The experience of the Soroptimist International Union of Italy
The mission of Soroptimist International (SI) is to positively impact societies by creating opportunities, especially for all women and girls.The global goal is to transform societies and world economies through sustainable development, ensuring future generations can meet their needs. In this context, young people, particularly young women and girls, are crucial for developing policies tailored to their needs, and for fostering knowledge exchange to combat climate change and inequalities.
The SI Italian Union has successfully integrated sustainable development principles with the need to amplify youth voices. Focusing on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) “11. Sustainable Cities and Communities”, the Italian Union involved youth in the process of regeneration of cities and communities. Through the project “Ri-Generazione Città Giovane” (Youth City Re-Generation), the Italian Union launched a nationwide contest inviting secondary school students (ages 10 to 16) to redesign parts of their cities. Over 1,400 Italian students participated in the first edition held in 2023. In line with the Memorandum of Understanding (E0001700 of 16/06/2022) between the SI Italian Union and the Italian Ministry of Education, students were asked to reflect, learn, analyse, and represent their needs in projects to present to municipalities.
To facilitate the preliminary selections for the national competition, local clubs were involved, which also engaged municipalities. The working groups that advanced to the national stage presented their projects to an exceptional committee composed of three university professors from various disciplines, including, urban planning and territorial regeneration. These projects were awarded in Rome by a Ministry representative.
Left: Award for 3A – B Istituto IIS BIANCHI VIRGINIO GEOMETRI of Cuneo
Right: Award for 3B Istituto superiore di I grado I.C LITTARDI of Imperia
The true added value of the project was the training period for students. Local clubs, together with municipalities and teachers, organised lectures and workshops on using digital tools (such as 3D modelling) and clarified issues related to urban regeneration.
As a result, the national project was submitted for the “UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICT in Education”. Ranking among the top projects, the work of the Italian Union received widespread admiration, particularly from the Italian UNESCO Delegation, which supported the project with a nomination letter.
Through projects like this, Soroptimist demonstrates how collaboration and networking among various organisations can generate impactful results on multiple levels.