Building a more welcoming and more inclusive Europe, with the aim of learning to share and promote common visions: Destinazione Tirana (Destination: Tirana), the project promoted by the Italian Department for Youth Policies and Universal Civil Service and implemented by Giffoni, also stands for this. An open space where boys and girls can come together, engage in dialogue, be “architects” of a world in which they want to play a leading role.
It is no coincidence that the first institutional meeting of the delegation of Italian giffoners -made up of Giorgia Pia Fasano, Domenico Potenza, Alberico Giusti, Giuseppina Lambiasi, Vincenza Carmen Fasano, Simona Della Monica, Youssef Tabi, Esdra Sciortino and Angelica Boscolo- was with the Tirana – European Youth Capital Committee. The meeting was also attended by president of the Ente Autonomo Giffoni Experience Pietro Rinaldi, head of the Special Projects Department Marco Cesaro, head of institutional relations Davide Russo and Giffoni team members Michele Melillo, Giusy Rago, Marta Frasca, Giuseppe Novellino and Rita Esposito.
The commitment to have Tirana bid for European Youth Capital 2022 had been pursued since 2019 by the Albanian National Youth Congress and the Municipality of Tirana, with the aim of encouraging the social involvement of youth and enhance the country’s European identity.
The message of Tirana 2022 - the Committee explained to the giffoners - is expressed through eight program guidelines that focus on young people as main advocates and actors in the fields of creative economy, innovation, culture, inclusiveness, diversity, respect for multiculturalism, mental health and green economy awareness. This year we have carried out so many activities, including initiatives dedicated to the younger generations. The goal is to promote volunteering, empower youth organizations and build synergies among teenagers from all over Europe. We are happy that Giffoni, a well-known and valued institution in Albania, is part of those events.
President of the Ente Autonomo Giffoni Experience Pietro Rinaldi was enthusiastic: I can see some great similarities between the work you are doing here and the work our festival carries out - he commented. Supporting the ideas of young people, following them on their way to growth and fulfillment has always been one of Giffoni's cornerstones. I am sure that Destinazione Tirana will be the starting point of a renewed partnership between our organizations.
Adriano Scaletta, representative of the Department for Youth Policies, was in full agreement: We joined Destinazione Tirana with great enthusiasm - he explained - involving European Year of Youth 2022 ambassadors Youssef Tabi, Esdra Sciortino and Angelica Boscolo in this fantastic initiative. Our objective is to include young people who would normally remain excluded from European activities. This city is experiencing a buzzing moment, and I am sure that together we can build something significant.
In the afternoon, the program continued with a focus panel dedicated to the start-up world: the young people embarked on a self-entrepreneurship orientation path made up of a series of modules and labs centered on how to conceive, prototype and commercialize a product that is going to be marketed in Italy as well.
