Volunteering and Its Huge Impact

"If we stop once in a while and think about what we can do for others, we discover that we can do so much. We can make a greater impact than we think we can," says Gaia Romeri, 25. Before graduating with her Integrated Master of Arts in Law degree at Bocconi last year, Gaia helped out a fellow student through the Learning Needs Peer to Peer Tutoring Project. As shown in Bocconi's latest Sustainability Report, during the 2021-2022 academic year, more than 550 students expressed interest in volunteering and reached out on the active channels of the University's various social engagement projects. The University is strongly committed to these projects as part of its Third Mission, namely that of encouraging and making a positive impact on society and in the local area.

A Bocconi That Gives Back
There are several initiatives and projects underway, including the Volunteer Desk – managed in collaboration with both the CSV (Centro Servizi Volontariato) and Students for Humanity association – which directs many students to volunteer opportunities each year in the Milan metropolitan area. There is also a longstanding collaboration with Pane Quotidiano, the food bank located right near the Bocconi campus. Making Sense of Profits is yet another project that offers students the opportunity to gain first-hand experience, combining fieldwork with social impact (the presentation event of the project's 12th edition will take place on 30 March, click here for more information). In addition, there are many volunteer activities coordinated by Campus Life that adhere to the guidelines of the Community and Social Engagement Committee, formed in 2008 and now chaired by the Dean for Academic Strategy and Institutional Affairs, Myriam Mariani.

"Bocconi's commitment to having a positive impact on society as a whole starts with its own community and the local area to which it belongs," explains Mariani. "The promotion and advocacy of volunteer opportunities are part of this objective and are one of the three pillars on which the work of the Committee is based, together with activities in advancing social mobility and the Bocconi in Prison Project – a Bocconi-supported, second chance program that offers Opera and Bollate prisoners the opportunity to pursue their studies." (Via Sarfatti 25 discussed the project here with an announcement of the project's first graduate, as well as here with Jhonatan's story). "One of the goals for my deanship," continued Myriam Mariani, "is to foster communication on these topics and increasingly involve more people on such projects, ensuring that potential beneficiaries are aware of the opportunities we offer and that the University remains attractive for students, faculty and staff who share these same values of inclusion, social mobility and generosity."

Gaia and Martina
This worldview highlighting social responsibility can only be described by those who have experienced it, like Gaia, whose own words introduced this article. There is no need to travel far; it is sometimes enough to look around at your own University classmates. "I helped Martina, a law student, with her business law exam since she suffers from dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and dysorthographia," the alumna explains. "Together we managed to find the most effective study strategy: recording voice notes for various sections in the textbook, allowing the material to be learned quickly." Gaia decided to undertake the tutoring project "because I thought, who better than a student – who has pursued and is passionate about the same subject, dealing with it every day at work – to help another who is struggling? Volunteering comes in many shapes and sizes; everyone has to find his or her own path." The important thing, however, "is to spread the word about volunteering because it teaches you one fundamental concept: we each have our own problems yet, despite how big they seem to us, other people may have it worse."

Federico's Saturday Snack
Federico Venni is a 22-year-old student currently in his first year of the Master of Science in Management, and he agrees with Gaia. Since December 2022 he has been volunteering for the 'Saturday Snack' at Opera Cardinal Ferrari. "I found this opportunity through the Volunteer Desk at Bocconi," he says. "Every Saturday we prepare snacks for the homeless, playing games and organizing fun activities to spend the afternoon together. It is a great teaching experience; not only have I discovered the beauty and gratification of doing something for others without being given anything in return, but I am also learning to manage situations that I otherwise would not have been able to. At first, for example, I was afraid of being intrusive and annoying." However, volunteering "is not just helping others; it is also a journey of self-discovery. It forces you to explore sides of yourself that you were unfamiliar with, previously hidden within your everyday routine." If your everyday routine consists also, and above all, of exam preparation – where you have to lock yourself away in the library for hours – "unplugging and offering my time there for those four hours allows me to get centered and relieve my exam anxiety, returning later to my studies with a different awareness."

Elisa for NEETs
High social impact was the characteristic that also defined the volunteer experience for Elisa Doratelli, a second-year Bachelor of Science in International Economics and Finance student. On her volunteering with Making Sense of Profits: "I liked the idea of ​​the project, being able to work on the field with firms that have social impact goals. I ended up working at Sidip, an SME operating in the Bergamo area that deals with industrial cleaning and sanitization." Elisa and another student were responsible for carrying out a qualitative and quantitative project analysis for the creation of a vocational training academy: "It was a very interesting project because the goal was to involve NEETs (young people currently not engaged in education, employment or training), and therefore have a strong impact on the community." It was an experience that allowed her to grow "and put into practice what I studied in class." Above all, she learned "to see how businesses, which are often considered as separate entities from their local area, can have a remarkable and positive impact on it."

Socially-Conscious Companies
After all, "modern-day companies and financial systems are focusing their attention on ESG issues and sustainable finance," adds Giorgio Fiorentini, coordinator of the Making Sense of Profits project as well as head of volunteer activities on the Community and Social Engagement Committee. "Thanks to this type of work within firms that have a high social impact, students are trained in the many facets of sustainability. The work is no longer just learning the language of sustainability; it is considered fieldwork."
If on the one hand Gaia, Federico and Elisa feel more mature and better from these experiences, on the other – as Fiorentini himself concludes – the companies notice it as well during interviews: "Today we pay close attention to these aspects when evaluating a candidate because recruiters understand that those who have had such experiences attach value to values."