambina’
‘Reading Mario Mieli made me realise that I was allowed to
be myself. We are us, we are here, we shine, we are alive,
there is no rule that establishes who is valid and who is not. It
feeds a taste, a joy, a pleasure to be oneself. Even if we don’t
really know what that means.’
It was in 2009 that Irene Serini, at home with a fever, picked
up the book Elementi di critica omosessuale (Towards a Gay Communism: Elements of a
Homosexual Critique) from a shelf
and read the introduction, being
immediately struck by those ini-
tiatory pages and the revolution-
ary figure of Mario Mieli. ‘It was
evidently necessary to have a lit-
tle fever to touch an incandescent
book!’ she says, smiling. This first
fever gave birth to ‘Abracadabra,’
an independent project, driven
by the desire to investigate the
thinking of Mieli through 5 stud-
ies in 5 years, taking the time to
viscerally inhabit such a complex
and fascinating character, and
then resurface and translate this journey into performances.
We talked about this project in the article ‘Abracadabra’ (9
December 2020), and are returning to it today on the thresh-
old of the fifth and last performance, which aims to illuminate
Mario Mieli’s thinking on issues regarding education. The first
3 studies, Irene tells, us revolve around the questions ‘What
is identity? Who determines it? Whom does it serve?,’ with
the aim of making audiences curious about Mario Mieli and
his subversive view of the binary logic of male and female
divisions, in circular shows ‘where thought rotates like the
circle in which the audience is placed.’ The guiding figure of
the fourth study is the triangle, which occupies the stage ex-
hibiting the theme of power, investigated by Irene Serini, on
stage with Caterina Simonelli, starting with the hierarchies
established between actors and audience.
The fifth study, ‘Abracadabra - l’educazione del bambino e
della bambina’ (Abracadabra - the education of the boy and
the girl), was instead born under the sign of the square (which
in the alchemical field is close to the idea of construction, and
therefore of projection towards a time to come): Irene Serini,
Caterina Simonelli, Anna Resmini and Luca Oldani will inhab-
it a scenic space whose corners will be the questions ‘Who
educates us? What do they educate us for? Who is author-
ised to educate us or not? Who will be the children inside this
studio?’ A work that will move around a theme that was very
dear to Mieli, that of educastration, according to which the
deep desires of children are constantly and systematically re-
pressed. There will be no attempt, therefore, to demonstrate
any method, which he never theorised, but to investigate the
extent to which some of the rules we take for granted in the
educational system are actually
a limit rather than a possibility,
with the desire to ask how much
the repression of femininity – in
both boys and girls – plays a fun-
damental role. This will also be
the last study, and therefore a
farewell to the audience, to the
time to come, to Mario Mieli and
‘also for this reason it closes with
the topic that most of all thinks
about the future, with a theme
that looks at those who, hope-
fully, will no longer be educated
to divide themselves, but to rec-
ognise themselves regardless of
these 2 forces [the masculine and
the feminine] with which we have
been educated to govern ourselves.’
I ask Irene Serini what Mario Mieli would say today, when
faced with a group of adolescents, those new generations for
whom he dreamed of a new world. ‘He would try to fascinate
them, he would play with them at transvestism, with physical
and concrete experimentation. He would try to make them
work with their bodies. He would say to them “Use this body,
as much as you can, because it is the most beautiful word
you have. Remember that kissing and being kissed, hugging
and being hugged, caressing and being caressed, fucking and
being fucked, are enjoyed by everyone. Do it beyond all ori-
entation, as much as you can.’
‘It’s been a whole life of sacrifice and freezing! That’s how you do theatre. That’s how I did it! But the heart trembled every night! And I paid for it, my heart is beating tonight, too, and it
will continue to beat even after it has stopped.’Eduardo De Filippo
LUCIO GUARINONI, 1989, Master’s in Social and Com-munity Theatre, trainer, playwright and theatre director.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202144
DIVERSOUNDMusic columnROGER WATERS, THE WALL THAT ORIGINATED WITH SPITTING
December 1979 lay cold over a troubled Europe.
For rock music it was already time to examine its
conscience and the more or less apparent revolu-
tions. It was in this month that 2 albums arrived
from England that were capable of capturing the Zeitgeist, of
representing the discomforts of different generations united,
however, by ‘skating / On the thin ice of modern life’ which
united opposing musical factions
in a common general disorien-
tation. The new decade would
open with the Clash’s incendiary
London Calling and Pink Floyd’s
Faustian The Wall, which became
Roger Waters’ vehicle of expres-
sion. ‘London calling’ was nothing
more than the cry of ‘another
brick in the wall,’ that ‘Another
Brick In the Wall’ hurled by Wa-
ters against the establishment
and the condition of the alienat-
ed rock star. The Wall musically
reaffirmed that 15 years’ worth
of a career, 11 albums and hun-
dreds of concerts, couldn’t end
without being topical, on track.
Two generations and 42 years later, The Wall is precisely that:
the spirit of a contemporary age that lives, in other forms, the
extension of the discomfort of that time and always skating
on the thin ice of technocratic modern life.
The concept album summarises a parabola (from under-
ground band to megastar) reached with The Dark Side Of The Moon in 1973. The Wall expanded on the concept of the
previous Animals (1977, inspired by George Orwell’s 1945
dystopian novel, Animal Farm) and the story goes that the
triggering event for the Floydian Wall happened during the
last date of that tour at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal,
Canada, during a primal and highly symbolic act. The implo-
sion of human relationships within the band, the pressure
of success, the estrangement, the psychic discomfort told in
a collective key by The Dark Side of the Moon turned, for
The Wall, into a personal hell of the individual closed in by
the walls of isolation. During the concert, Roger reacted by
spitting on an over-excited fan and infuriating the audience.
It happened while he was trying to sing ‘Pigs on the Wing.’
That fan had tried to climb up onto the stage and Waters
shouted at him, ‘For f--k’s sake, stop [letting off fireworks and]
shouting and screaming. I’m trying to sing this song!’ Then,
the gob that shapes the creative clay.
After the concert, the singer reflected on the barrier between
the band and the audience. He visualised this distance by im-
agining a large wall in front of the stage, to be destroyed during
the concert for a future album. The Wall was thus conceived.
When Pink Floyd reunited in the studio in London, Waters
played the other 3 band members about 40 samples. Ca-
nadian Bob Ezrin produced the album. The samples already
say it all (as can be heard in the
2012 immersion edition). For his
narrative, Roger uses the figure of
Pink, a rockstar who is now adrift
– ‘Comfortably Numb’ – in the
journey into the most devastating
psychic abyss from childhood to
adulthood. The story spares no
one, but goes straight to the hearts
of multitudes of fans, old and new.
From family (‘Mother’) to school
(‘Another Brick in the Wall’), from
law enforcement (‘The Trial’) to the
damage of the post-war period
(‘Goodbye Blue Sky’), from incom-
municability (‘Hey You’) to psycho-
sis (‘One of my Turns’), there is all
the horror of human discomfort.
The Wall would become one of the longest-lasting artistic and
commercial successes in rock history, and it did so by combin-
ing high artistic peaks with content. When ‘Another Brick in the
Wall’ reached the top of the UK sales charts at Christmas, it
was clear that Pink Floyd had struck a chord with several gen-
erations. And they would continue to do so: in 1990 in Berlin
it was this music that celebrated the fall of the wall with a great
concert by Roger Waters and guests and, from 2010 to 2013,
in 219 concerts, 4 million fans would find themselves between
the lines of time, being healed by the music of The Wall, which
has crumbled decades and generations.
DAVIDE SAPIENZA, 1963, graduated from the Colle-gio Villoresi San Giuseppe experimental scientific high school in Monza. Writer
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 45
BOVARYBooks columnJ.D. SALINGER THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
In 1951, years before student uprisings shook the world,
the United States was living through an era of relative
prosperity, peppered with conservative values, sound prin-
ciples and a moralism that seemed designed to put blin-
ders on against the mistakes – and horrors – of the recent
war effort. The American dream invited all to participate in
the search for the perfect family, the perfect job, the perfect
suburban home, and little else. This is the context in which
Salinger, himself a veteran who had been ‘burned’ by the
Second World War, published Catcher in the Rye, a novel that
does not explicitly talk about war but
which, through the experiences of its
young protagonist, would in the fol-
lowing years become the anthem of
a generation against it.
Holden Caulfield is 16 years old and
expelled from a boarding school that
calls itself prestigious but is in fact
full of hypocrisy and arrogance. The
novel is a first-person narrative of
Holden’s thoughts as he faces expul-
sion and the task of having to return
home and tell his parents – which he
chooses to procrastinate as much as
possible.
A plot that is nothing much, then, and
a protagonist who initially doesn’t
seem too sympathetic either.
Holden has no dreams, no goals. He
is an unmotivated, almost cynical
boy. He clashes with everyone: girl-
friends, fellow students, professors.
His criticism spares no one; it is a
battle hymn against an entire sys-
tem. His inner monologue is that of an anti-hero who does
not want to be caged into things he does not believe in and
– above all – into a respectability he does not feel is his own.
But if it is true that apparently Holden is a slacker, in reality
between the pages we see his stature stand out increasingly
from everything else, from everything that is considered ‘nor-
mal’ and ‘positive’. Along the way we discover that Holden
has his own code and, above all, a greatness of soul that
distinguishes him. We see this in his relationships with other
people, but above all in his relationship with his beloved little
sister Phoebe, whom he adores, and who in a handful of final
scenes will enable him to climb back up the slope and redis-
cover a sense of happiness and love for others.
And so, this shaggy, argumentative boy begins to shine, and
it is a light that is destined to last. With his diversity and
his ‘going against the tide,’ Holden conquers millions of read-
ers over the years, becoming a sort of alternative hero, and
his story a manifesto for many young people of future gen-
erations who cannot digest, among other things, post-war
rhetoric, authoritarianism and the dictatorship of capitalism.
Holden is never explicit in all this: his protest is all between
the lines, in a frame of mind that immediately sets itself in
opposition to the pettiness that surrounds him.
The protagonist’s voice is itself a revolutionary act: Holden’s
point of view is always transversal
and captures unexpected aspects
of reality, which have the power of
epiphany. Looking at the pond in
Central Park, this young boy doesn’t
think just any old platitude, but
‘where do the ducks go when the
lake is frozen?’ That’s what the novel
is all about: an invitation to look at
the more hidden and bizarre side of
things. Not only that. The language of
the novel, with its colloquial terms, is
an early, successful experiment in the
use of the youthful slang that would
later become increasingly popular in
literature. Never before, in the United
States or elsewhere, had a teenager
told his story in this way.
Catcher in the Rye is a Bildungs-
roman that is pure counterculture.
It is no coincidence that Einaudi has
recently published a second transla-
tion, by Matteo Colombo, bringing
prestige to a linguistic style that has
set the standard. And it is no coincidence that Alessandro
Baricco has named the best school of creative writing in Italy
after Holden.
Fondare biblioteche è come costruire ancora granai pubblici, ammassare riserve contro un inverno dello spirito che da molti indizi, mio malgrado, vedo venire.
Marguerite Yourcenar
SILVIA ROTA SPERTI, 1975, Degree in Foreign Langua-ges and Literature. Translator of fiction and publishing consultant
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202146
PURE STYLEFashion columnBEYOND GENDER
The collections of Rebirth Garments, Origami Cus-
toms and Aqua Underwear are a virtuous example
of inclusive fashion, as are Koma Nakit in Serbia
and Mala Strella in Italy.
Some brands have understood this, but what more could be
done? I asked them and some transgender and queer people
directly, with the support of Cecilia Ruiz of GenderLens and
Fiorenzo Gimelli, President of AGEDO Nazionale.
‘I find inspiration in plants, animals, earth, water, space, na-
ture in all its magnificent diversity and richness of colours,
shapes and sounds. This is also why people who feel differ-
ent (due to gender or sexual orientation) see themselves as
somehow represented by my creations. They want to, and
can, with my jewellery, proudly emphasise their diversity.’
Marijana Kovacevic, Koma Nakit designer
‘For a while now, I have been approaching the issues of gen-
der fluidity and, specifically, non-binarism, with the realisa-
tion that the imposition of a gender identity and role gener-
ates violence against women, transgender, lesbian and gay
people. The clothes will be created and designed to make
people feel comfortable and to allow them to like and be
liked, regardless of their gender.’
Laura Cimino, designer of Mala Strella
‘I would ask those who work in fashion to produce skirts or
jewellery with unicorns for males... or actually, no! I would
ask that there be no male or female departments, and that
all jewellery and all clothes be for everyone. I would ask the
models to wear anything but boys’ and girls’ clothes.’
Antonio, 8 and a half years old, student
‘If it listened, fashion would be more diverse, breaking down
stereotypes: not creating them.’
Greta, 15 years old, transgender girl, studies fashion at art
school
The mother of Niccolò, 16, a transgender boy, tells me that
she has difficulty finding a binder, which can only be bought
online, and that the tape is very hard on the skin. Men’s trou-
sers are often too tight on the thighs and too big on the back,
while in summer there is no swimwear collection that re-
spects the physique of a female to male transgender person.
‘In my personal experience the correlation between gender
identity and self-expression is very fluid. I firmly believe that
clothes have no gender.’
Lupo Lotti, 17 years old, art school student
‘[Brands] should revise sizes with respect to short cis and
trans people and get closer to the unisex reality, even for
more elegant and formal garments.’
Alessandro, 19, transgender boy
‘I was asked to work on femininity and after a lot of research,
a lot of questions and a lot of thinking, I realised that I should
talk about femininities: in the plural. I want to dress people,
[...] and take care of every single garment, adapting it to
every type of body.’
Ari Aniello, 22, holds a degree in fashion design, designer of
‘Scilla e Cariddi’.
‘In the past, the chosen gender was exaggerated. Today there
is no need to prove anything. Cross-dressing is more widely
practised, although it’s actually easier to find clothing with a
more suitable fit for M to F trans people than for F to M trans
people.’
Leda, 41 years old, transgender woman, RSA administrative
secretary and model maker
‘As a transgender woman who has not yet had surgery, there
are features of my body that I would rather not have and that
I don’t want others to see: I would like to see, for example,
swimwear that is more suited to a body like mine. Also, be-
cause I have been on hormone therapy for 3 years and am
still transitioning, I have had some breast growth, but not as
much as I would like compared to my bust size. I would like
all (or most) bras to have pockets for special inserts to shape
the breasts. This system would also help women who have
had mastectomies.’
Katie Neeves, 52, UK, photographer, filmmaker, Trans Am-
bassador
‘In sewing classes I had a 6-year-old pupil who was making
a skirt for himself. A little girl in the class said to him ‘Boys
don’t wear skirts!’ I felt compelled to inform her that many
boys and men, like Kanye West, wear skirts. Alexander Mc-
Queen put men in skirts on the catwalk and the Scots have
been wearing skirts for centuries! The child said no more.
The boy continued to sew his dress. He proved that he was
the best in his class and that school is a wonderful place for
exchanges and growth.’
Barbara Beccio, fashion designer, é Ispirante - Creative Adap-
tive Clothing
ANGELA BIANCHI, 1982 Degree in Public Relations and Advertising, Founder VirgoImage, Creator of the blog DiversityStylingByVirgoImage.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 47
CAUNTER-SITESChildhood columnAMONG EQUALS. THE CULTURES OF CHILDHOOD
No child can be born and grow up without the
support of an adult who takes care emotional-
ly, cognitively, physically of the development of
their potential and their education. In this sense,
it is precisely the asymmetry of this relationship between
adult and child – i.e. the disparity in power, knowledge and
roles – that is a crucial condition, enabling the youngest chil-
dren to gain confidence in themselves, in others and in the
world and, therefore, to grow, know and learn. The presence
of adults who are authoritative and capable of standing up
to them encourages the development of self-direction and
self-regulation in children and contains that sense of ego-
centricity and omnipotence that risks generating frustration
and conflict in their present relationships (with adults and
children). The relationship between adult and child must be
understood first of all as a helping relationship, which is – ac-
cording to Carl Rogers (1970, p.68) - ‘a relationship in which
at least one of the parties has the intent of promoting the
growth, development, maturity, improved functioning, im-
proved coping with life of the other. The other, in this sense,
may be one individual or a group. To put it in another way,
a helping relationship might be defined as one in which one
of the participants intends that there should come about, in
one or both parties, more appreciation of, more expression
of, more functional use of the latent inner resources of the in-
dividual.’ In this sense, the emphasis on a generational differ-
ence between adults and children is an essential element of
their successful growth and, even before that, their birth and
survival. The adult world, by its intrinsic nature, therefore,
exerts significant effects on childhood and offers children a
culture that they gradually appropriate.
However, alongside this, the development and learning of chil-
dren in peer contexts, including mixed and age-mismatched
ones, must be considered. Although there is a stereotype
that very young children are unable to learn from each other
in peer relationships, several international studies carried out
in educational contexts for boys and girls of different ages
between 0 and 6 years show that mixed age groups promote
cognitive, emotional-affective and social learning, e.g. in re-
lation to language acquisition, problem-solving skills and the
ability to manage interpersonal relationships between peers,
and even reduce aggressive behaviour and conflict compared
to homogeneous age groups.
As part of the integrated system of care, education and in-
struction from birth to age 6, established in Italy by the reform
of the national education and training system (L. 107/2015,
art.1, paragraph 181, letter e) and promoted by Legislative
Decree 65/2017, there is a specific focus on this very com-
plex and heterogeneous age group, which sees the develop-
ment of fundamental skills such as, for example, social and
intersubjective skills, ranging from the first ‘social smiles’, in
the very first months of life, to the ability to understand the
wishes and beliefs of others through elaborate processes of
negotiation in later years. The development of each boy and
girl is a progressive and gradual process, certainly not a lin-
ear one, which – beyond their calendar age, which can only
provide general indications – specifically and uniquely con-
cerns the growth and identity of each child, characterised by
individual variability and diversity, which is all the more val-
ued when considered within a mixed age group, within which
each can exhibit resources, talents and potential without a
pressing comparison based on the criterion of age. Within a
group of children of different ages, both adults and the peer
group itself pay particular attention to the differences with
which each contributes to play and relationships.
In addition, research in many disciplinary fields nowadays
shows us that girls and boys are not fragile subjects to be
moulded, but rather social actors and active subjects of their
own growth, capable of creating in their daily lives a real
‘peer culture’ (Corsaro, 2003) – with specific characteristics,
In other words, a stable set of activities, languages, routines,
artefacts, values and interests produced and shared by chil-
dren in their mutual interactions, which develop in a common
attempt to interpret and understand the adult world and, to
a certain extent, to oppose and modify it.
Encouraging the efforts made by children to freely and au-
tonomously appropriate adult cultures, for example through
play, thus becomes a daily challenge that favours both the
construction of autonomous peer cultures and the valuing of
their contributions to the production, change and quality of
adult reality (Corsaro, 2003).
“Children know very well these counter-spaces, these localized utopias. The remote corner of the garden, the attic or, better still, the Indian tent set up in the center of the
attic, and finally, on Thursday afternoon, the parents’ large bed”Michel Foucault
ELENA LUCIANO, 1976, PhD in Pedagogy, University of Milan Bicocca, Lecturer in Childhood Pedagogy at the University of Parma.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202148
PAGE WITH A VIEWCinema columnA TRUE STORYThe Straight Story, by David Lynch, with Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Harry Dean Stanton, Everett McGill, Jane Galloway Heitz Comedy - USA, France, 1999
The film is based on a real-life event and tells the sto-
ry of Alvin Straight, an Iowa farmer who, in 1994
at the age of 73, embarked on a long journey on a
lawn tractor to visit his brother who had suffered a
heart attack. Straight covered a distance of 240 miles (about
386 km) in 6 weeks, travelling at 5 miles per hour (8 km/h).
The Italian translation of the title (Una storia vera, ‘a true
story’) emphasises that it’s based on a true story but does
not immediately help one to grasp certain essential aspects
of the film. The protagonist’s name is Alvin Straight, so the
title already emphasises the linearity of this man, which can
sometimes manifest itself as stubborn obstinacy, but also vo-
lition, honesty, and the ability to get straight to the point. Or
rigidity. It is no coincidence that at the beginning of the film
Alvin collapses and remains on the floor, unable to get up.
The viewer hears a dull thud off-screen, and the protagonist
is shown for the first time, lying paralysed on the floor. This
signals that Alvin has reached a point in his life where he is
stuck, rigidly wedged between memories, remorse, and ten-
der affection for his daughter who has a disability, perhaps a
form of autism.
The other element highlighted by the title is that ‘The Straight
Story’ is a relatively simple story, a linear one in fact, that
goes from point A to point B through what is a classic road
movie: even the shot of the yellow line on the road, which is
repeated several times, visually underlines that Alvin’s path,
his proceeding along the endless roads of the corn belt, is
driven by the will to ‘straighten things out’; first of all his rela-
tionship with his brother, whom he has not seen for years due
to past frictions. Even the landscape, framed several times
from above, insists on the vertical lines of the crops and con-
stitutes a clear indication of how the elderly Alvin sees the
world.
But Alvin’s journey to reach his brother is anything but
straightforward. The journey is in fact a metaphor for an inner
quest, and the encounters along the way are also symbolic
stages of reflection as he gradually approaches the reunion
with his brother. So the first encounter (a teenage hitchhiker
who has run away from home five months pregnant) is an op-
portunity for Alvin to rethink the strength that lies in having
a united family and about passing this value on to the young
woman. The dialogue between them is very dry, brief and de-
void of any rhetoric, but effective; the following morning she
decides to go home. Alvin has ‘straightened out’ that story...
Then the old man meets a group of cyclists who overtake him
- everyone in the film goes faster than Alvin, except the hitch-
hiker – and when he later catches up with them where they
are camping, they welcome him with a round of applause.
Having a beer with them is an opportunity to reflect on old
age: ‘At my age I’ve seen about all that life has to dish out
[…] I know to separate the wheat from the chaff and let the
small stuff fall away,’ says Alvin; he continues, ‘the worst thing
about old age is rememberin’ when you was young.’ Once
again, essential, melancholy words that get straight to the
point. Alvin’s inner balance is clear. In the third encounter,
the well-known, surreal side of Lynch appears: a woman has
run over a deer and is in hysterical in her despair – ‘Where
do deer come from? I love them!’ – because this is the four-
teenth deer she has hit on her daily commute to work. Alvin
watches her and, when she leaves, picks up the deer that will
become his dinner. As simple as that. There is no need for
despair now, and there is something wonderful and useful
even in the tragic, suggests Lynch.
During the next stage, Alvin has a bad accident and has to
stay put for a few days, hosted by a very kind family. It be-
comes clear at this point that Alvin’s odyssey, slow and pa-
tient, a little geriatric to be sure, through the heart of the
States, is also a sort of American pastoral that brings togeth-
er various social aspects as well as celebrating nature and the
simple life that unites man and nature in American pioneer-
ing, as Alvin does in camping, eating dinner around the fire
and accepting all weather conditions.
Alvin’s vehicle is repaired by a pair of bizarre twin mechanics,
which brings out – in a manifest if caricatured way – how
brotherhood brings in too many similarities and how there is
no escaping this bond: ‘There’s nobody who knows your life
better than a brother who’s near your age.’
When Alvin’s host offers to drive him to his destination, Alvin
replies, ‘You’re a kind man talking to a stubborn man. I still
want to finish this the way I started it.’ There is such stubborn
grace and subdued dignity in Alvin. And so the pace at which
he moves is a choice rather than a necessity, and in telling
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.
Atticus Finch, To kill a mockingbird
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 49
this story Lynch is praising slowness and tenacity: perhaps
the only way to make sense of life and find wisdom in the au-
tumn of life? The fact is that the only time the pace quickens
is when the tractor’s brakes break and speed is immediately
synonymous with danger. A few parting words before getting
back on the road: ‘Write to us’, ‘I will, you have been kind to
a stranger’. In the subsequent encounter with a veteran from
the Second World War, the ghosts of Alvin’s past as a soldier
emerge and, through the protagonist’s sadness, the director’s
anti-war convictions come through strongly.
The ‘confession’ between the two veterans is followed by the
arrival of a priest, while Alvin is camping in a cemetery and
about to go to bed. The priest offers food – could one read
this as a Eucharistic symbol? – and there follows a conver-
sation in which our protagonist remembers his childhood in
Minnesota, talks about his brother and concludes with the
words ‘I want to make peace with him’ and the priest ab-
solves him: ‘So be it.’ The parable of self-reconstruction in
order to mend fences with one’s neighbour is accomplished,
and the next day Alvin arrives at his brother’s.
The meeting between the brothers is as dry and straightfor-
ward as you would imagine:
‘Did you ride that thing all the way out here to see me?’
‘I did, Lyle.’
Now the two can go back to looking at the stars together,
like they did as children, those same stars that return several
times in the film, perhaps indicating that it is only from above
that each of our stories can be read, as we are tiny beings,
on earth.
The final reflection is simple and once again straight: peace
and wisdom come slowly, it takes a lifetime.
Through the melancholy eyes of the protagonist, the director
shows us moments, people and nature with accurate, slow
shots, with a visual lyricism strengthened by the impeccable
performance of Farnsworth (who would die a year later), the
perfect music by Angelo Badalamenti, but he also gives us an
elegy of old age, laboriously aware and enlightened by the
stubborn strength to straighten out the past.
Absolutely a film to watch or watch again.
PAOLA SUARDI, 1964, has a degree in Foreign Langua-ges and Literature and has authored a thesis on ‘Woody Allen and meta-narration’. In Los Angeles she attended MA courses in ‘Film and Television, critical studies’ at the University of Southern California. Owner of the agency ALTEREGO Comunicazione e Progetti Editoriali.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202150
CASSIOPEAPhilosophy columnTODAY’S WORD: MAGISTERIUMBETWEEN WILL AND DESIRE
Anyone who has had a master or teacher knows
the excitement and wonder of this experience.
One feels touched by good luck, a little chosen
and a little able to choose this person who can
change one’s life, especially during the transition from ado-
lescence to adulthood and then from the post-school period
to the beginning of one’s professional life.
When you meet a teacher you learn to build relationships.
Because a teacher is only a teacher if they know how to listen
and, in listening, that is to say, in the relationship, recognise
what can resonate in the mind and heart of the pupil. What
can arouse in them a desire that goes far beyond the desire
to ‘do it this way’?
It is rare in life to find and especially to recognise a teacher,
because just when people need it most, when they are in the
midst of their own existential and professional planning, they
fall prey to the cognitive bias known as the Dunning Kruger
effect, a bias in which those who know less think they know
more than others. This is the classic neophyte who knows ‘a
few things’ and thinks the world is their oyster, thus letting
possible masters get away just because they question the
neophyte’s limp certainties. We have all been there.
Master and pupil are two positions that have traditionally
been placed one above the other. There was no question of
roles: one taught and the other learned. And yet, this is not
quite how it was, as we have been led to believe for a handful
of centuries, since the birth of school as we know it today.
Schooling created to train good accountants for the factory.
If we look at the workshops where first Giotto and then Raph-
ael were trained, the master created the trail, trained in skill,
proposed a style, but then the work was communal, so much
so that it is sometimes difficult to recognise who did what.
These masters did not limit themselves to teaching a craft
but rather offered a space for their pupils to develop mas-
tery to the point of breaking away and defining their own
poetics. Like Cimabue with Giotto or Giovanni Santi with his
son Raphael, who was orphaned by his magister at the age
of 11 – and then went to Perugino’s workshop while seeking
inspiration in Piero della Francesca and Bellini.
There is a significant difference between the teacher and the
master. The former dispenses information and, in so doing,
shapes the mind or hands of the pupil, informing with notions
or skills.
We have all had many teachers. People who, in a rather uni-
directional way, have shaped and moulded us according to
a given and pre-established form considered right and true.
That modality that is so well represented today by the Invalsi
tests (administered by the National Institute for the Educa-
tional Evaluation of Instruction and Training in Italy) or by the
multiple-choice quizzes in business schools, which establish
who knows things and who doesn’t.
The other type of teacher (maestro) is one who opens up to
the relationship, who is not afraid of being touched or con-
taminated by the inner world of their students, who does not
try to ‘instil’ answers and given truths but brings their own
experience to the situation, a word that comes from the Latin
experiri, which means to experiment, that is, to try and fail.
The master, who is deeply interested in sharing questions
and seeking answers with his students, does not present
their own given and static vision of the world, does not try
to convince them of a personal explanation of reality. The
master, the ancient magister, so rare today in an age of hy-
per-specialism and certainties sold at a high price, leaves
room for each individual to investigate on their own behalf
their own field (the whole of life or a specific problem to be
solved), moved by the desire to find and discover, beyond
prejudices and inherited opinions. This kind of teacher does
not infantilise pupils, but makes them responsible.
This teacher is such if he or she conveys a sense of asking
the right questions. Without questions there is no learning,
there can only be training, which is fine if you require people
to become good performers, but it is not enough if you want
to develop an evolving society, capable of transforming and
creating change, not just undergoing it.
Magisterium, therefore, is the place where one can learn to
ask questions, where one can be uncomfortable enough (not
too uncomfortable, so as not to fall into frustration) between
the ‘I do not know’ and the ‘I know,’ between knowledge and
ignorance, a tension that is at the basis, for example, of every
process of innovation.
The magisterium is not the right place to get a piece of pa-
per that certifies the result of the journey, but is the journey
itself. Just like the poet Kavafis’ Ulysses: Ithaca is not the
destination but the journey itself.
‘Do not hurry the journey,’ he writes in the poem Ithaca,
‘make it last long, for years, and set foot on the island when
you are old, you, rich in the treasures you have accumulated
along the way, without expecting riches from Ithaca. Ithaca
gave you the beautiful journey, without it you would never
have set out on the road: what else do you expect?’
The master offers the opportunity of the good journey, he can-
not do anything else and nothing else should be expected.
“The more they accelerated, the less they progressed”Momo, Michael Ende, 1973
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 51
If one has the ability to seize every stage of this journey,
every job, craft, passage, every failure, every small or great
success as accumulated treasures, then one can say that one
or more masters have been there. Because from the master
one inherits wonder, curiosity, spirit of adventure and desire,
that desire that pushes beyond the Pillars of Hercules, be-
yond the limit, beyond the known territory.
Meeting a master is formative, it is exciting, it is tiring. But,
contrary to what is said, that the master must then be be-
trayed and ‘killed,’ the true master leaves you free from the
start, leaves space, leaves generative voids.
If you have met a master, you often only realise it at the end
of the journey, just like the old farmer described by Karen
Blixen in Out of Africa, who, at the end of a night spent re-
pairing damage caused by heavy rain, realises early in the
morning that he has drawn an outline of a stork with his steps.
Who are our masters? What made them recognisable to us?
If we look back, do we see a stork, something generative that
the relationship has built up, despite the tiring, demanding
work, and sometimes the feeling of not succeeding? You can
work as a teacher but you do not work as a master; you be-come a master in the relationship with others who recognise
your authority and who feel that it is worth making the effort
to build something with you.
That is why it is rare. Few teachers give themselves the time
to be able to become masters.
The master, the magister, is not necessarily a genius or the
most illustrious in his work. But he or she has great passion
and, above all, is willing to transmit it in a personal way within
a listening relationship.
The great philosopher and educator Jiddu Khrisnamurti,
in the many long conversations and dialogues he held with
his students, maintained that learning is as much a craft as
teaching, and that one must get one’s hands dirty together,
in a context of reciprocity and listening that calls for a deep
humanity.
For there to be magisterium, and therefore learning, it is es-
sential to promote the creation of a welcoming, emotionally
serene and creative environment of listening and ‘affection-
ate understanding’.
In order to avoid reducing teaching, and therefore learning,
to a limiting binary of ‘success’ or ‘failure’, one can promote
teaching that encourages understanding and at the same
time effort that posits learning as a dynamic, never-ending
process, joyful and valuable in itself without any gain at-
tached to it.
VALERIA CANTONI MAMIANI, 1968, Degree in Theoretical Philosophy, President ArtsFor, founder Leading by Heart
Sant’Agostino di Antonello da Messina
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202152
AGOS
ANGELINI PHARMA
BANCA D'ITALIA
BAKER HUGHES
CHIESI
DELOITTE
DOW
FASTWEB
FINDOMESTIC
GENERALI
JANSSEN
LAVAZZA
MANPOWER
MUTTI
NIELSENIQ
PFIZER
SANOFI
SELTIS HUB
SNAM
SODEXO
STATE STREET
SYNERGIE
TIKTOK
COMPANYSTORYTELLING
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202154
AGOS | COMPANY STORYTELLING
By the editorial staff
AGOSIn search of diversity
with the Agos Academy!
We are aware that diversity, whatever shape
it takes, represents added value that should
be preserved, defended and encouraged.
Building a sustainable and inclusive envi-
ronment over time that respects each individual’s uniqueness
is the starting point from which we have initiated a profound
cultural and organisational change that has had an impact
throughout the company, inspired by the principles of inclu-
sion, equality and equal opportunities.
This path has been supported from the outset by the ‘People
Project’, the raison d’etre of which is a new valuing of resourc-
es, starting with the renewal of HR processes such as training,
development and skills, and by the Diversity&Inclusion Pro-
ject, which sees us involved in activities, initiatives and events
aimed at raising awareness and valuing differences within the
workplace, whether they relate to gender, sexual orientation,
ethnic or cultural origin, age or physical ability, etc.
Aware of the centrality of training as an accelerator of
knowledge, culture, changing attitudes and paradigms, for a
number of months now we have also been able to count on
training offered by the newly-established Agos Academy to
acquire awareness of stereotypes, develop skills related to
constructive interaction with diversity by leveraging learning
and, finally, to apply the concepts learned in every aspect of
organisational life.
The attitude adopted in the academy is also open, inclu-
sive: it allows each person to build their own training and
development plan, adapting it to the needs relevant to their
growth and role, dedicating a variable amount of time to it
according to their availability and accessing it from different
devices.
In terms of Diversity Management, colleagues have access
to a constantly updated multimedia library at the academy,
which covers topics such as age gaps, gender inclusion, in-
tercultural issues, parenting, digital natives and reverse men-
toring.
This path has been supported from the outset by the ‘People Project,’ which finds its raison d’etre in a new valuing of resources, starting with the renewal of HR processes such as training, development and skills, and by the Diversity&Inclusion Project, which sees us involved in activities, initiatives and events aimed at raising awareness and valuing differences in the workplace, whether they be gender, sexual orientation, ethnic or cultural origin, age or physical ability.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 55
AGOS | COMPANY STORYTELLING COMPANY STORYTELLING | AGOS
Thanks to our collaboration with partners and suppliers of
excellence, we have the opportunity to participate in courses,
share projects and talks that encourage discussion, and ex-
changes and reflection on the most topical issues concerning
Diversity & Inclusion.
This issue has gained so much attention that it has been de-
cided that the ‘Gender harassment in the workplace’ course
should be made a ‘compulsory training’ course, with the aim
of raising awareness of this sensitive issue, and there will
soon be a second course, titled ‘Unconscious bias’, to exam-
ine the unconscious prejudices that hinder the emergence of
talent in organisations.
Reflections on the gender gap and the urgent need to take
action to reduce it have accelerated the implementation, by
the end of 2021, of the ‘Gender&Equity’ strategic path, de-
signed to achieve more balanced gender representation at
the top of the company.
Women’s empowerment and leadership are also sought
through the participation of some female colleagues in up-
skilling and reskilling courses, mentorships and workshops to
help them identify the path to follow for their professional
development.
Finally, following the #ValoreD4STEM survey, we are work-
ing to promote the employment of female professionals with
STEM backgrounds in companies and to allocate scholar-
ships to young women who decide to embark on these paths
with greater and better job opportunities.
Another focus, which is no less important, is the protection
of parenting: another cornerstone of Parental Care will soon
be put into practice.
Training will be provided for colleagues chosen to assist and
support new mothers in returning from maternity leave, facil-
itating them in this new phase of reconciling the personal and
professional spheres of their lives.
This is the synergy of projects, activities and initiatives (and
there will be many more to follow) that we believe in and are
investing in to make Agos a company where everyone can
truly feel free to express their identity, express their potential
and feel valued, welcomed and respected.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202156
ANGELINI PHARMA | COMPANY STORYTELLING
By the editorial staff
OUR SHADOW
BOARDA young community looking to the future
An international team of 8 colleagues under the age of 30 with one objective: to add the perspectives of younger generations to the strategic choices the company makes
According to recent studies by the European So-
cial Survey, younger professionals often experi-
ence age-based prejudice from older colleagues.
Factors such as zero growth and progressive
population ageing lead to older generations staying in com-
panies longer and to intolerance towards younger talents,
who may sometimes perceive generational gaps as an obsta-
cle to their careers.
At Angelini Pharma, our goal is to ensure that our people
are fully involved in company projects, favouring bottom-up
working methods wherever possible, involving peop
le from as varied a geographical, cultural and age background
as possible. This is one of the foundations of the path along
which our company strives every day to foster an inclusive
working environment, an environment to be proud of, an en-
vironment that each of our people can communicate to the
outside world about with enthusiasm.
In this context, the Angelini Pharma Shadow Board was born,
an initiative launched by the Global Human Resources Team.
Nine young people, all under 30 and from 6 countries, with
a mission: to work with our company’s Executive Leadership
Team to influence Angelini Pharma’s strategic agenda with
the perspectives of younger generations.
The Shadow Board project sublimates many of the objectives
of the Strategic Imperative Become Employer of Choice, An-
gelini Pharma’s strategic plan for its people. In fact, the pillars
of the Shadow Board’s purpose are threefold: to enrich the
Eight young people, all under the age of 30 and from 6 countries, with a mission: to work with our company’s Executive Leadership Team to influence Angelini Pharma’s strategic agenda with the perspective of younger generations.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 57
ANGELINI PHARMA | COMPANY STORYTELLING COMPANY STORYTELLING | AGOS
internal dialectic with the contribution offered by different
perspectives, in this case different in terms of age; to involve
young people, the real protagonists of our future, in strate-
gic decisions, inviting them to fully express their opinions; to
attract and enhance the value of the younger generations
everywhere we are present, and thus become an Employer
of Choice at an international level.
As already mentioned, the Shadow Board works side by side
with the Angelini Pharma board, working concretely on many
of the open dossiers. The members of the Shadow Board
have been selected on the basis of merit, age, aptitude and
aspirations, thanks to career meetings at the international
level conducted by the HR Managers in different countries
where Angelini Pharma has a presence. The current team has
a one-year mandate, after which new members may be ap-
pointed.
Angelini Pharma is a multinational pharmaceutical company,
part of the Italian Angelini Group since 1919. The company
researches, manufactures and markets health solutions in the
areas of mental health (including pain management) and the
central nervous system, rare diseases, and over-the-counter
products. Angelini Pharma operates directly in 25 countries,
employing almost 3,000 people and distributes its products
in over 50 countries through strategic alliances with leading
pharmaceutical groups. For further information, please visit
www.angelinipharma.it
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202158
BANCA D'ITALIA | COMPANY STORYTELLING
Antonella Argiolas, Riccardo Basso
MENTORING AT BANCA D’ITALIA
Mentoring was introduced at Banca d’Italia to
help people take care of their own develop-
ment: the relationship with a senior person
fosters self-awareness, a greater understanding
of the organisation and the refinement of behavioural skills;
in times of change or difficulty, having a ‘guide’ available is
valuable in identifying the paths we can or want to take and
focusing on the resources we can draw on.
Membership of the programme is voluntary. Mentors are
managers. We have received many applications and have se-
lected participants based on experience and a willingness to
listen and engage in dialogue.
The mentees are highly professional people; many aspire to
become managers. With a view to inclusion, we have espe-
cially promoted the participation of female colleagues and
younger people.
Mentors and mentees undergo preparatory training, which
explains the course and its aims; mentors are also given basic
tools to guide the relationship correctly. In the middle and
at the end of the process there are moments of exchange
and supervision with the counselling company that assists
us; mentors can contact this company at any time to ask for
advice in case of misunderstandings or situations that reach
a dead end.
Mentors and mentees are profiled on the basis of an assess-
ment and a self-assessment questionnaire that investigates
work-related behaviours according to a model with a spe-
cial emphasis on inclusion. They can share the results of the
questionnaire at the first meeting if they consider it useful to
identify the objectives to work on.
Around 90 pairs are formed each year: it is the mentees who
choose their mentor based on their profile. The only rule to
For us, mentoring is a fluid tool for fostering dialogue between different generations: an exchange that helps to overcome mistrust and bridge knowledge gaps; each participant shares his or her view of the bank, of the organisation’s challenges, problems and opportunities. The perspectives of those who are rooted in the bank’s history and those who are looking at the bank with a fresher eye meet in a generative way.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 59
BANCA D'ITALIA | COMPANY STORYTELLING COMPANY STORYTELLING | AGOS
be respected for the pairings is that
the mentor must not have a superor-
dinate role in relation to the mentee,
because the relationship must be able
to develop freely and outside of any
other working relationship.
In these first 2 years, the project has
gone very well: perhaps even exceed-
ing expectations. Mentors have gener-
ously and enthusiastically contributed
their experience. Mentors and men-
tees underline, during and after the
project, that the exchange has been
an opportunity for growth for both
sides. Mentees come out more aware
and able to find solutions, often cre-
ative ones, for their professional de-
velopment; they have access to new
ways or reading things to help them
interpret the context and the evolu-
tionary lines of the organisation; they
acquire greater autonomy and vision;
they end the course with an enriched
mindset that incorporates different
perspectives. The mentor increases
his or her listening and guiding skills
and develops a more complete under-
standing of the organisation by look-
ing at it ‘from below.’ Usually, at the
end of the programme (which lasts
about a year) the mentor and mentee
will stay in touch.
For us, mentoring is a fluid tool for fos-
tering dialogue between different gen-
erations: an exchange that helps to
overcome mistrust and bridge knowl-
edge gaps; each participant shares his
or her vision of the bank, of the organ-
isation’s challenges, problems and op-
portunities. The perspectives of those
who are rooted in the bank’s history
and those who are looking at the bank
with a fresher perspective, because
they have only recently joined, come
together in a generative way. We will
soon relaunch the programme, with
more ambitious numbers and forms of
reverse mentoring.
ANTONELLA ARGIOLAS. 1962. Degree in Economics and Com-merce Diversity Team Member.
RICCARDO BASSO. 1970.Law degree Diversity Manager.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202160
By the editorial staff
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE
GENERATIONAL FACTOR
For training and research for innovation
One critical issue in the broad field of diversity
and inclusion (D&I) is the generational factor.
This is the first time in history that up to 5 gen-
erations can be found working together in the
same company: Veterans, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen
Z, each with different skills, competences, a characteristic
language and a specific value system. While this implies that
there may be prejudices, misunderstandings and conflicts, in
reality, the generational differences offer the opportunity to
drive innovation by leveraging this vast amount of knowledge.
Each generation has experienced a unique educational path
and social context that influence and lead to a different per-
ception of work, roles and relationships. This is why at Baker
Hughes, intergenerational exchange is also fostered through
intensive relationships with schools and universities.
Indeed, it is firmly established in the company culture that
the continuous injection of lifeblood represented by young
people is instrumental to sustaining innovation. And at an
energy technology company like Baker Hughes, which pro-
vides solutions for energy and industrial customers in over
120 countries around the world, innovation is important to
the development of technologies and services that can make
energy safer, cleaner and more efficient for people and the
planet (bakerhughes.com).
At Baker Hughes the evolution of our business is accom-
panied by the evolution of skills. Thus, for example, Nuovo
Pignone, the legal entity operating in Italy, encourages the
development of qualified technical profiles to meet the new
challenges of the industry by engaging in orientation activ-
ities and projects in schools to promote knowledge of the
industrial world, guide young people towards the most in-de-
mand jobs and also to help bridge the gap between labour
supply and demand.
Baker Hughes has always been very active in PCTO pro-
grammes (pathways for transversal skills and orientation) and
since 2010 it has launched internship projects that allow stu-
dents to spend many hours in the company by offering con-
tinuous individual coaching with company tutors. In 2016 it
was awarded the title of Campioni dell’Alternanza (Alternan-
za Champions, which refers to work experience placements
organised in partnerships between schools and businesses)
by the then-Minister Stefania Giannini because with its initi-
atives and projects for orientation and direct experience in
companies it helps bridge the gap between the theoretical
training typical of many schools and the needs of the indus-
trial world.
Another area in which the company invests a great deal is
vocational training, represented in Italy by ITS (Istituti Tecn-
ici Superiori), ITS Prime, the post-high school diploma spe-
cialisation institute for technological innovation in advanced
mechanics and mechatronics, automation, industrial robotics
and information technology. Baker Hughes has been involved
since its foundation in 2011, through Nuovo Pignone, which
has always participated in the governance of the foundation
by providing support in the design of educational courses,
giving lectures and testimonials and hosting students at its
production sites every year for internships. ITS Prime is a
foundation with over 60 members, 21 courses have been
designed and 250 students have graduated from the pro-
gramme. Baker Hughes has held the presidency since 2020.
Baker Hughes is also a supporting partner of the Apulian ITS
Meccatronico Cuccovillo and the ITS Meccanico Lombardo.
With regard to other generations, the company wanted to
plan specific training initiatives in synergy with other parties.
BAKER HUGHES | COMPANY STORYTELLING
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 61
BAKER HUGHES | COMPANY STORYTELLING
At the beginning of 2020, the BiG (Business, Innovation,
Growth) Academy was set up, a management academy for
managers and future managers of companies operating in
the energy, mechanics, electronics, optics and information
technology sectors.
The initiative is the brainchild of a number of international
companies operating in Tuscany, such as Baker Hughes-Nuo-
vo Pignone (which has taken on the presidency and man-
agement), Thales, the El.En Group, KME and Leonardo, and
institutional partners such as the University of Florence, the
Municipality and the City of Florence and the Region of Tus-
cany. The aim of the BiG Academy is to offer a high-level
training experience, made by companies for companies,
which strengthens the managerial capacity of SMEs, the abil-
ity to network and to respond to the economic and industrial
needs of the territory.
The relationship between companies and universities also
creates a virtuous circle in nurturing research, providing in-
centives for training and making companies and universities
even more competitive. The sharing of expertise enables ac-
ademic research to be applied in the industry. Baker Hughes
collaborates with some of Italy’s leading universities and sev-
eral national research centres, developing joint programmes
with a generated economic value of over €16 million.
To name a few of the more recent collaborations, there was
a framework agreement with the Politecnico di Milano in
2020, which formalised a successful relationship that began
several years ago and involved the launch of research con-
tracts on additive manufacturing, advanced aerodynamics,
digital twins, knowledge management, prognostics and data
science, with the creation of several executive PhD positions
in research areas that are of interest to the company.
Also in 2020, Baker Hughes founded the AI LAB-Baker
Hughes & University of Siena, a new joint research labora-
tory between the University’s Department of Information
Engineering and Mathematical Sciences and the company
to facilitate the exchange of information and technologies
between industry and academia in the field of Artificial Intel-
ligence research.
With the University of Calabria there is a framework agree-
ment, since 2018, for the duration of 5 years, for the devel-
opment of activities in the field of the energy industry to col-
laborate on scientific research and technical and educational
activities.
And then there is the collaboration with the Politecnico di
Bari to set up the Baker Hughes Academy to create specialist
skills for the energy industry. The partnership includes the
participation of Adecco, IFOA, and the IIS ‘Marconi-Hack,’
which are responsible for setting up first-level apprenticeship
contracts for the training and professional integration of new
graduates in the area. The Baker Hughes Pump Lab was also
inaugurated in July 2021. The laboratory was created to fa-
cilitate the exchange of information between industry and ac-
ademia for the joint development of advanced technologies
to produce centrifugal pumps. The Pump Lab is dedicated to
the design development of vertical water pumps, the energy
efficiency of centrifugal pumps, energy recovery machines,
and design refinement for Reverse Osmosis and desalination
plants. Great attention is paid to technologies serving the en-
ergy transition, because all current generations must also be
able to think about the future of generations to come.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202162
By the editorial staff
JOYJuniors and seniors at work
for the Chiesi of the future
What is JOY?
It is, without a doubt, a unique opportunity
for discussion and collaboration to gener-
ate innovative ideas that will enable Chiesi
to achieve its future goals.
But how is this different from what other companies do? The
name JOY stands for Juniors On strategY and aims to truly
listen to the perspectives of the most junior people in the
company, through working and collaborating closely with
senior colleagues on strategic issues for Chiesi, proposing
ideas and implementing them.
When we talk about ‘juniors’ we are referring to employees
who completed their studies no more than 6 years before the
start of the JOY project.
This helps to reduce the generation gap: juniors can share
their ‘freshness’ while seniors offer their experience.
This is the winning combination that makes it possible to gen-
erate value for the company!
The project came to life in 2017 and – this is something I am
very proud of – the idea came from two junior people with-
in the Global Strategy department in response to our CEO’s
need to ‘hear what young people think...’
Who better than them, then?
The first edition of the project was dedicated to the theme of
diversity and then, in 2020, we launched the second edition,
which focused on the theme of simplification; the third and
fourth editions, currently underway, are exploring the themes
of focusing on patients and having a sense of collaboration
and unity, respectively, thus going beyond departmental or
role dynamics.
Each activity is based on and inspired by the values of the
company.
In each edition, the group of juniors is the beating heart of
the project as it guides activities and dialogue with the sen-
iors. Each edition of JOY is supported by a project leader
who, in order to promote a virtuous circle and ensure that
the programme is also an opportunity for development for
all participants, is also a JOY participant from a previous edi-
tion.
In addition to this figure, the presence of a mentor is funda-
mental, i.e. a senior person who is an expert in the theme of
the current edition, whose task is to help the team to under-
stand the theme and manage the programme.
The first edition shone a light on the theme of diversity, which
at the time was still little explored. During the workshop –
a crucial moment for JOY – juniors and seniors generated
ideas and, subsequently, some of these were selected and
better described in specific action plans.
One concrete example is the tagline ‘Everyone of us is dif-
ferent, everyone of us is Chiesi,’ which is now at the heart of
Chiesi’s values. The second edition of JOY, which started in
September 2020, had as its strategic theme ‘From complex-
ity to simplicity: the revolution to become more agile’ and
ended in April 2021.
For this edition, it was decided to broaden involvement, offer-
ing all juniors the opportunity to apply through an extreme-
ly transparent launch, communication and selection plan...
supported by videos in which the candidates explained what
motivated them to apply.
CHIESI | COMPANY STORYTELLING
La The second edition of JOY, which started in September 2020, had as its strategic theme ‘From complexity to simplicity: the revolution to become more agile.’
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 63
CHIESI | COMPANY STORYTELLING
Another great novelty in this edition is the implementation
phase: once the idea deemed most impactful and feasible to
achieve the objective has been selected, it will be developed
over the following months. This is a way of demonstrating
that change is indeed possible; moreover, to give continuity
to the generation of ideas, we have offered juniors the oppor-
tunity to lead the implementation of one of these, with the
support and backing of seniors.
In particular, the second JOY team completed 2 projects:
‘Smart ACTitude’ and ‘BlackBox.’
SmartACTitude aims to make the most of one of the most
important resources we have: time! To this end, the team has
created tools to manage meetings more effectively: guide-
lines, in collaboration with our R&D colleagues, and an IT tool
to support efficient meeting management in the preparation,
conduct and follow-up phases. These two tools have been
validated with a pilot test involving a number of company
departments and given the excellent results, will soon be ex-
tended to the whole group.
BlackBox, on the other hand, aims to make processes more
fluid by collecting anonymous feedback from people involved
in the process.
The team tested it, for example, on the strategic planning
process and the pilot generated brilliant results. It has been
refined and will soon be available to anyone who wants it.
We are proud to have created a programme like JOY – we
think it is unique and are working to enhance it in the long
term, to improve it and make it increasingly impactful for the
future of our company.
We are convinced that juniors can change the world and,
through JOY, have the opportunity to change Chiesi!
COMPANY STORYTELLING | CHIESI
GIOVANNA AMADORI. Head of Global Strategy &
Corporate Development
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202164
Chrystelle Simon
THE POWER OF ALLYSHIP
A bridge between generations
As already expressed in previous articles, inclu-
sion and opportunity are two strongly linked
concepts. Valuing differences with the aim of de-
veloping talents is part of the very concept of in-
clusion. Inclusion is what makes it possible to start a virtuous
professional project that seizes more business opportunities
and is functional to the development of organisational well-
being, also thanks to flexible working processes. An inclusive
leadership style is fundamental to enhancing and promoting
diversity and the contributions that each person can offer
in terms of innovation and performance, in order to obtain
competitive advantages. Deloitte’s inclusive leadership mod-
el consists of 6 fundamental traits that are necessary to ac-
tivate a virtuous process that makes the value of inclusion a
business tool:
1. Commitment of the individual and the organisation to pri-
oritise diversity and inclusion. This implies respectful and
fair behaviour and the involvement of all people;
2. The courage to carry forward the culture of Diversity &
Inclusion, but also the attitude to recognise one’s limits
and to want to improve;
3. Awareness of the existence of bias, which we must be able
to recognise in order to make fair decisions, free from
prejudice;
4. Curiosity to look at new perspectives, encouraging contin-
uous learning and divergent thinking;
5. The openness needed to collaborate with people from
cultures other than our own;
6. The collaborative approach to create respectful and psy-
chologically healthy work environments where people
can feel free to express themselves.
Inclusive leadership is about connecting the different gener-
ations working within the same organisation. Promoting an
inclusive culture means offering meeting points, alliances
and comparison between different values, ideas, behavioural
models and experiences; in short, valuing cognitive diversity.
And it is precisely with a view to valuing diversity and virtu-
ous alliances that we have developed numerous initiatives at
both the local and global level to foster positive exchanges
and dialogue between different generations.
Allyship is a tool, as well as a goal, to generate a sense of
belonging, especially in today’s fragmented world. Allyship
reduces the distance between different generations, between
senior members of staff and young professionals.
With this in mind, the Ask Me initiative was launched last year
with the aim of connecting younger people to leadership and
encouraging continuous exchanges on topics of various inter-
ests. Ask Me – an initiative promoted by Alessandro Mercu-
ri, the Consulting Leader of Deloitte Central Mediterranean
– was created during the first stage of the pandemic and
designed to help people stay ‘connected’, to listen to people
and give live answers to their questions. The 30-minute live
events were an extraordinary success, with over 1,500 par-
ticipants each time, and have become a regular event.
During the same period, a digital wellbeing programme on
social media was also launched, in parallel with the creation
of the People & Purpose Channel, a channel dedicated to
training to develop soft skills in various areas, considered
useful for dealing with the lockdown.
Speaking of young people, we cannot fail to mention the
ONE Young World project, created by Deloitte North South
Europe. OYW is a non-profit organisation that brings together
bright young leaders from around the world to give them the
opportunity to make a wider positive impact in the world.
These young people come together at annual summits where
delegates become OYW Ambassadors, joining an interna-
tional network. The ambassadors’ job is to encourage other
young people to be proactive within their own communities
and the organisations they represent. Linking business to
the social impact of organisations is an opportunity that the
OYW Summit recognises. This raises awareness in young tal-
ent, promoting the brand values and impact Deloitte has in
the communities in which it operates.
In addition, One Young World launched the Lead2030 initia-
tive to support the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals. Supported by some of the world’s most prestigious
brands, Lead2030 aims to fund and accelerate the solutions
proposed by the most impactful young people who are con-
DELOITTE | COMPANY STORYTELLING
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 65
DELOITTE | COMPANY STORYTELLING
tributing to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development
Goals. One of Lead2030’s inaugural Challenge Partners is
Deloitte, which has taken charge of Goal 4, on quality edu-
cation.
Deloitte also has delegates within the OYW programme who,
each year, have the opportunity to support the leadership by
participating in projects designed to achieve the objectives to
be presented at the next Summit. Delegates are offered ad
hoc training that focuses on their personal goals. These young
people are offered the opportunity to meet the Summit com-
munity, participating as Deloitte delegate ambassadors. The
link between the young ambassadors and the senior leaders
is also strong in this project, as the proposals are analysed
by the seniors and discussed again in a two-way exchange.
A further project to enhance the potential of intergeneration-
al collaborations, but also between people of different sexes,
are the sponsorship programmes dedicated to our female
talents, which aim to strengthen the alliance between differ-
ent sexes and generations.
What is sponsorship? Sponsorship is a one-to-one relation-
ship in which a Partner Sponsor is committed to creating
visibility opportunities with internal and external clients that
enable the sponsee to gain knowledge, skills and profession-
al experience.
Sponsors are leaders who are committed to supporting the
sponsee by providing advice and sharing personal experienc-
es. They are influential leaders who can provide access and
opportunities with clients and set up key roles within the or-
ganisation.
The sponsorship programme started globally with the WAVE
initiative, which initially involved our leaders, executive com-
mittee members and high-potential female managers. It was
later extended to other sponsoring partners and professional
sponsees.
The main objective of this initiative is to create a network of
change agents who, together, will accompany our organisa-
tion on the path towards an increasingly inclusive future. All
this has been made possible by reverse mentoring, a one-to-
one process through which young managers generate input,
passing on their point of view to seniors who, in turn, are en-
abled to broaden their perspectives. An exchange that stim-
ulates the interconnection between generations is essential.
According to research by Deloitte, 83% of young people feel
more engaged when leadership promotes a plural and inclu-
sive culture: in fact, inclusive leadership is necessary to grasp
and enhance generational diversity.
This process brings together different generations that cre-
ate a useful alliance in what is now called the VUCA world
(Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous), a complex and
increasingly interconnected world.
When it comes to generations, the most well-known subdivi-
sion is: Baby Boomer, Generation X, Millennial and Genera-
tion Z. Each generation has grown up in a certain socio-eco-
nomic and political era that has contributed in diverse ways
to shaping their values and perspectives at work. Sociologists
have identified patterns of behaviour and thinking that tend
to differentiate one generation from the next. These genera-
tional stereotypes, although not applicable indiscriminately
to every individual, can help guide interpersonal interactions
between generations in the company, which are particular-
ly important in this historical period. The alliance between
generations is a way to create new values and to support
an inclusive evolution, especially after the lockdown period,
when we have developed capacities to adapt to change and
uncertainty.
The alliance between generations develops Effective Trans-
generational Leadership. Leading an organisation in which
four generations coexist is a real challenge. Each generation
has its own values, norms and styles that can potentially
clash with each other. Overall, it is essential that leaders cre-
ate a working environment that embraces transgenerational
differences to maximise the effectiveness of the organisation.
The key points for effective transgenerational leadership are
illustrated by the 6 indispensable traits of inclusive leader-
ship:
• being flexible and able to listen;
• developing emotional and cultural intelligence;
• being curious and open-minded;
• knowing how to collaborate effectively by creating trust,
delegating and relying on one’s collaborators;
• conveying the reason for what you are doing, giving con-
structive and timely feedback to the team;
• managing to maintain a work-life balance, guiding people
in their growth.
By considering the characteristics of the different genera-
tions we can obtain the key to excelling in our working life,
achieving our goals, aligning ourselves with a model that rec-
ognises the values of each generation, taking advantage of
the richness that comes from diversity.
To conclude, an interesting fact: in the ‘VUCA world,’ teams
composed of people from different generations are up to
87% more likely to make better decisions where there is
greater inclusiveness and alliance.
‘We need to remember across generations that there is as much to learn as there is to teach.’
Gloria Steinem
COMPANY STORYTELLING | DELOITTE
CHRYSTELLE SIMON. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leader, Deloitte Central Mediterranean
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202166
By the editorial staff
MEETING BETWEEN
GENERATIONS‘Diversity is a Fact, Inclusion is an Act.’
Zabeen Hirji, Global Adviser, Deloitte Canada
Diversity in the workplace is a fact.
Adopting inclusive behaviours that value every-
one’s uniqueness is a conscious action.
This is one of the key principles Dow embraces in
its Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) strategy, which takes a compre-
hensive approach to inclusion – ALL IN! – and is also directly
applied to generational diversity.
In order to promote the sharing of experiences and growth
for all, among the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) estab-
lished by Dow, the internal PRIME networks – for employees
over 50 – and RISE – for employees who have been with the
company for 8 years or less – promote free and constructive
dialogue between different generations in the company.
With this in mind, at Dow Italia we have been focusing for
many years on the concept of Inclusion and are committed to
exploring the realities of those around us, both in our offices
and in production.
Our focus on generational diversity is instrumental in con-
tinually improving the employee experience by implement-
ing initiatives both internally and externally. On the internal
front, for example, work is being done to reduce the ‘distance’
between younger people and senior employees which, in a
chemical plant, may be due to strictly regulated access to
production areas or shift work. To do this, discussion groups
for different generations, functions and backgrounds have
been set up to allow comparison and sharing of experiences
and skills.
So intergenerational collaboration, especially in production,
happens constantly and more than in other sectors. Dow Ita-
lia therefore carries out initiatives that are also compatible
with shift work, for example through the collection and dis-
semination via company channels of video testimonials that
describe how people of different generations interact. And
it is precisely from the people in production, who are used
to dealing with each other, mentoring/tutoring and reverse
mentoring/tutoring, that we learn how to make a better team,
in order to take care of young and old, enhancing the char-
acteristics of each.
In terms of external initiatives, Dow Italia is committed to
exploring, listening to, and embracing diversity and bring-
ing I&D culture to school and university settings, promoting
STEM disciplines, and sharing examples of inclusion both in
terms of a stronger company culture and competitive advan-
tage. We pay constant attention to young people by collab-
orating with trade associations, schools (in the communities
where we operate) and leading Italian universities, for exam-
ple the Politecnico di Milano, where we are present every
year at Career Day.
Similarly, our production plants host groups of students from
Italian and foreign schools and universities.
Another aspect of employees’ lives that involves a direct con-
frontation between generations is parenthood. Dow Italia is
active on several fronts and acts directly to support those
who have children or care for family members, with a dedi-
cated global programme that includes paid leave and leave
of absence, as well as training for people leaders to support
parenting at work in its various stages and thus encourage a
better work-life balance.
At Dow Italia, diversity is celebrated as a value and a source
of richness. We work on the education of younger genera-
tions, investing in them with the ambition that inclusive be-
haviour may, one day, be part of each individual’s culture.
This will, at last, make it possible to exhaust the debate and
the fight against any form of discrimination and exclusion,
and to make workplaces truly fair and inclusive.
DOW | COMPANY STORYTELLING
CLAUDIA CAFFI. Geographic Communications Specialist
MARCO DAGNONI. I&D Focal Point Dow Italia & Training
Coordinator
ANGELA MAESA. Sr Product Stewardship Specialist
ALESSANDRA MOSCA. Sr Customer Manager
ANTONELLA PALMA. Sr EH&S Sustainability Technician
CARMEN QUILLI. Sr Sales Specialist
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 67
DOW | COMPANY STORYTELLING
"Diversity in the workplace is a fact. Adopting inclusive behaviours that value everyone’s uniqueness is a conscious action.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202168
By the editorial staff
MENTORING I shall therefore send to you the actual books; and in order that you may not waste time in searching here and there for profitable topics, I shall mark certain passages, so that you can turn at once to those which I approve and admire. Of course, however, the living voice and the intimacy of a common life will help you more than the written word. You must go to the scene of action, first, because men put more faith in their eyes than in their ears, and second, because the way is long if one follows precepts, but short and helpful, if one follows patterns. […]Therefore I summon you, not merely that you may derive benefit, but that you may confer benefit; for we can assist each other greatly.
(Seneca, Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 6)
Seneca’s words are, even today, one of the clearest
definitions that best exemplify the essence of one
of the oldest and most powerful training practices:
mentoring.
When, more than 7 years ago, we at Fastweb decided to in-
troduce this practice among our development tool proposals,
we started from here.
For us, mentoring is a way of extracting the value present in
the company and its objective is to give formal support to the
professional or managerial development of mentees, to their
level of understanding of company dynamics, and it is an ex-
perience that allows them to better understand and ‘navigate’
Fastweb.
Each year this programme involves around 20/25 pairs of
mentors and mentees. Mentors are managers or individual
contributors who, regardless of their age or seniority in the
company, offer their greatest managerial or professional ex-
perience in a skill in an exchange with mentees.
The latter, in turn, have established a development objective
together with their managers, which may be linked to growth
in terms of the skills they need for their professional role, or to
their growth in terms of managerial responsibility.
The programme lasts 9 months and includes an initial training
session for mentors and mentees, support during the process
with a number of check-ins, and a closing celebration event to
share the lessons learned.
Mentors and mentees are also provided with methodological
sheets and guiding questions to help them through the vari-
ous stages of the process. No two paths are ever the same,
and the responsibility for success is based on the commit-
ment and adherence of both parties.
Even before we begin, one of the most delicate issues that
we pay particular attention to is matching mentor and men-
tee: we always start with the mentee’s objective in order to
identify, together with the manager and Human Resources,
the mentor who will be the best fit and who can be of value.
Experience over the years has shown us that this certainly
facilitates the success of the process.
But it is not the only factor.
It is more important than ever to devote time to building a
relationship based on trust and listening, a relationship that,
although it is embedded in a formalised process, is complete-
ly unique and personalised.
Mentoring is a two-way developmental pathway: while the
initial focus is the mentee’s development goal, the mentors
involved have always returned what value they have gleaned
from the pairing; the mentoring relationship has, on some oc-
casions, become a space for questioning and updating certain
beliefs, a space for growth, therefore, also for the mentor.
In general, mentoring also acquires strong value in building
networking between different teams and facilitates, in some
situations, the creation of new synergies and proximity be-
tween business and staff structures.
The richness of mentoring lies precisely here: in the significant
and mutual change of knowledge systems, work, skills and
ways of thinking, as Seneca wrote.
‘Therefore I summon you, not merely that you may derive benefit, but that you may confer benefit; for we can assist each other greatly.’
FASTWEB | COMPANY STORYTELLING
ALESSIA LONGONI, Talent Development & Total Rewarding Professional
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202170
By the editorial staff
LISTENING The value that every age brings with it
Four generations live together at Findomestic, each
of which has its background, reference values, ideas,
expectations and aspirations... in short, a different
view of the world and a unique way of assessing and
considering reality.
It is inevitable that each of us brings our own being and ex-
periences into our working environment, influencing it and
having a significant impact on it. It is therefore essential for
companies, now more than ever, to listen to their employees
in order to provide services and benefits that protect person-
al wellbeing and meet their real needs.
The initiative I would like to talk about in this context stems
from the awareness that, as the average age of employees
rises, the number of caregivers, i.e. those who take care of
other people, is also constantly increasing.
In Italy today there are 13 million caregivers and 3.6 million
workers who must find a way to reconcile their personal and
professional lives. These are important numbers that we can-
not afford to ignore. For this reason we decided to provide
our employees with a listening, support and orientation desk,
which focuses on a care manager, a territorially competent
professional who helps and directs by identifying the most
suitable response to specific problems (finding car homes,
carers, babysitters, psychologist or speech therapists, etc.).
At the same time, we have launched an awareness-raising
campaign about people who are not self-sufficient, which
covers all stages of life, from childhood to old age.
We started with the latter, challenging the idea that ‘old age’
must necessarily be identified as an illness or a slow and in-
evitable decline.
With improvements in quality of life and the progress of med-
icine, this ‘third age’ is a phase of our existence full of vitality
and energy: free from work commitments, the over 60s and
70s travel, study, do sports and voluntary work, take care of
themselves, look after their grandchildren, and are a funda-
mental pillar of society.
It was wonderful to listen to a psychologist lovingly recount
the difference between pathological and physiological ageing
and to dispel the many prejudices linked to old age. Elderly people are simply going through a phase in their life cycle, with characteristics that are different from previous phases, with physical, sensory and cognitive changes that do not, however, lead to problems with functioning and independ-
ence. In this context, the role of the caregiver consists in support-ing elderly subjects in fully actualising themselves and this means ‘taking care of them,’ valuing each identity and per-sonal history, starting with respect for human dignity, which is expressed in the construction of consistent bonds, able to offer support and to receive the original contribution of the other.We discussed the dramatic moment when the parent-child
role is reversed, the difficulty in accepting that the parent
loses certain functions and/or abilities day after day, the fail-
ure to interpret his or her new needs... One of the first ways of caring for the other person is to listen to them as a person through the gestures they make, the words and feelings they express, the stories they want to tell and are able to tell, the silences in they take refuge in, in order to understand the residual resources that can be strengthened, those that need to be reawakened, the most fragile aspects of identity. We cannot allow illness in old age to rob the person of their digni-ty, leaving the elderly person or what remains of them alone, often identified with chronic or degenerative pathology: we
have learned that old age is not an illness but more simply a
phase of life, with distinct characteristics, positive and nega-
tive sides.
It was surprising to see how much fragility there is inside each
caregiver and how much need for discussion: the sense of
loneliness, inadequacy and powerlessness, suffering, pain...
these are meetings of an extraordinary intensity that offer
us the opportunity to meet with experts and that allow us to
open up and confront ourselves.
These are moments that we consider fundamental because
the wellbeing of a working environment depends primarily on
the wellbeing of each employee.
FINDOMESTIC | COMPANY STORYTELLING
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 71
FINDOMESTIC | COMPANY STORYTELLING
‘It is essential for companies, now more than ever, to listen to the
voice of their employees in order to provide personal wellbeing services and benefits that are
responsive to real needs.’
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202172
Francesco Colombo
INTERGENERATIONAL
LEARNING Generali mentoring programs
It’s very likely that we now have more generational diver-
sity in our workforce than ever before, with 4 generations
(Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z) working in our or-
ganisation concurrently, and often on the same teams. In
addition to this, the market’s and many companies’ focus on
Diversity & Inclusion topics over the past few years call for
greater importance to be given to the diversification of teams
and employees, including age diversity.
Given this context, organizations cannot wait any longer to
equip themselves to unlock the tremendous potential that
this type of diversity can bring.
One pivotal aspect of this intergenerational exchange is in-
tergenerational learning, which can be described as a “learn-
ing partnership based on reciprocity and mutuality, involving
people of different ages, where the generations work togeth-
er to gain skills, values and knowledge” (European Network
for Intergenerational Learning).
Given this key learning process, Generali is determined to
benefit from this opportunity by launching intergenerational
programs that increase cooperation and interaction between
generations, allow improved exchanges of key skills and ex-
periences and foster reciprocal learning. These programs
should also contribute to combating stereotypes, such as
those expressed through ageism, which can be held by age
groups toward one another, and to break down barriers that
otherwise would be difficult to overcome.
At Generali there are two mentoring programs for 2021 and 2022
that are designed for and aimed at our Group Talents, our key
people across the group with high potential and a global mindset.
The initiatives address both the need to develop key competenc-
es in the Generali Group Talents and the need to engage people
from different age groups within the organization. As intergenera-
tional learning programs, these programs are designed to extract
the best values and skills specific to each generational group and
to promote trust while exchanging knowledge and ideas, creating
a great networking opportunity for the Talents involved.
The Global Mentoring ProgramIn May 2021 Generali started the new Global Mentoring Pro-
gram dedicated to Group Talent Managers. This year marks
the launch of the 4th edition of this flagship Generali program,
which involved approx. 400 employees. This year the initia-
tive, which gathers dozens of managers worldwide, includes
over 160 mentors and mentees and will last 12 months, with
hour-long monthly sessions. The objective is to boost -manag-
GENERALI | DALLA PARTE DELLE BAMBINE
One pivotal aspect of this intergenerational exchange is intergenerational learning, which can be described as a “learning partnership based on reciprocity and mutuality, involving people of different ages, where the generations work together to gain skills”.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 73
GENERALI | DALLA PARTE DELLE BAMBINE
ers’ leadership and managerial skills and improve their organi-
zational capabilities. Managers act as mentees and are guided
by Generali Leadership Group members, who act as mentors
and offer expert advice on long-term career growth and de-
velopment. The relationship between mentor and mentee is
based on a mutual agreement to ensure reciprocal under-
standing and objectives alignment. As one mentor from last
year’s edition said at the kick-off, the key to a great mentoring
relationship is to “Start by finding good and deep agreement with your mentor or your mentee so that you can really have honest and deep discussion”. From an intergenerational point
of view, the program provides a unique networking opportuni-
ty for both managers and Leaders, who can work together in
one-on-one sessions and exchange ideas and discuss topics
such as career aspirations, development areas, and daily chal-
lenges, and it also facilitates intergenerational dialogue and
understanding, as suggested by one of the mentees from the
previous edition: “The first [thing] I learned is that age doesn’t matter, but it’s about the learning opportunities and the mo-ments spent outside of our comfort zone”.
The Reciprocal Mentoring ProgramLeveraging best practice sharing worldwide, Generali Group
scaled up a project initially piloted by Generali Spain: the Re-
ciprocal Mentoring Program. The initiative, involving over 500
participants, will engage Group Talent Senior Managers and the
new Group Talent pool of Future Owners, young talents with a
maximum of 7 years of experience. The program will involve Fu-
ture Owners as mentees and Senior Managers as mentors and
include some sessions where roles will be reversed and young
employees will actually be the mentors, sharing their specific
expertise and ways of working. The program, which lasts one
year, aims to accelerate the development journey of Future
Owners through the guidance of Senior Managers and to raise
Senior Managers’ awareness of younger colleagues’ priorities
and issues. This type of mentoring offers a great opportunity
to explore cross-generational exchanges, building relationships
based on mutual respect and acceptance.
From a company perspective, Reciprocal Mentoring is also
an effective solution to tackle key challenges posed by so-
cietal and job market developments like digital transforma-
tion, D&I, the spread of a digital and innovative mindset,
and the reduction of gaps between young talents and more
experienced managers. Consistent with our cultural transfor-
mation model, the real innovation of this program is in the
opportunity it provides to build solid relationships between
generations that differ from one another in terms of skills,
experiences and ways of thinking.
We expect significant results, not only in terms of the ex-
change of competences, but also and more importantly in
terms of creating space for dialogue between generations,
in order to unleash the power to innovate ways of working,
performing and contributing to our organizational culture.
ConclusionIn a world where population aging is not slowing down and
particularly affects some of Generali’s main operating coun-
tries, making sure all generations are represented and in-
tergenerational dialogue is fostered is a key priority for the
group, now more than ever. By leveraging well-designed inter-
generational learning programs and fostering intergeneration-
al relationships built on mutual trust and respect, Generali will
support knowledge-sharing between generations, through the
exchange of the unique sets of values, skills and competences
of each age group. As stated by a number of senior managers
involved in the last edition of the Global Mentoring Program,
in these learning opportunities “every hour invested pays off in
multiple ways […] because the inter-generational aspect lets
me think and see things differently … and more positively!”.
FRANCESCO COLOMBO. Group Leadership Development.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202174
By the editorial staff
GENERATION ZDiscovering the world of health
The outbreak of the pandemic has not only put our
health system under unprecedented pressure, as
well as the economies of entire countries, but has
also caused very obvious rips in the social fabric.
Of all the population groups affected, particular attention
should be paid to the so-called ‘Generation Z’, i.e. those born
between 1990 and 2010, who were deprived of the customs
and rites of passage typical of adolescence and of their first
taste of adult life by the limitation of emotional relationships,
the cancellation of opportunities to meet and the stress
caused by isolation.
In those months, girls and boys experienced a keen sense
of powerlessness and uncertainty about the future, which,
however, brought them face to face with a reality considered
a distant realist at that age: illness is a part of life!
For this reason, in the middle of the first lockdown, Fondazione
Mondo Digitale – which promotes knowledge sharing through
digital tools – in collaboration with Janssen Italia – the pharma-
ceutical company of the Johnson & Johnson Group – launched
Fattore J: a social education project that aimed to educate
young people about empathy, respect and inclusion towards
those who are ‘different’ because they suffer from a disease.
83 webinars were organised during the school year, involving
over 12,000 young people throughout Italy.
These stimulated the development of their emotional intel-
ligence on prevention and health issues and strengthened
their confidence in matters regarding science.
The students were able to meet doctors and scientists to under-
stand the characteristics, evolution and treatment of some of the
most disabling diseases, and hear from patients what it means to
live with a disease, to feel ‘different,’ to work twice as hard to carry
out actions that, in everyday life, are considered trivial.
A real training course which, under the patronage of the
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, touched on areas such as on-
co-haematology, depression, immunology, pulmonary arteri-
al hypertension, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and
infectious diseases, and which saw the collaboration of scien-
tific societies and 8 patients’ associations.
The experience continued with a survey carried out involv-
ing 4,000 students on the subject of ‘trust in science’, which
showed that 78% of those interviewed needed clearer scientific
communication with correct information substantiated by data.
With the new school year, therefore, Factor J will be trans-
formed into a real school that will teach students how to
combat infodemics and recognise fake news in the field of
health. Again, thanks to exchanges with experts and patients,
boys and girls will be involved in new educational and popu-
lar activities aimed at raising awareness of correct scientific
information, supported by an increasingly wide network of
scientific societies and patient associations.
Parallel with Fattore J, the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and
the Johnson & Johnson Foundation are running Health4U,
a training and orientation programme for those who have al-
ready embarked on their university careers and the world
of work, with a focus on health, wellbeing and life sciences.
The pandemic has shown how necessary it is to rethink the
organisation of work in healthcare and how much we need a
class of professionals who are competent and prepared to
manage emergencies.
A generational change is necessary for the next few years
when we will experience a shortage of health personnel. This
is why it is important to address Italian students to guide them
through the changes that are transforming the health sector
and to give them a clear picture of the professions in this field.
This pandemic has taken a lot from us, yes, but it is also of-
fering us the chance to build a better future, based on new
schemes and models that can meet people’s new needs and
offer new hope to the sick.
JANSSEN | COMPANY STORYTELLING
In the midst of the first lockdown, Fondazione Mondo Digitale, in collaboration with Janssen Italia, launched Fattore J: a social education project that aimed to educate young people about empathy and respect and inclusion towards those who are ‘different’ because they suffer from a disease.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 75
JANSSEN | COMPANY STORYTELLING
Fattore J is back with a second
edition dedicated to high school
students from all over Italy.
Promoted by the Fondazione
Mondo Digitale with Janssen Italia,
the pharmaceutical company of
the Johnson&Johnson Group,
Fattore J aims to increase
confidence in the progress of
science in younger generations,
raising awareness of the
importance of correct scientific
information and responsible
behaviour for the wellbeing and
health of all.
After reaching 100,000 young
people during the last school year,
Factor J is preparing to involve as
many more with an even stronger
network of partners!
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202176
By the editorial staff
BASEMENT CAFÉ BY LAVAZZA
The fourth season came out on 30 September Italy’s most popular blue lounge is preparing new episodes, with guests including Sofia Viscardi and Antonio Dikele Distefano.From the original YouTube channel to various social networks – Instagram and Facebook, passing through Twitch –the format that has garnered so many views and is the most loved by Generation Z is ready to return to our digital screens.The topics of the future, which can no longer be postponed, voices and role models for young people, and more: 2 guests per episode, the worlds of two generations compared. Diversity, respect, rights, music and culture to help us understand our everyday world; 9 episodes coming up... and a couple of surprises.
The first 3 seasons of Basement Café by Lavazza
collected 32 episodes featuring 44 talented partic-
ipants, on the comfortable chairs of Antonio Dikele
Distefano and Sofia Viscardi, first the best Italian
rappers, who are still a constant presence, and many of Italy’s
most famous public figures, singers, professors, journalists,
athletes, women, and astronauts. This widely viewed pro-
gramme returns with 9 episodes and the same number of
couples, online every fortnight from the end of September,
strengthened by its community and the need to address the
issues for its fourth season, including social justice and digni-
ty for future generations.
The Lavazza format is looking to go far and beyond, as was
the case last year with the season broadcast in Germany.
Since October 2020, the original Basement Café by Lavazza
YouTube channel has generated 5.8 million views, thanks to
almost 37,000 subscribers and 2.3 million unique users –
80% of whom are young and very young, aged between 16
and 35. Reactions (84,000 likes), comments (over 3000),
shares: the platform has offered dialogue and encounters
between those who, especially in the last year, have sought
escape routes and paths to knowledge, as evidenced by the
high and satisfactory average time of views (over 12 minutes)
compared to the hit-and-run consumption of content on so-
cial networks we are all unconsciously used to.
From reality to social media, and vice versa: so far, the pro-
gramme has been like a round trip of mutual exchanges,
which has virtuously investigated the lives of younger gen-
erations from a 360-degree angle. Following its debut on
YouTube, Basement has been on Facebook since its second
season, and on the video streaming platform Twitch since its
third season – and again, thanks to the consolidated network
of editorial partners, online in Esse Magazine, Venti and Chi-
li. And of course we must mention Instagram, the favourite
social network of the 44 talents, who have gone from being
guests to devoted fans of the blue lounge and good coffee, of
the underground world of Basement Café by Lavazza.
Sofia’s guestsThe next set of guests is already on-set and will be online from
autumn. Civil rights, respect for diversity, relating to societies
of the past and the future, up to and including caring for the
preferred means of expression, music and video: the fil rouge
that holds together the meetings chosen by Sofia Viscardi,
who feels increasingly at ease in the Basement, is that of in-
terpreting modernity. Ten leading figures, who meet in pairs,
as usual, over the course of 5 appointments. The digital space
and memory are the topics discussed by Roberto Saviano, a
writer and journalist who is one of the most important expo-
nents of contemporary culture, and Yotobi, the founding father
of YouTube Italia, with his sharp video-reviews. The episode on
the revolution of inclusive language cannot but feature the
schwa (ɘ: the gender-neutral form) and those who use it, such
as the linguist and essayist Vera Gheno, and Sio, a successful
cartoonist. Diversity and support for gender equality, in the
panel with Pietro Turano, who is a well-known actor featured in
Skam Italia and an adviser for ArciGay, and Fumettibrutti, the
alias of Josephine Yole Signorelli, the award-winning cartoon-
ist. The history of peoples compared with personal history, be-
tween music and popularisation, is the theme of the meeting
between Professor Alessandro Barbero and singer-songwriter
Levante. Current affairs and the fight against organised crime
LAVAZZA | COMPANY STORYTELLING
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 77
appear, on the other hand, in the testimonies and work of Pif,
the director and presenter of school investigations, and Diletta
Bellotti, already one of the most important activists on the
Italian scene at the age of only 25.
The urban scene with Antonio DikeleHost and gentleman author in search of urban stories Antonio
Dikele Distefano presents his 4 episodes. The main players in
the Italian rap scene are back: two generations and two cities
face each other and discuss, with Jake La Furia, a legend from
the former Club Dogo and the spiritual father of Italian rap in
Milan, and J Lord, who has just come of age but is already the
next big thing on the scene, directly from Naples; and again,
the world of producers, of those behind the great success of
the biggest hits, in the voices of Mace and The Night Skinny.
From rap and music to storytelling, to the issues it highlights:
another meeting brings us Madame, the 19-year-old who al-
ready starred at the Sanremo music festival, an overwhelming
and unique artist, in the company of Daria Bignardi, who has
been a highly successful journalist and presenter for over 30
years. Last but not least, we have the theme of the invisible,
of those who fight for basic rights every day, and the courage
of their dreams, in the wise words of Aboubakar Soumahoro,
trade unionist and leader of labourers and the exploited, who
will be confronted with the world of Gaia, one of the most re-
markable new voices on the Italian music scene.
The beauty of diversityThe difficulties of the present almost make the necessary
questions unspeakable – daughters of collective needs –
that Basement Café by Lavazza wants to ask. How do we
imagine the future? What words will we use to talk about
ourselves tomorrow? Which habits or thoughts can we do
without and which ones can we try to include in our routine?
While a common sentiment is that we should look back with
nostalgia to the past and be disillusioned with the future, the
great upheavals experienced in recent months mean that we
must look to tomorrow with new imagination and no fear,
if faced with radical choices that can no longer be put off.
The theme of rights and respect for diversity, naturally expe-
rienced most commonly by younger generations, is one of
those contexts investigated. How to break down prejudices
and boost individual freedom – especially in terms of gender
and sexual identity – is part of the daily work of some of
Sofia Viscardi’s guests.
The meeting with Pietro Turano and Fumettibrutti, for exam-
ple, will deal with this, thanks to their first-hand experiences:
that of Pietro, aimed at performers in the world of entertain-
ment and focused on education, to create greater awareness
and freedom from the prejudice that still surrounds homosex-
uality, or that of Josephine, the cartoonist, who in her draw-
ings (as she did throughout her trans adolescence) captures
in black and white that intimate and emotional inner life that
is common to everyone regardless of gender differences.
Sio and Vera Gheno, authors in different fields but linked by
their careful use of language to make it more inclusive, will
talk about this. Just as the linguist has brought to public at-
tention the inclusion of the schwa (ɘ) as a neutral word end-
ing in everyday speech and written texts, so Sio has included
it in his cartoons, open to new kinds of word play.
LAVAZZA | COMPANY STORYTELLING
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202178
By the editorial staff
DIVERSITY THAT GENERATES
VALUEA project for valuing ageing in organisations
The entire world today is facing a phase of epoch-
al change, in which diversity and inclusion acquire
new meanings. Inclusion means, in a workplace
context, not leaving anyone behind, but also valu-
ing all differences, creating a culture of shared values, consid-
ering different points of view on decisions, increasing work-
ers’ engagement and boosting the drive for innovation.
The ManpowerGroup believes in developing and supporting
individual talent and in creating a corporate culture where
everyone can identify with each other, regardless of age,
gender, sexual orientation, abilities or culture. The Manpow-
erGroup is committed to promoting projects that meet the
needs of companies but, primarily, the needs of individuals
and their diversity. And this year, for the sixth consecutive
year, it has been included in the ‘World’s Most Ethical Com-
panies’ ranking by Ethisphere, an international organisation
that specialises in developing best practices in business eth-
ics, governance and sustainability.
For example, the Manpower Group has specialised strongly in de-
veloping plans to manage and enhance ageing in organisations.
The current phenomenon of progressive demographic ageing
requires companies to adopt an approach that values intergen-
erationality in their human resources management policies.
To support organisations, Talent Solutions – which deals
with talent development within the Manpower Group – and
EY have set up an innovative and customised development
path, aimed at bringing out virtuous practices and behav-
iours within the company, in relation to the management of
intergenerational relations. The programme takes place over
a few months and involves experts in the fields of Age Man-
agement and Active Ageing, who collaborate with people in
the organisation to enhance their contributions and integrate
them with emerging best practices.
The course reinforces engagement and a sense of belonging
to the organisation, starting with an activity that comprises
involving, listening to, guiding and enhancing the individual
and collective contributions of participants.
The effectiveness and impact of the pathway does not end,
however. What emerges makes it possible to activate further
initiatives to maximise the effectiveness of the various parts
of the corporate population. Examples include training/re-
verse mentoring initiatives on digital skills for seniors; peer
working/mentoring programmes to broaden access to knowl-
edge inside and outside the company; project and training
paths with intergenerational and multi-disciplinary working
groups; onboarding paths in which job rotation is planned to
allow staff to build a versatile profile.
The ManpowerGroup is committed to a wide range of diver-
sity initiatives.
A team of psychologists and experts at Manpower Profes-
sional provides consultancy to companies in the search for
and selection of beneficiaries of Law 69/99 and projects for
inclusion in the company, following the cardinal principle of
Beyond – that is, going above and beyond.
Commitment to gender equality in the workplace is funda-
mental to ManpowerGroup, starting with the high percentage
of women in its workforce, which in Italy is at 75%, demon-
strating that the company is at the forefront of building an
increasingly inclusive workplace.
The ManpowerGroup also recently conducted a survey to
help companies understand the experiences of members of
the LGBTQI+ community in different workplaces. One of the
survey results stands out: 42% of people decide not to share
their sexual orientation or gender identity in the workplace,
26% because they fear discrimination and 20% because
they fear losing out on professional opportunities.
The ManpowerGroup’s commitment therefore continues,
guaranteeing and valuing the differences in gender, age,
sexual orientation, skills and culture of its people, and then
transmitting these values to the outside world, means con-
tributing to building an inclusive society where each individu-
al can feel valued and free to express themselves.
MANPOWER | COMPANY STORYTELLING
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 79
MANPOWER | COMPANY STORYTELLING
Inclusion, to foster the growth
of people and the company, is
one of the key principles of the
ManpowerGroup’s mission. The
ManpowerGroup believes in
the development and support
of individual talent and in the
creation of a corporate culture in
which everyone can identify with
each other, regardless of age,
sex, sexual orientation, abilities or
culture.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202180
By the editorial staff
A PACT BETWEEN GENERATIONS
THAT HAVE CHOSEN
EACH OTHER
People who join Mutti are already predisposed to-
wards Mutti’s values and ‘way of doing things.’ At
the basis of relationships between people there is
humility, the richness of those who know that there
is always something to learn; there is respect, which comes
from the pride of being part of an exemplary organisation;
and there is solidarity, because nobody ever backs down.
These, and many others, are our strong, true, concrete val-
ues, and they are the foundation of a company that is over
120 years old.
A rapidly changing company, made up of many new hires
(+40 out of the total 365 only in 2020) and many people
who have been part of it for several years.
The average age of an employee in the company is 40,2, as
a result of the many employees under 35 in the company
– over 10% of the total population already has managerial
responsibilities – and of those who have been with Mutti for
over 15 years, dedicated to the values of the company and
transmitting them to new arrivals.
Just to safeguard this solid continuity of values, Mutti has
committed itself to implementing several company pro-
grammes that are different from each other, but together aim
to create an opportunity for development for employees by
strengthening and sharing the most important value assets.
One example of this is the onboarding process, which is tai-
lored to all new entrants to the company, in order to facilitate
new employees’ beginning their work through active and tan-
gible support.
This programme foresees a series of one-to-one meetings
with colleagues dedicated to different company functions,
who are particularly representative of the company and with
whom the new employee will collaborate more in the future.
Another project set up by Mutti, in order to enable produc-
tive and efficient intergenerational exchange, is Mentoring: a
programme directly involving a Mentor (a more senior figure)
and a Mentee (a middle or junior-level figure).
Mentoring is a development path designed to create mo-
ments when things can be shared and discussed in which the
Mentor, usually selected from among Mutti’s Function Heads
and Country Managers, acts as an inspirational model for the
Mentee.
The Mentoring path promoted by Mutti started about a year
ago and is currently expanding to involve employees in the
different international branches of the company.
Still on the subject of the co-generation of value and com-
parison, there are two other paths that can be counted
among the opportunities for growth and exchange: the first
is a leadership development path designed for New Manag-
ers, i.e. people who find themselves, for the first time, in a
position with significant managerial responsibilities, which
aims to provide management and awareness development
tools to our new resource leaders, whether they are new em-
ployees or already established figures in the company and
included in a growth path; the second is an Action Learn-
ing programme which, by working in subgroups on strategic
inter-functional projects with high added value, enables our
people to create networks and consolidate relationships at
various organisational and seniority levels within the organ-
isation, all suitably supported by learning and reflection on
the dynamics of horizontal leadership and VUCA (Volatility,
Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity).
In fact, the main objective is to share common values through-
MUTTI | COMPANY STORYTELLING
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 81
out the group in order to promote integration, seeking to cre-
ate a group culture that transcends territorial boundaries.
However, it is necessary to underline an important facet: all
these activities are designed to create two-way personal de-
velopment and growth to benefit both the senior and junior
figures.
Inspiring people and acting as a role model is a central pur-
pose for Mutti. This is why InspirinGirls has been introduced,
an extremely interesting initiative promoted by Valore D that
involves some of Mutti’s employees who have specialised
in STEM activities and are working at production sites or in
logistics centres.
These are women who have spoken about their profession-
al path to children attending secondary schools, in order to
create a dialogue with future generations and to raise aware-
ness and encourage young students to choose their careers
without preconceptions.
Mutti’s story, which is already over one hundred years old,
has been made possible by the people who participate every
day with passion, dedication and spirit of enterprise.
These are 3 vital elements that characterise a tangible and
visionary company culture, which stimulates employees to
always put take chances and not take anything for granted.
It is a sincere, authentic, special culture and, for this reason,
Mutti remains determined to hand it down to future gener-
ations.
MUTTI | COMPANY STORYTELLING
Mutti is committed to implementing several corporate programmes that are different from each other but together aim to create an opportunity for development for employees by strengthening and sharing the most important value assets.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202182
By the editorial staff
CONNECTING FIVE
GENERATIONSN-Gen and La Scuola as an example
of intergenerationality at work
For over 90 years we have been monitoring consum-
er behaviour and developing in-depth studies and
market forecasts. We have stuck to a solid founda-
tion based on accurate analysis, a wide range of
cross-sector solutions and an independent view of the indus-
try; we aspire to be the best-in-class partner for our clients.
Understanding diverse consumers and their buying prefer-
ences goes beyond data analysis for us; providing fair rep-
resentation and being unbiased in our approach, staying true
to diversity and inclusion (D&I) in everything we do, is at the
heart of NielsenIQ.
Our office in Italy is home to 5 generations of employees
who work together to make us the most trusted partner in
the industry.
NielsenIQ Italy’s Inclusion Impact Team (IIT) is composed of
14 colleagues who represent different age groups, sexual
identities, nationalities, backgrounds, seniority and functions
within the company.
Worldwide, IITs support the work of NielsenIQ’s employee af-
finity groups (n-erg) by tailoring them to the needs of individ-
ual offices or regions. The uniqueness of individuals comes
from intersectionality, so NielsenIQ works in a matrix across
all n-ergs at a regional level, advancing specific affinity needs
in a cohesive way. In addition, n-ergs ‘keep an eye’ on gaps
to be filled and, together with local IITs at the individual office
level, drive people engagement and personalised communi-
cation where needed.
Developing a positive connection and inclusive culture among
employees is an ongoing process. Valeria Miccolis, chair of
NielsenIQ’s Inclusion Impact Italia team, proudly comments:
‘In 2020, in the middle of the lockdown, we launched an en-
tire cultural intelligence journey through our 5 n-ergs. Month-
ly meetings to evaluate our ability to put ourselves other
people’s shoes, to experience our limitations, to recognise
our privileges, to exercise our curiosity about the “superpow-
ers” of others, to be open to broader points of view and to be
able to welcome innovative solutions.’
One of the n-ergs is NielsenIQ Generation (N-gen), which is
dedicated to providing a space for dialogue and intergenera-
tional exchanges of ideas and opinions.
The aim is to strengthen inclusivity in the workplace between
different generations and build connections between the
company’s employees who represent different demograph-
ics, experiences, thinking styles and visions.
In addition to N-gen, other n-ergs working locally in NielsenIQ
Italy include Women in NielsenIQ (WIN), Multinational Organ-
isation Supporting An Inclusive Culture (MOSAIC), LGBT+ &
Allies (PRIDE) and Abled and Disabled Employees Partnering
Together (ADEPT).
In 2019, NielsenIQ Italy’s HR team created a certification
programme called LaScuola, aimed at new hires and interns
to accelerate the onboarding process and support employee
mobility within the company.
LaScuola has many similarities with N-gen, as it brings to-
gether different generations under a common cause and
celebrates the coming together of professors, students and
friends representing different generations and schools of
thought.
The IIT took the opportunity to help define the programme
and to include the D&I module in the opening session of the
learning pathway, ensuring that NielsenIQ’s D&I strategy and
knowledge of its n-erg are shared with all new colleagues.
In 2020, despite the pandemic, LaScuola’s classes were
successfully held online and around 20 students were certi-
fied by the end of last year. The overall response to the pro-
gramme has been very positive, there have been 4 editions
NIELSENIQ | COMPANY STORYTELLING
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 83
involving 37 teachers, 13 friends and one hundred students
and feeding off their combined efforts and energy.
Both LaScuola and N-gen have demonstrated the ability to
build alliances and grow in the workplace regardless of gen-
eration gaps or tenure. They are both building meaningful
relationships, activating engagement and enhancing the ca-
reers of employees from all generations.
Miccolis concludes, ‘Starting in 2021 we are opening our
workshops to external guests, customers, vendors and start-
ups, because we firmly believe that sharing best practices
and building alliances is the key to taking things a step fur-
ther.’
NIELSENIQ | COMPANY STORYTELLING
One of the n-ergs is NielsenIQ Generation (N-gen) – dedicated to providing a space for dialogue and intergenerational exchanges of ideas and opinions. The aim is to strengthen inclusivity in the workplace between different generations and build connections between the company’s employees who represent different demographics, experiences, thinking styles and visions.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202184
By the editorial staff
iTALentThe Pfizer Italy project
No one knows where a talent might be hiding until
‘talent meets opportunity’, as Seneca would put it.
And Pfizer knows this well. The multinational biop-
harmaceutical company has for years been commit-
ted to its journey of valuing differences by promoting an inclu-
sive environment, where the almost 90,000 employees, who
come from over 100 countries, have the opportunity to work
in different geographical and cultural contexts, continuously ex-
change experiences and thoughts with colleagues who work in
all different capacities and all over the world, and have interna-
tional career opportunities, including in Italy.
‘This not only allows us to attract the brightest talents, but
ensures that everyone can work in a harmonious and mul-
ticultural environment, where diversity and inclusion are an
integral part of corporate and individual life,’ says Roberto
Tocci, Sr. Director HR Italy & Biopharma Cluster, IDM. ‘Our
values represent who we are with regard to colleagues, but
also to patients and all our stakeholders; how can we inter-
act with a highly diverse external world if we are not diverse
internally?’
Diversity brings with it a rich range of ideas and vision and,
therefore, innovation. For this reason, Pfizer Italy has decided
to focus on talent development, including the different aspira-
tions and talents of each colleague. Hence the iTALent - Grow-
ing Enterprise Leaders of Italy project, an initiative aimed at
creating a structured process to develop the Enterprise Lead-
ers of the future, a cultural change that will enable the growth
of Italian talents and enhance their visibility at Pfizer.
Enterprise Leaders have a holistic view of the organisation
and encourage the achievement of collective results by work-
ing on behalf of the whole organisation, rather than focus-
ing exclusively on the objectives of their own business area,
function or team. Metaphorically, an Enterprise Leader is
also able to use their peripheral (lateral) vision in addition to
frontal (siloed) vision, having to reconcile the interests of their
team in achieving their goals with a sense of responsibility for
the success of the entire business.
The iTALent project is based on 3 important pillars for people
development: Recruitment, Assessment and Growth. ‘With
iTALent, Italy will be one of the first countries to “test” the in-
itiative as early as 2021,’ explains Roberto Tocci. ‘It is a pro-
ject that intends to transform process and mindset. On the
one hand, it analyses current processes and, by leveraging
the varied experiences and knowledge of colleagues in the
working groups, proposes actions to improve these; on the
other hand, it wants to promote a cultural change regarding
the professional growth and development of people, dedi-
cating time and attention to everyone. In fact, depending on
the activities that each workstream will develop, colleagues
from distinct functions and at different hierarchical levels will
be involved. We will soon launch a communication campaign
to make colleagues aware of the need to rethink their own
growth and development in diverse ways (horizontal, diago-
nal, vertical), encouraging everyone to look for opportunities
to enhance their experiences outside of their comfort zone.’
PFIZER | COMPANY STORYTELLING
It is a project that aims to transform process and mindset. On the one hand, it analyses current processes and, drawing on the varied experiences and knowledge of colleagues in the work groups, proposes actions to improve them; on the other hand, it aims to promote cultural change regarding the professional growth and development of people, dedicating time and attention to everyone.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 85
PFIZER | COMPANY STORYTELLING
One important innovation in development plans is zig-zag
development, a non-linear experience of growth that allows
people to be more flexible, curious, highly agile and inclusive
of diversity. Not only does this help you to improve and en-
hance your skills, but it also makes your typical career path
more flexible and therefore better suited to your individual
needs, opening the door to the Next Generation of leaders
who will have an ever-expanding “toolbox” and the ability to
choose from 4 possible career paths:
• Be the Best! - Be the best in this professional role. Be
the best! Be the best in the role. This means increasing
your capabilities in terms of performance, leadership and
awareness by staying in your role, expanding your knowl-
edge in specific areas related to your area, acquiring new
experiences that will serve to become the best and to
gain the most experience in the role.
• Next experience - Horizontal Growth. Acquire new knowl-
edge and experience aligned with your function or area of
expertise to develop a broader perspective.
• Cross-Functional - Diagonal growth. Taking on roles in differ-
ent areas outside of your initial function or area of expertise
can be a wonderful way to increase key experiences and
gain a broader, more holistic perspective of the business.
• Next Level - Vertical Growth. Grow within the organisation
by moving into a position of greater responsibility, leader-
ship and level of challenge.
We are convinced that these investments in human capital,
this ongoing, consistent attention will bring great benefits
to the individual and to the organisation as a whole, which
grows and changes with us, in a consistent search for excel-
lence and innovation.
COMPANY STORYTELLING | PFIZER
ROBERTO TOCCI. Sr. Director HR Italy & Biopharma Cluster, International Developed Markets (IDM)
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202186
By the editorial staff
AT SANOFI WE TRAIN
EMOTIONAL AGILITY
One of Sanofi Italia’s most recent training projects
focuses on emotional intelligence and agility: ‘In
the last year and a half, the theme of recogni-
tion, management and enhancement of feelings
in the workplace has been revealed in all its centrality,’ says
Daniela Fostera, Country-People Development Head at Sa-
nofi Italy. [This] ‘is a very sensitive issue that, too often in the
past, was ignored by companies because it was considered
secondary, while during the pandemic, we all experienced
first-hand how strong feelings (fear and anger, above all) have
impacted our daily lives and relationships with colleagues
and employees.’
Certainly, in 2021, fear has been one of the primary feelings
and the one that has most affected the lives of Sanofi Italia
employees; for this reason, for over a year now, the compa-
ny has been working to support the entire workforce, which,
due to the anti-Covid provisions, has had to accelerate and
amplify the transition to extended smart working and which
has, inevitably, significantly blurred the boundaries between
personal and professional lives.
‘This delicate phase of profound change has to do with feel-
ings,’ continues Fostera, ‘and it was important for us to take
care of them right from the start: through dedicated webi-
nars we started to support people, even remotely. We started
working on the theme of feelings with the project Un tempo
inaudito (inaudito means ‘unheard of’ in Italian, ed.). Unheard
of because we lived in a different era now and that had to be
addressed with different projects.’
This year, Sanofi Italia has decided to invest further in the
theme of feelings, with a specific objective: helping managers
to recognise and manage their feelings, both for their person-
al growth and to improve relations with employees. ‘Acquir-
ing skills related to emotional intelligence and agility allows
us, as a company,’ says Fostera, ‘to boost our talent attrac-
SANOFI | COMPANY STORYTELLING
This is a very sensitive issue which, all too often in the past, has been ignored by companies.During the pandemic, we all experienced first-hand how strong feelings (fear and anger, above all) impacted on our daily lives and our relationships with our colleagues and co-workers.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 87
SANOFI | COMPANY STORYTELLING
tiveness, empowerment and our employees’ performance.’
The course, which is run with a scientific partner involving
coaches, psychologists and counsellors who are experts in
neurobiology, intelligence and emotional agility, is delivered
in 2 modules: a theoretical part delivered via webinar; and
virtual classrooms. The practical part is transformed into a
real workout in which managers practice and experiment with
what they have learned previously. ‘The structuring of these
2 modules allows us to arrive at a more effective and efficient
result, because the theoretical part is immediately translated
into practice and made concrete,’ specifies Fostera.
Participation in the course proposed by Sanofi, which is on
a voluntary basis, has already been exceeded by 50%: 160
of 300 managers have participated in the programme. The
course is open and free: each manager can sign up for the
webinar or virtual classroom (this one has a limited number
of participants) of their interest. The topics focus on emotion-
al awareness, self-management and social awareness.
‘These issues are linked to our D&I policy,’ continues Fostera,
‘to the focus on and enhancement of cultural differences, to
everyone’s experiences and, also, to different age groups:
feelings have a genesis that is linked to each individual’s ex-
perience, therefore to their past and present. In this process,
it is necessary to consider the age and life stage of a manag-
er who may be at the beginning of their professional career,
compared to another manager with years of experience, who
is a leader in the organisation: each person experiences, de-
pending on their age, certain types of feelings that they will
regulate and manage differently depending on their experi-
ence.
The subject of emotion regulation is absolutely different de-
pending on the stage of life we are going through, and this
aspect is dealt with both during the webinars and in the vir-
tual classrooms (which include participants of all ages, be-
tween 30 and 60). ‘This is another reason the company is
very interested in this course,’ concludes Fostera, ‘because
it involves our being and acting as professionals: I recognise
the feeling, I verbalise it, I distance myself from it and then I
manage it. It is essential to learn to process the deepest parts
of oneself in order to achieve greater awareness and better
management of one’s emotional flow. At every age and in
every phase of life.
DANIELA FOSTERA, Country HR Sanofi Genzyme &
People Development Head at Sanofi Italia.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202188
By the editorial staff
AGEING AND WORK
Focusing on disability
Many attributes, such as judgement and strategic
thinking, develop or manifest for the first time as
we grow older. Work experience and skills also
grow with age. However, some functional capac-
ities, mainly physical and sensory ones, decline as a result of
the natural ageing process.
The gradual ageing of the population sounds an alarm bell
and poses a challenge to employment policy makers. The
promotion of employment opportunities for an ageing work-
force requires innovative ideas in terms of welfare and work-
ing conditions adapted to professional needs.
At the European level, labour markets have the potential to
facilitate older workers by promoting equity through an inter-
generational approach.
Eurofound, the EU agency for the improvement of living and
working conditions, has conducted research since the 1990s
that focuses on labour market participation, work perfor-
mance, working conditions and the employment preferences
of older workers in the policy context of the changing demo-
graphic profile in Europe. The work has also focused on pub-
lic support and initiatives at the company level that promote
the employment of older workers, especially in the 55-64
age group.
One of the main findings of the survey is that although older
workers are less likely to be unemployed than younger work-
ers, they believe that if they were to become unemployed
they would not find a new job with the same pay or would
even have difficulty re-entering the market.
Another aspect that emerged from the survey is the prefer-
ence for working shorter hours, which would make it possible
for older workers to manage their work in a more sustainable
and long-term way.
Recent research has focused on extending working life
through flexible retirement schemes, mid-career reviews and
financial incentives.
We are therefore witnessing a progressive delaying of retire-
ment, with all the consequences that this can have for people
with disabilities.
Based on the data reported below on the distribution of em-
ployed persons with disabilities and all employed persons,
divided by age group, we can in fact deduce that the rise
in the age of employed persons corresponds to a worsening
of the health conditions of workers with disabilities (Source:
Fondazione Studi Consulenti del Lavoro on Eurostat data and
Ministry of Labour and Social Policies 2019).
• Up to 39 years old
Employed people with disabilities: 17.5%.
Total employed: 36%
• Between 40 and 49 years old
Employed persons with disabilities: 28.8%
Total employed: 29.9%
• Between 50 and 59 years old
Employed persons with disabilities: 39.4%
otal employed: 26.7%.
• Over 60 years old
Employed persons with disabilities: 14.3%
Total employed: 7.3%
In contrast to the delaying of retirement, there is a need for
workers with disabilities to access their pension early. But
what are the requirements for early retirement for people
with disabilities or for carers of family members with disa-
bilities?
In 2011, with Decree no. 201, entitled ‘Disposizioni in ma-
teria di trattamenti pensionistici’ (Provisions on retirement
treatments), Minister Fornero relaunched two institutions
that were already in force (Legislative Decree 503/92) ded-
icated to early retirement compared to the general legisla-
tion, which required workers be 66 years and 7 months of
age or have 42 years and 10 months of contributions for
early retirement (41 years and 10 months for women).
If they had at least 20 years of contributions, in 2013 work-
ers with a disability rate of 80% or more were able to re-
tire at 60 years and 7 months for men and 55 years and 7
months for women.
Let us see in detail what Law 104 currently provides in terms
SELTIS HUB | COMPANY STORYTELLING
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 89
SELTIS HUB | COMPANY STORYTELLING
of early retirement.
All persons who qualify under Law 104 are entitled to an
early retirement pension, but in diverse ways: employees in
the private sector are entitled to an early retirement pension,
while public sector workers can obtain a disability pension if
they are unable to work.
In the private sector, beneficiaries of Law 104 are eligible for
an early disability pension if they meet the following require-
ments:
• 61/56 years of age for men/women
• contributory age of at least 20 years
• recognised 80% disability
In the public sector it works differently. There is a disabili-
ty pension that can be partial or total. Partial incapacity re-
quires at least 15 years of contributions. If the disability is
total, the contribution years must amount to at least 5 (of
which 3 must have been earned in the last 5 years). A medi-
cal commission decides which of the two options to consider
once the level of severity has been established.
An early retirement pension is also available for carers of dis-
abled family members. Who can apply? All those who have
been assisting the disabled person for at least 6 months and
the latter can be:
• a spouse or a first-degree relative as long as they are
cohabiting;
• a second-degree relative if the latter has parents or
a spouse aged 70 or older or who has died and is therefore
left alone.
Once the doctor’s approval is obtained, early retirement can
take place in two ways: through Quota 41 or through Ape
Sociale (early retirement at zero cost).
Quota 41 provides that 41 years of contributions and one
year of contributions must be paid before 19. The age is not
important.
In order to be eligible for Quota 41, the following parameters
must be met:
• Unemployed person who has been unemployed for
3 months;
• Disabled worker with a 74% disability rate;
• Caregiver who, for at least 6 months, has been car-
ing for a family member with a serious disability;
• Worker who performs an exhausting job.
As for Ape, the requirement is 63 years of age and 30 years
of contributions. If the required parameters are met, there
are no costs or penalties. It is also possible to anticipate the
pension for all those who are more than 75% disabled. They
are entitled to 2 months of additional imputed contributions.
This allows all beneficiaries of Law 104 to retire 5 years – at
most – earlier. Those who have a disability of over 80% are
eligible for early retirement.
To sum up, we have seen that, while pension reforms have
greatly extended working lives, at the same time there has
been an increase in workloads that produce premature wear
and tear on human beings, bringing about the phenomenon
of extensive chronic diseases. Often these disorders become
disabling as they progress, seriously affecting the employabil-
ity of older people. It is not enough to postpone retirement;
there must be a willingness to maintain the employability of
older workers, including by adapting work to their needs.
Careful risk assessment must consider age and the resulting
changes in the functional capacities of ageing workers. Atten-
tion should be paid to poor posture, working hours, severe
microclimates, stress factors and joint limitations, to name
but a few examples.
It will be necessary to change attitudes towards ageing and
this will only be possible through continuous updating, train-
ing managers, raising awareness of the issue and making
work more flexible.
COMPANY STORYTELLING | SELTIS HUB
ELENA BELLONI, Senior Consultant Seltis Hub
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202190
By the editorial staff
GENDER EQUALITY
Snam’s commitment strengthens the role of women from school to work
From school to the beginnings of working lives and
beyond. Snam’s commitment to expanding and
strengthening the role of women is based on a solid
awareness that looks to the past, present and fu-
ture.
From the need, born of the group’s past which, like the en-
tire sector, has historically been characterised by a strong
male presence, to increasingly reduce the gender gap, to
the results in the present, with a growing female presence
in Snam – professionals whose role is enhanced in positions
of responsibility that are reflected in concrete actions and
precise objectives.
From the achievements to the next steps towards a future
that has been defined clearly by the 2030 Agenda, which
includes gender balance among the 17 sustainable develop-
ment goals. Snam frames the issue of gender as a commit-
ment that starts in society, on school benches, and arrives at
the workplace on a daily basis.
This is the objective pursued by the top management. In fact,
the group’s articles of association have been amended to in-
SNAM | COMPANY STORYTELLING
From its achievements to the next steps towards a future defined clearly by the 2030 Agenda, which includes gender balance among the 17 sustainable development goals, Snam frames the issue of gender as a commitment that starts with society, at school, and arrives in the workplace.This is the objective pursued by top management. In fact, the group’s articles of association have been amended to include a gender balance criterion that reserves at least 40% of the membership positions of the Board of Directors for the least represented gender.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 91
SNAM | COMPANY STORYTELLING
clude a gender balance criterion that reserves at least 40%
of the membership positions of the Board of Directors for the
least represented gender.
Snam also adheres to the Equal by 30 Campaign, a public
commitment by public and private sector organisations to
work towards equal pay, equal leadership and equal oppor-
tunities for women in the energy sector by 2030.
Snam’s acceleration plan on gender balance is based on a
number of strategic elements:
Clear definition of group objectives
The presence of women in management positions, 21.75%
of the total in 2021, is to increase progressively to 25% in
2023. In the succession plans for the first, second line and
key positions, women, who make up 25% in 2021, will make
up 27% in 2023.
In order to achieve these objectives, the proportion of wom-
en among new recruits has already been increased to 31%,
rising to 42% in staff functions. The growth of the female
component is also one of the elements that weigh in the
variable part of top management remuneration: 10% of the
long-term plan is in fact correlated to the growing proportion
of women in leadership positions.
Women and STEM subjects
In order to reduce the gender gap in the sector, it is impor-
tant that girls, too, focus on STEM subjects. Although girls
perform as well as, if not better than, their peers in these
subjects, the data is not encouraging: only 5% of 15-year-old
girls plan to pursue a STEM degree and only 16% of STEM
graduates are women.
A change in trend is needed. Aware of this need, Snam has
chosen to fund scholarships for female engineering students,
for example with the Milan and Bari Polytechnics.
Female empowerment
Fondazione Snam’s cultural promotion of inclusion is consist-
ent with the group’s commitment to women’s empowerment,
which also takes the form of various projects in secondary
schools – meetings with role models, workshops – conducted
in partnership with Valore D and the InspirinGirls programme.
Digital and inclusive school
In mid-April, Snam took over the presidency of the ELIS Con-
sortium, which it will retain for 6 months, and proposed a new
educational project for young people: an inclusive ‘school’ for
the ecological and digital transition for high school boys and
girls.
It is only by contributing to the education, freedom of ex-
pression and critical faculties of younger generations that we
will be able to ensure a truly inclusive future for the planet,
for companies of course, but also for society as a whole.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202192
Nadia Bertaggia
GENDER AND GENERATIONS The secret to a future-proof company
Almost a year and a half into the pandemic,
thanks to the vaccination campaign we are able
to glimpse the beginnings of a new normality:
the economy and its recovery will have to be
based on work, understood in the most inclusive and ex-
tensive sense possible, considering what we have learned
recently on these issues. Although it has been obvious for
some time, it is now necessary to understand how the arrival
of an increasingly varied and numerically consistent work-
force in the market can create wellbeing, opportunities and
growth. Not only: under the right conditions, increased em-
ployment creates greater equality and shared wealth. This is
exactly what, now more than ever, we need.
Here I want to focus on young people and women, two ‘cat-
egories’ of people who have suffered more than others from
the impact of the crisis. On the one hand, because of the
lack of opportunities and vision at a structural level, and on
the other because their needs and expectations of profes-
sional life do not match those of the ‘black and white’ world
in which previous generations grew up. If we want to drive
recovery by fostering inclusive environments and attracting
top talent, we cannot ignore these two categories, which are
central to ‘future-proofing’ organisations.
Global Workplace Trend research, recently conducted by So-
dexo Group, helps profile Generation Z youth.
So-called ‘digital natives’ prefer a dynamic and stimulat-
ing work environment that invokes constant interactions to
which they have access thanks to technology. The individu-
alistic imprint is strong, physical and psychological wellbeing
is the most crucial factor for their happiness, but we know
that Gen Z is also the generation most committed to fighting
climate change and discrimination. The choices they make,
including their choice of workplace, are driven by values to a
greater degree than previous generations.
The obstacles to women entering the workplace, unfortu-
nately, are well-known: preconceptions about girls’ educa-
tional and personal attainment, a cumbersome gender pay
gap and a disproportion in the management of the unpaid
domestic workload between men and women. In Italy, on av-
erage, only one woman out of 2 works, in the South and on
the islands the number is even lower, one out of 3, and if
we consider the 25- to 34-year-olds, we are at the bottom
of Europe in terms of female employment. The majority of
women carry out less qualified and less remunerative work
than men: therefore, there are professional and managerial
ranks that are still almost totally closed to women. All these
data have been reiterated on several occasions, but without
real progress being made.
Considering this context, as a company we have an impor-
tant but simple goal: to ensure access to work based on
equality for all and to enable the people who work with us
to develop a true sense of belonging in the company, which
brings wealth not only in terms of the goals achieved in the
work we do for our customers and the communities in which
we operate, but also in the personal lives of employees.
In our opinion, an interesting path to cultivating this sense
of unity and pride is to encourage professional relationships
between different generations, a fundamental lever of our Di-
versity, Equity & Inclusion strategy and part of the 5 pillars
on which our approach in this area is based.
SODEXO | COMPANY STORYTELLING
Come azienda abbiamo un importante ma semplice obiettivo: garantire un accesso al lavoro fondato sull’eguaglianza per tutti e permettere alle persone che lavorano con noi di sviluppare un vero senso di appartenenza nei confronti dell’azienda
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 93
SODEXO | COMPANY STORYTELLING
Promoting integration between gener-
ations is a primary necessity that we
find even in the most ‘closed’ compa-
nies and is an essential starting point
to encourage greater openness on
other fronts, which is well summarised
in the other 4 pillars of our approach:
Gender, Culture & Origins, Disability
and Sexual Orientation. When inte-
gration works, a synergy is generated
that spontaneously leads to so-called
‘reverse mentoring,’ a form of exchang-
es and mutual learning that often goes
far beyond job skills, to positively im-
pact people’s lives as a whole. For too
long we thought it was only young
people who needed to learn from old-
er professionals, but technological dis-
ruption and the speed at which socie-
ty changes have taught us that this is
not the case. Integration between gen-
erations is very positive, for example,
for encouraging female empowerment
and leadership and for transmitting
company values in a widespread way.
Sodexo also strengthens its commit-
ment to being an inclusive employer
year after year with new initiatives
and partnerships. Among the most
important, I would like to mention the
Italian talent attraction project Prima-
vera; Olvida las princesas (Forget the
princesses) against gender stereo-
types (now in its fifth edition in Spain);
and SheWorks, a job shadowing pro-
gramme implemented globally that
offers young girls or students the op-
portunity to shadow Sodexo staff for
an entire day, with the aim of learning
about the job opportunities they can
aspire to in a corporate context.
Our Global Workplace Trend predicts
that by 2025 members of Genera-
tion Z will account for one-third of the
global workforce, while the Bank of It-
aly estimates that if the percentage of
women at work reached 60 percent,
national GDP would grow by 7 per-
centage points. To emerge from the
crisis and build the future that awaits
us, inclusion is a necessary step that
cannot be put off any longer. The evo-
lution of regulations on these issues
follows more tortuous and inevitably
slow paths but, as companies, we can
and must play a key role in setting the
tone, welcoming everyone’s needs, es-
pecially those of young people, and
transmitting our idea of progress.
NADIA BERTAGGIA. Degree in Occupational Psychology and Specialisation at the Faculty of Imperial College in London, HR Director Sodexo Italy
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202194
By the editorial staff
WHEN WOMEN LEAD,
CHANGE HAPPENS
For some time now, State Street, a US financial ser-
vices and banking company, has been on a path of
diversity inclusion marked by concrete and struc-
tured actions. The most recent leg of the journey
has led the company to support the Valeria Solesin Award,
an initiative promoted by the Meritocracy Forum and Allianz
Partners, dedicated to the researcher of the same name, who
was killed in the attack on the Bataclan in Paris in the fall of
2015.
The award, now in its fifth edition, has as its objective to en-
hance female talent, through the research of female students
at Italian universities, as an engine for the economic and so-
cial growth of the country. The work of the first 4 editions has
been collected in the book Forza ragazze, al lavoro (Come on girls, get to work) by Paola Corna Pellegrini, CEO of Alli-
anz Partners, which, inspired by the legacy of Solesin, brings
together the experiences of the participants, protagonists of
change for a fair, inclusive and meritocratic society.
State Street believes in the search for and enhancement of
talent and, for this reason, has decided to support the award.
And that’s how I met Alessia Gesualdi, winner of the State
Street Scholarship. After graduating from the University of
Bologna with a thesis in business management focused on
gender diversity, Alessia became a business analyst in the IT
industry, where she continues to pursue research and com-
mitment to gender diversity. ‘There are some things you just
must not compromise on,’ Alessia explains, ‘like not being
able to pursue a profession or aspire to a top position be-
cause of gender bias, the presence of this “glass ceiling” that
we still haven’t been able to break through.’
The conversation with her was enjoyable and enriching.
Alessia, what pushed you to author a thesis on gender di-
versity?
This thesis was a starting point, but it was the result of a
lengthy process of awareness: of the existence of inequal-
ity that remains too deeply rooted in the processes of de-
cision-making and the incredible added value that gender
diversity can bring.
The work has developed from a set of reflections and oppor-
tunities, reinforced by observations of everyday life. We live
in a world where the default evil (structural prejudice against
women) is present in most contexts and activities we engage
in: almost exclusively male executive positions in boards, in
public administration, in STEM professions, but also in urban
and workplace design.
How did you develop the work?
I decided to focus on the study of gender diversity in the
boards of directors of companies listed on the Milan Stock
Exchange – in light of the introduction of the 2011 Gol-
STATE STREET | COMPANY STORYTELLING
STEFANIA COLOMBO. Manager of the Client Relation-ship Management team, chair of the Professional Women Network of State Street ERG
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 95
STATE STREET | COMPANY STORYTELLING
fo-Mosca law – and the possible changes that a leader can
create, through an analysis of the positions. In my research, I
analysed the pre- and post-reform context (2008-2017), as-
sessing the increase in the percentage of women on boards,
on the one hand, and the small number of women in top
management, on the other.
I paid attention to the differences between family firms and
non-family firms, analysing what changes can occur in the
presence of female leadership (CEO or President) on boards
in terms of consistency, characteristics and roles played by
women.
There are several points of contact between the activities
promoted by State Street and the theme covered in your
thesis. For example, the Fearless Girl is an installation that we
have already talked about here in DiverCity, commissioned
by State Street, which is now in front of the New York Stock
Exchange, with the aim of promoting gender diversity and
encouraging the inclusion of women in boards of directors
with the idea that, when women are in charge, things change.
What did your research reveal?
When women hold top positions, a first sign of change can
be seen within the BoD itself. The results of my analysis
showed that the percentage of women on boards increases
in the presence of female leadership (CEO or President). The
increase in the number of women on boards enables the cre-
ation of that critical mass needed to legitimise the presence
of a minority within the group that is capable of both influ-
encing the choices of the board and facilitating the reduction
of the glass ceiling effect.
[Glass ceiling: a phenomenon where it is impossible for wom-
en to reach top positions in their working environment, which
are generally reserved for the male population, ed.] Critical
mass, in turn, legitimises the very presence of a female CEO.
Based on the findings of your studies, what other benefits
does the presence of female leadership bring?
Female leadership can also affect the role women play on
the board: with a female CEO or President, the likelihood of
women serving as independent directors decreases, increas-
ing female representation in executive positions.
This result is very important, as women, to date, have not
really broken through the glass ceiling and remain underrep-
resented in the executive.
Effectively, female leadership can generate changes both
within and outside of boards, but there is still a long way to
go: the Golfo-Mosca law has allowed an increase in gender
quotas within boards, but cultural and social change is need-
ed to confirm real gender inclusion.
Il cambiamento genera altro cambiamento. È questo il valore aggiunto della ricerca condotta da Alessia Gesualdi. Un cambiamento che parte da una presa di coscienza e prende corpo con le azioni: è necessario continuare a “contare” per verificare la presenza delle donne e contrastare situazioni di disuguaglianza, abbattendo i pregiudizi e promuovendo la cultura della diversità attraverso, anche, un corretto utilizzo del linguaggio di genere. Non c’è merito senza pari opportunità. Un mantra, questo, imprescindibile per State Street.
ALESSIA GESUALDI, Master’s degree in business management. Business Analyst and collaborator with the CSR - Gender Diversity group at Capgemini.
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202196
By the editorial staff
INTERVIEW WITH
FRANÇOIS PINTE
What is your role at Synergie and what were your expectations when you start-ed?I am currently the General Secretary of
Synergie Group, since 2003. At that time, when I joined the
company, this role did not yet exist. I began to define the
Secretary General’s scope of responsibility based on tasks
that our President and our Executive Board were willing to
entrust to me as we went along.
In addition to the normal administrative and legal duties usu-
ally associated with the role of Secretary General of an or-
ganisation or company, one of the first requests I made was
to be the point of reference for CSR policies.
In addition to obviously being a personal aspiration, it
seemed essential to me that the direction of CSR be entrust-
ed to a transversal and cross-functional function within the
company, since CSR affects all areas and concerns all depart-
ments and functions.
However, I was aware that a CSR policy is not imposed from
above. I am well aware that it is more effective if you build a
work plan that involves all your colleagues, so that as many
people as possible adhere to it.
On the other hand, in other offices in France, both public and
private, these activities were already underway and in our
subsidiaries and also abroad, particularly in Italy, under the
management of Giuseppe Garesio.
My role was to complete what had already been started, con-
solidating what already existed and building a roadmap with
all the actors in the company. The path would inevitably be
consistent with our business and shared by all the branches.
In fact, every year we organise two meetings with the CSR
committees, to compare ourselves with all the corresponding
local CSR managers.
This is an opportunity to assess our progress, share our best
practices and set new goals through a progress plan.
What are the main strands of your CSR policy? Our CSR policy has been built around a rationale of respect-
ing the diversity of job seekers. These are the three priorities
of our CSR policy:
• Ensure non-discrimination in hiring for all our candidates.
• Ensure upskilling to meet the expectations of our clients.
• Ensure the safety of our temporary workers, in jobs they
sometimes ‘discover’ for the first time.
These values are also shared by an increasing number of cus-
tomers. Our ambition is to be the point of reference in terms
of ‘responsible’ temporary work.
What does diversity mean to you? For us, diversity is a principle of non-discrimination in recruit-
ment. A principle that we must guarantee for candidates who
come to Synergie. This allows us to offer incredible oppor-
tunities to our clients: to come into contact with a pool of
candidates, each of whom is capable of bringing the great-
est added value. Sometimes we must help companies over-
come certain prejudices, but our consultants are trained to
SYNERGIE | COMPANY STORYTELLING
For us, diversity is a principle of non-discrimination in recruitment. A principle that we must guarantee for candidates who come to Synergie. This allows us to offer incredible opportunities to our clients: to come into contact with a pool of candidates, each of whom is capable of bringing the greatest added value.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 97
SYNERGIE | COMPANY STORYTELLING
do so and know how to highlight the objective capabilities of
our candidates. In these times of economic recovery and a
shortage of candidates, this is a formidable talent pool that is
available to the most open and challenging companies.
At Synergie, we are particularly committed to the inclusion
of people with disabilities. But before suggesting our clients
commit to this path, we wanted to commit ourselves. After
all, this is what we are doing: as many as 7% of our perma-
nent staff are disabled. Credibility is also earned by example.
Has this culture influenced your growth? A recent survey by Ethifinance showed that the publicly trad-
ed companies most committed to CSR are also the ones with
the strongest growth. This result is basically pretty easy to
understand:
• Not only do our employees find more motivation in their
work and are more engaged, but they also remain loyal to
the company.
• Our customers are reassured that they have a partner
committed to inclusion.
• More and more investors are choosing engaged brands
because they are consistent with their values.
CSR is therefore a driver of growth and longevity.
How do you evaluate your performance? Every year we have our CSR policy evaluated. Our efforts
have been well rewarded. We have received several impor-
tant recognitions: from the world of investors with our entry
into the Top Ten of the Gaïa Rating ranking of the 230 most
efficient SMEs in CSR, listed on the Paris Stock Exchange
(with a score of 86/100). Or, to cite another example, we
obtained another important result from the international au-
ditor Ecovadis who, for the first time in our history, awarded
us the Platinum rating reserved for the 1% of our sector with
the best CSR ratings.
Where do you see Synergie in five years? Synergie is currently the fifth-largest European player in the
temporary work and recruitment sector. Our ambition is
clearly to be among the top 10 in the world.
To achieve this goal, the roadmap of the Chairman of the
Board, Victorien Vaney, is clear: to offer our clients and can-
didates increasingly effective digital tools, while retaining
what has made Synergie strong: human and local support to
ensure that placement remains a very accurate and reliable
affair. Indeed, at Synergie, we never forget that behind every
candidate, there is an important life project.
FRANÇOIS PINTE: Secrétaire Général & Directeur
Conformité (Ethique-RGPD-RSE) du Groupe Synergie
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 202198
By the editorial staff
GENERATION TTikTok: when a platform
overcomes generational differences
Inspire creativity and bring joy. That is the mission of Tik-
Tok, an entertainment platform founded in 2017 that
landed in Europe in August 2018.
Now available in over 150 countries and available in 75
languages, the specialised entertainment platform gathers
users aged 13 and above.
Different generations and opposing viewpoints meet through
the creation and sharing of short videos that are mostly
viewed from mobile devices.
This is how TikTok has gone from being an incubator of crea-
tivity in every field – the contents of the creators on the plat-
form range from comedy to sports, from music to lifestyle,
from cooking to travel – to becoming a forum for discussion
on important social and topical issues.
Here we find travel enthusiasts, mothers who discuss their
lives as parents humorously, grandmothers and grandfathers
who are perfect partners in sketches with their grandchil-
dren. A community where diversity is the order of the day
and where the generational framework loses its limits and
boundaries.
No longer many generations, but only one: Generation T (Tik-
Tok), an entire community that is increasingly heterogeneous
– both in terms of interest and age – is comparable to a new
mindset, able to overturn the rules of demography. The char-
acteristics of the people on the platform, in fact, cannot be
limited to segmentation nailed down to the number of years
lived. Generation T is independent of age and it is wrong to
confine its protagonists to separate groups with distinctive
characteristics, because on TikTok users from different age
groups share values, behaviours and attitudes.
The widespread attitude among users is engaging and col-
lective. From teenage grandchildren to elderly grandparents,
Generation T leaves no one behind, wants to do things to-
gether and isn’t afraid to involve everyone. The result? The
continuous co-creation of moments and shared content.
Here are some of the stories of the creators who talk about
themselves on TikTok:
Tasnim Ali (@alitasnim): born in Arezzo and raised in Rome,
she uses TikTok to answer questions and satisfy others’ cu-
riosity, ironically debunking myths about her religion: Islam.
Dayoung Clementi (@aboutclementi): a 22-year-old Ital-
ian-Korean woman who uses her profile to show the differ-
ences and similarities between the two countries.
The couple Raissa (@raissarussi) and Momo (@momobayed): she is Italian and he is Muslim, on TikTok they talk about their
daily life and life as a couple with self-deprecating and comical
content, with the aim of conveying important messages related
to their diverse cultures, making fun of things that have really
happened or responding with elegant irony to commonplaces.
Liz Supermais (@lizsupermais): makes Chinese simple and
accessible and tells anecdotes and discusses the peculiari-
ties of China.
Shinhai Ventura (@shinhaiventura): with her mother Kazue,
she brings out all the charm of Japanese culture, especially
the Japanese writing system.
Arnold & Family (@4rnol4): a young economics student
who, with his multi-ethnic family, shares moments of com-
plicity and joking with his parents, brother and sister.
Aida Diouf Mbengue (@aidaadiouf): curates a beauty and
lifestyle profile with tips, opinions and a lot of irony, to talk
about episodes from her own life.
TIKTOK | COMPANY STORYTELLING
No longer many generations, but only one: Generation T (TikTok), a whole community that is increasingly heterogeneous and is comparable to a new mindset, able to overturn the rules of demography.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 99
TIKTOK | COMPANY STORYTELLING
Chenny Paolucci (@chenny_paolucci): adopted by Italian
parents when she was just a few years old, together with her
sister. Now 18 years old, she is part of the Italian National
Skating Team and is of Cambodian origin. She shares videos
dedicated to her sport.
Vincenzo Tedesco (@vincenzotedesco97): a 13-year-old
from the province of Salerno and member of the LGBTQ+
community. He talks about his life humorously and about
how he was able to deal with homophobia that he’s experi-
enced.
Don Mauro Leonardi (@mauro_dom): known by everyone as
the TikTok Don (priest, ed.). Originally from Como, he has been
living in Rome for several years doing his work as a priest. He
created his profile in July 2020 and currently has over 160,000
followers and over 3 million likes. The message he tries to spread
using the platform trends is famous: build bridges, break down
walls. At the end of April, he published the book The Gospel according to TikTok, published by Edizioni Terra Santa.
Elisa Confalonieri and Nonno Mario (@elisa.confalonieri): the grandfather and granddaughter of TikTok. Two genera-
tions united by a strong bond who, on the platform, share
moments from their lives and replicate the most famous
trends.
Nonno Severino (@nonnoseverino): his virtual grandchil-
dren, as he likes to call them, call him Nonno Severino,
although he is Severino Morga, 93 years old, born in Er-
colano, but living in Rome, with Nonna Imma. They arrived
on TikTok in August 2020 to fight the loneliness and sad-
ness that Covid-19 (and all the restrictions that came with
it) had caused. Today, thanks to the simple and positive
messages that he conveys to younger generations – such
as love that overcomes difficulties, the fight against bully-
ing and the importance of vaccinations – and to the funny
videos in which he interprets songs, Nonno Severino has
created a large, constantly growing and very affectionate
community.
COMPANY STORYTELLING | TIK TOK
Liz Supermais Elisa Confalonieri & Nonno MarioAida Diouf Mbengue
Tasnim Ali Dayoung ClementiShinhai Ventura
Raissa e Momo Don Mauro Leonardi Arnold & Family
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 2021100
BULLETIN FOR SAILORS | Column by Rose Cartolari
WHAT'S IN A NUMBER?
I am always thrilled when people say
"wow, you don't look or act your age".
But what does that even mean? We
all have expectations of what life will
look like when we are certain ages. I am
now 57 years old, an age, which when I
was a teenager, I considered to be OLD.
Today, I think I'm at my prime and am
able to grow, impact and thrive in ways
I couldn't when I was younger. However,
I also know that my eyesight has chan-
ged, my knees have become a sore point
and metabolism has slowed down. But in
my mind's eye I think I'm still Beyoncé. I
want to be considered "young".
And yet, I think of some the young people
I work with. Too often, because of their
young age, they are viewed as immature,
inexpert and therefore not to be taken
as seriously. I have found, however, that
their curiosity and background mean
that they bring interesting perspectives
to the table and help drive better deci-
sion making. Often, we get to decisions
that might not have been considered wi-
thout their input. True, chronologically
they might not have the same depth of
experience of an older person, in terms
of years. However, they certainly provide
diversity of thought and many show ma-
ture, concrete thinking.
Unfortunately, at both ends of the wor-
kplace (older or younger) this means
that you are likely to be looked at dif-
ferently. A person's age has become a
bigger factor in how much they can in-
fluence decisions, how they're heard in
meetings as well as the types of projects
they're put on. The work world can be
brutal in ignoring or dismissing people
and their ideas based on age.
Ageism has serious social consequences
for people's health and well-being. From
poorer physical and mental health, to fi-
nancial instability and decreased quality
of life. But for organizations, the "invisible"
cost is that we are not accessing a pool
of talent with invaluable and unique per-
spectives. The job of a leader is to harness
the "super powers" of all groups so that de-
cisions are made, visions are set and resul-
ts are reached with the best ideas.
And this is the crux of the problem – how
do leaders (as well as the rest of us) ensu-
re that we are getting the experience, wi-
sdom, lessons learned from different age
and experience pools? How do we gain
the humility to recognize our biases and
put ourselves in play to eliminate them?
How do we create an environment that
not only has a varied workforce, but is
also capable of listening and benefitting
from diverse perspectives?
George Burns is reputed to have said
"You can't help getting older, but you
don't have to get old" – and the best
way to do this, I've found, is whatever
your age -- keep humble and keep lear-
ning. What do you think?
ROSE CARTOLARI, 1964. MBA Columbia University, New York. Leadership Advisor and Executive Coach
A person's age has become a bigger factor in how much they can influence decisions, how they're heard in meetings as well as the types of projects they're put on. The work world can be brutal in ignoring or dismissing people and their ideas based on age
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 101
DECENNIALS
Ten years can be a very long
time, but also a very short
one. A decade can mark dis-
tinct eras or show how certain
habits are difficult to break. It can also
describe changes that develop immedi-
ately and have a lasting and consistent
impact. As happened to the law that
also bears my name.
At the end of June 2011, after months
of challenging work, compromises and
heated debates, Law 120/2011 was
approved: signed by two women from
different parties, it introduced gender
quotas for the boards of directors and
boards of statutory auditors of listed
companies and public companies. At
the time, a revolution.
The beginning of something that, even
before it actually came into force, was
considered best practice and had been
studied around the world, to the point
of being held up as a model by democ-
racies that are usually thought of as
excelling in their commitment to rights
and equality.
Although disruptive, the Golfo-Mosca
law has not activated the ripple effect
over the last decade that we hoped
would shatter the glass ceiling that
women’s careers continue to collide
with. At the same time, however, I can’t
deny that the strong objections made at
the time – above all the accusation of
privileging profiles based solely on gen-
der instead of looking at merit – are jar-
ring today: we have gained a more wide-
spread awareness of equality, a shared
vocabulary for talking about women’s
participation, a more open collective
awareness.
In addition, the list of ‘our’ allies, fellow
travellers on this journey, continues to
grow. It has been a lesson in participation
that has been the strength of the Gol-
fo-Mosca law right from the beginning.
In fact, we would not have achieved the
results we have (the number of women
on the boards of directors of listed com-
panies have risen from 7.4% in 2011 to
38.8% in 2020) without the initial syn-
ergy with interest groups, associations
and individuals who supported us when
talking about quotas was still taboo. We
wanted to overturn the embarrassing
numbers of women in decision-making
positions, especially in the largest com-
panies that tend to be in the spotlight,
also because of the impact their choices
have on the country’s economic perfor-
mance.
And we were convinced that it would be
possible to change things by proposing
a time-limited law.
However, the contamination that we
hoped would go far beyond the opera-
tions rooms has not occurred (yet): man-
datory gender quotas have not become
an anachronistic norm (yet). Moreover,
if we broaden our perspective to also
look at the numbers regarding female
employment in general, the situation
seems even worse.
And yet, sustainability, as we know,
passes through inclusion and the issue
of diversity, which are crucial for re-
covery beyond this deep crisis. In fact,
there can be no sustainability without
a reduction in inequalities, especially if
these concern half the population.
Looking at the next ten years, there is a
great deal of work to be done.
‘Our’ law has had the impact it has also
because we never stopped monitoring
it, studying it and reporting cases in
which it was not respected. Thanks also
to this, we have clear indications of in-
terventions that can work.
It would be useful, for example, to
broaden the scope of application, as
France is doing by including successive
quota targets for executive (30%) and
managerial levels (40% by 2030).
Or by broadening the target system,
i.e., including companies with a turnover
above a certain threshold.
Or, again, by focusing on the involve-
ment of professional associations.
Without forgetting to plan how to sup-
port the re-launching of female employ-
ment, through economic and regulatory
support that favours a fairer distribution
of care commitments and better pre-
pares young women, whether they are
entering the world of work or still sitting
at their school desks.
We need educational pathways that ex-
pose girls and boys equally to the key
skills of tomorrow. Starting with STEM
subjects.
RICE AND SILK | Column by Alessia Mosca
ALESSIA MOSCA, 1975. Ph.D., promoter of the Golfo-Mosca law, Secretary General Italy-ASEAN
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 2021102
NATIONAL RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE PLAN
PNRRNew generations
When thinking about the
topic of generations, it
immediately occurred
to me that among
those who have been the most affected
by the Covid 19 pandemic are students
and young people in general. I would
prefer not to talk about the effects of
the pandemic yet, but find it impossible
– I think many people do – despite the
fact that many of us have now been vac-
cinated and, as far as I am concerned,
the level of optimism has risen.
But I do not intend to list the effects of
the crisis on younger generations; rath-
er, I want to tell you about the National
Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR),
worth over €235 billion, presented last
April by the government to kickstart
socio-economic recovery, which also
focuses on innovation and social inclu-
sion (as well as on the green transition)
and provides for investments in educa-
tion and employment, structural issues
where our country is at the bottom of
Europe. According to ISTAT (the Italian
National Institute of Statistics) data, in
fact, only 27.8% of 30–34-year-olds
have a university degree compared with
40% in the EU27 and, according to the
OECD, the youth unemployment rate
has risen further from the already very
high level of 28.7%, to reach 33.8% in
January 2021 (sources: ISTAT Annual
Report 2021 and OECD Employment
Outlook 2021).
Among the six missions the PNRR is
divided into we find education and re-
search (mission 4) with a budget of
€33.81 billion and inclusion and cohe-
sion (mission 5) with a €29.83 billion
budget. In addition, all reforms and
investments will have the objective of
combating inequality and promoting so-
cial inclusion, with three transversal pri-
orities: equal opportunities for all gener-
ations, both sexes and across territories.
The Education and Research Mission
focuses entirely on young people and
foresees interventions in the school and
university careers of students to grow
the skills and competences needed to
face future technological and environ-
mental challenges. Training and prepa-
ration for the so-called ‘green jobs’ are
gaps that need to be filled in order to in-
crease employment, in line with the en-
ergy transition and the decarbonisation
ambitions of the European Green Deal.
Fostering ecological skills and environ-
mental education, starting from elemen-
tary school, is also essential to mitigate
and counteract the effects of climate
change, which was once again obvious
to all this summer.
The Inclusion and Cohesion Mission also
has an element dedicated to young-
er generations, in particular policies
regarding active employment and to
strengthen employment centres and fa-
cilitate greater integration with the pri-
vate sector to increase employment op-
portunities. The mission also envisages
strengthening the development strategy
for internal areas, with commitments to
social infrastructure and measures to
support young people.
It is important to emphasise that some
projects envisaged by the PNRR aim to
attract private capital through the es-
tablishment of public-private partner-
ships, an element that would increase
the scope of the missions and their pos-
itive socio-economic and environmental
impact. The contribution of so-called
‘patient capital’ (i.e., investors with long-
term objectives and strategies), togeth-
er with public funds, is in fact crucial
to the success of initiatives to support
the most fragile generations and for the
‘fair’ transition, so that the transforma-
tion towards a climate-neutral economy
takes place in an equitable manner and
leaves no one behind.
POINT BREAK | Column by Valeria Colombo
VALERIA COLOMBO, 1978, Degree in Political Science. Expert in sustainability and ESG.
DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SPTEMBER 2021 | 103
THE DIVERSITY OF GENERATIONS IN
COMPANIES
At no other time in history
have so many generations
– with as many different
worldviews and work phi-
losophies – been asked to work togeth-
er. Each generation in today’s workforce
brings its own attitudes, values, expec-
tations, and technological expertise to
work, making communication with other
generations difficult: what you say may
not be what someone else hears. Thus,
it becomes necessary to bridge inter-
generational gaps to create more inclu-
sive and productive work environments.
An important distinction: age vs. gener-
ation
Let’s start with definitions. Age is a
chronological indicator, a number. Al-
though one can legitimately make as-
sumptions about people who belong to
a certain age group, those assumptions
are based more on biology or ‘life stag-
es.’ A generation, on the other hand, is
a set of labels created by the media and
assigned based on the unique cultural
environment that its members grew up
in. Being born during a certain historical
period and having gone through adoles-
cence and schooling in a certain cultural
climate – characterised by particular
events – leaves its mark on the ways in-
dividuals feel, think and act. Moreover,
each generation crosses through all age
groups and has already experienced the
ages that younger generations are. This
is why ‘generation’ and ‘age’ often over-
lap.
Ageism and stereotypes in companies
Tied to age is the issue of ageism, a type
of discrimination that involves preju-
dice against people based on their age,
whether they be children, adolescents,
adults or older workers. Ageism is often
cited in employment situations, where
it can lead to pay disparities or difficul-
ty finding employment. Younger adults
may have difficulty finding a job and
may receive lower pay because of their
perceived lack of experience, while old-
er adults may have trouble getting pro-
motions, finding a new job, and chang-
ing careers. Some researchers suggest
that stereotypes about older people
often relate to how younger people
are expected to behave: for example,
younger people often assume that old-
er individuals have ‘had their day’ and
should leave the jobs to them, or they
believe that limited resources should be
spent on younger staff rather than on
older workers.
What the research tells us
From the various surveys conducted on
the subject of age and generations, we
can draw some conclusions:
- Glue. All generations share values and
expectations that can function as a
sort of strong glue (desire for training,
growth and development; growing focus
on diversity and inclusion...).
- Reciprocity. People over 50 do not
perceive exchanges with younger gen-
erations to be fair: they feel they ‘give’
much more than they receive.
- Management style. Younger genera-
tions are interested in having managers
who promote a feedback culture with
frequent exchanges and who function as
coaches in managing teams.
In conclusion, from my point of view,
rather than focusing on what divides
and differentiates generations from
each other, it is important to focus on
what unites them. Each generation has
different values, different mindsets,
but that’s no reason not to be able to
communicate with all of them. Genera-
tional synergy is an achievable goal for
companies by working on the Genera-
tion Mix, for example through Reverse
Mentoring projects that aim to create
greater awareness of prejudices. In addi-
tion, it is necessary to assess what type
of motivation is most important to each
team member and to monitor whether
this evolves over time. Coaching can cer-
tainly play a significant role in this.
UNLIMITED VIEWS | Column by Claudio Guffanti
CLAUDIO GUFFANTI, 1978,Degree in Management Enginee-ring, Founder of UNLI
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 2021104
DiverCityMagazine di inclusione e innovazione
Intercultura e GlobalIzzazIoneLucilla Rizzini
Generale DIetro la collInaLucio Guarinoni
JoIntly Il Welfare conDIvIsoFabio Galluccio
InclusIone In enelapprofondimento
cover story, IGor ŠuranValentina Dolciotti
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Magazine europeo di inclusione e innovazione
LE DIVERSITÀ? PER NOI SONO UNA RICCHEZZAGruppo Hera
LA MAPPA DELLA DIVERSITÀAllianz Partners
L’INCLUSIONE È UN GIOCO DI SQUADRASanofi Italia
L’INCLUSIONE AL CENTRO DELL’EMPLOYEE JOURNEYDeloitte
IL SUCCESSO DI UNA REALTÀ GLOBALE E COMPLESSAState Street
OLTRE IL TABÙ, VERSO LA CULTURA DELLA DISABILITÀOpenjobmetis
COVER STORY, DANIEL DANSOValentina Dolciotti
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4 –
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DIVERCITYMagazine di inclusione e innovazione
IL NETWORKIN IBMDoriana De Benedictis
BAMBINISENZA SBARREFloriana Battevi
INCLUSIVEMINDSETMarco Buemi
NEVE SHALOMWAHAT AS-SALAMRosita Poloni
COVER STORY, CLAUDIA PARZANIValentina Dolciotti
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DIVERCITYMagazine di inclusione e innovazione
L’INCLUSIONE È UNA SCELTAAvio Aero
MATTONI ROSSISBARRE AZZURREPatrizia De Grazia
COOKING IS AN ARTOlimpia Zagnoliper Barilla
INTERVISTA A SIMONA COMANDÈPhilips
COVER STORY, ROSE CARTOLARIValentina Dolciotti
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DIVERCITYMagazine europeo di inclusione e innovazione
SEMPRE 25 NOVEMBRESorgenia
INNOVARE PER INCLUDERECristina Tajani
DIVERSITY TRA ETICA E COMPETITIVITÀ AZIENDALEMSD Italia
OASI DI TERAPIA RICREATIVADynamo Camp
ENERGIA PER TUTTIBaker Hughes
LA COMPAGNIATEATRALENina’s Drag Queens
COVER STORY, DARYL BEETONValentina Dolciotti
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DIVERCITYb e c a u s e w o r d s m a t t e r
COVER STORY, ALESSIA MOSCAValentina Dolciotti
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DIVERCITYb e c a u s e w o r d s m a t t e r
COVER STORY, TELMO PIEVANIValentina Dolciotti
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WHAT
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SUSTAINABILITY
DIVERCITYb e c a u s e w o r d s m a t t e r
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TECNO
INCLUSIONE
24 settembre tecnoinclusione.indd 1 02/10/20 14:43
1
STORIA IN COPERTINA, LUCIANO CANFORATiziano Colombi
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DIVERCITY | NUMERO 10 – MARZO 2021 | 1
COVER STORY, FABRICE HOUDARTValentina Dolciotti
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LGBT+?
ETERO O GAY SON TUTTI FIGLI MIEIAgedo
LGBT+ LEADERSHIPENHANCEMENT PROGRAMEdge
FAMIGLIE OMOGENITORIALI REALTÀ NEGATEFamiglie Arcobaleno
CATALYSTAllyson Zimmermann
BANCA D'ITALIAIntervista a Riccardo Basso
10 DOMANDE A IVAN SCALFAROTTOValentina Dolciotti
DIVERCITY | NUMERO 11 – GIUGNO 2021 | 1
COVER STORY, IACOPO MELIOValentina Dolciotti
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SKILLS?
17 GIUGNO 2021
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DIVERCITYb e c a u s e w o r d s m a t t e r
®
COVER STORY, ADELE CAMBRIAValentina Dolciotti
WHAT
ABOUT
DECADES?
DiverCityQuarterly magazine, 12th issue, September 2021
Registration with Court of Bergamo n° 04 from 9 April 2018
Editor in Chief: Valentina Dolciotti
Seat: Via IV Novembre 36, 24128 BG
Publisher and press Sestanteinc srl
Graphic layoutGianluca Paravisi
Editorial staffValentina Dolciotti, Editor in Chief
Tiziano Colombi, Marketing Director
Kerstin Mierke, Editing & Translations
Valentina Sorbi, Editing e Event Manager
For information, please contact: [email protected]
Contributors: I piccoli cantori di Milano, Carolina Lucchesini,
Alexa Pantanella, Nicola Palmarini, Associazione Facciavista,
Silvia Camisasca, Irene Canfora, Elena Mozzo, Nicole Riva,
Valentina Sorbi, Véronique Fabbri-Balduzzi, Daria Dall’Igna,
Stefano Di Niola, Antonio Rotelli, Annalisa Valsasina,
Fondazione Provinciale della Comunità Comasca onlus,
Beatrice Uguccioni, Marilena Ferri, Michelina Della Porta,
Lucio Guarinoni, Davide Sapienza, Silvia Rota Sperti,
Angela Bianchi, Elena Luciano, Paola Suardi, Valeria Cantoni
Mamiani, Silvia Allegro, Rocco Briganti, Federica Giannotta,
Gianluca Cabula, Rose Cartolari, Alessia Mosca,
Valeria Colombo, Claudio Guffanti
| DIVERCITY | NUMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 2021106
Trasformiamo il presente in un futuro miglioreAmore per il nostro Paese significa continuare ad impegnarci, sempre di più,
per realizzare azioni concrete a favore dell’ambiente e della società.Contribuendo a proteggere il pianeta, assicurandoci che nessuno resti indietro.
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Trasformiamo il presente in un futuro miglioreAmore per il nostro Paese significa continuare ad impegnarci, sempre di più,
per realizzare azioni concrete a favore dell’ambiente e della società.Contribuendo a proteggere il pianeta, assicurandoci che nessuno resti indietro.
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ONLINE EVENT15 October DIVERCITY + FINDOMESTIC DIVERSITY WEEK
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