1stGEN@UNI: Second Edition Has Started
Last year the program involved 60 schools from all over Italy. This year, for the webinar that kicked off the second edition, 200 high school students were already connected. We are talking about 1stGEN@UNI, Bocconi and Citi Foundation project that promotes the values of the University among high school students in situations of economic disadvantage, aiming to show how the University acts as a powerful factor for personal growth.
The project, in which Junior Achievement Italia also participates, has two phases. The first aims to bring young people closer and help them consider university education as a viable option for their future and includes three online meetings. The first webinar is 'What will I do after high school? The university option; the second meeting, 'What will I do after high school? Introducing yourself to the world of work', focuses on building a CV and preparing for a job interview; and the third, an interactive workshop, is entitled 'What I like to do' and deals with various topics across academic disciplines. Finally, there will be a simulation powered by Bocconi BUILT, 'Up to you: Choose your future', through which students will test themselves on a series of choices to arrive at the desired profession.
Some Bocconi student ambassadors participated in the first meeting. Among these, Falilou Kebe, an economics and finance undergrad (CLEF). Economics and Finance student: "A university like Bocconi has a specific goal: to provide its students with all the tools they need to realize their life project," he stressed in telling young people about their own experience and in pointing out that the University "is a place to be experienced at 360 degrees."
The second phase, which will run from autumn 2022 until spring 2023, will be dedicated to accompanying students interested in the degree programs offered by Bocconi towards the admission test for the 2024/2025 school year. Students who pass the university's admission process and meet the requirements will be able to benefit from a specific financial support program.
"After the success of the first edition", explains Carlo Salvato, academic director of the project, "1stGEN@UNI continues with the addition of new and innovative formats and contents, but keeping the same original goal: to help high school students see university studies as an experience that can improve life, in addition to one's employment prospects".
"The results we attained in the first edition of 1stGEN@UNI exceeded our expectations, confirming the importance of initiatives that help young people to learn more about the opportunities of university education and how it can be a central tool to help them build a better future," explains Silvia Boschetti, Public and Government Affairs Officer at Citi Italia. "We are therefore excited to renew our commitment alongside to Bocconi for the second year now. For our foundation, the theme of the Pathway to Progress, that is the creation of opportunities for personal and professional growth for young people with disadvantaged backgrounds, remains a priority and this project represents a concrete example of how we can be at their side."