A great brand like Giffoni has decided to put itself at the service of young people. A solid action, a strong sign to support them in starting their professional career, focusing on creativity and aiming at shedding light on a worrying issue, that of youth unemployment. This way, Giffoni intends to trigger a real revolution.
“The Giffoni brand”, said founder Claudio Gubitosi, “has 53 years of history and evokes the impressive cultural activity that, starting with the festival, has been increasingly growing and broadening its scope, involving new fields and constantly focusing on new, ambitious challenges. A brand does not only represent a trademark but also a whole set of values. Giffoni sees it that way. Our brand embodies our identity. Our double F is part of the Italian and international cultural heritage. It is a simple yet powerful graphic sign that conveys a reassuring feeling. Giffoni welcomes you and projects you into the future just as our two Fs do. They embrace, but they also look upward, towards the sky, towards tomorrow”.
“We're not questioning the recognition of our brand”, Gubitosi continued. “Rather, my idea is to put its strength at the service of resourceful young people who want to do business. At no cost, of course. What am I thinking about? I'm thinking of Giffoni merchandising, which can be further extended, improved and used in many innovative ways. I'm thinking of kids and children's fashion, comics, publishing initiatives and any other field in which creativity and marketing can be deployed and commercialized. Giffoni has a very broad target audience, ranging from three-year-olds to young adults over the age of 18, not to mention their families. All this makes it possible to set up many projects with different targets and audiences. Therefore, we really need young people's creativity, and in return we offer the solidity of our idea and our leadership position in the world”.
Claudio Gubitosi explains: “What are we offering? We’re offering an opportunity to start a business, a real startup which could be used to devise, for example, innovative Giffoni-branded merchandising and then market it, either by opening physical stores or online stores. I am especially -although not exclusively- talking to young people living in Giffoni Valle Piana and in Campania in general. I am making a real call to the arts, an invitation to be creative and come up with new ways to use our brand. I would like to tell young people to get active, to show how dynamic they can be. There are many legislative tools that can support their wish to do business, both at the national and regional level”.
There are many legislative tools and actions that can help support young people in starting an entrepreneurial venture. A quick search shows that several programs are in the pipeline for 2023.
Among them is Resto al Sud, which consists of a portion of non-repayable grants and a portion of financing with interest paid by Invitalia. Access is available for people between 18 and 55 years of age who reside in one of the following regions: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily and in the earthquake crater areas of central Italy (Lazio, Marche, Umbria). In addition to that, there is Cultura Crea, which supports the birth and growth of entrepreneurial and nonprofit initiatives in the cultural-tourism industry that aim to enhance local cultural resources in the regions of Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia and Sicily. It targets micro, small and medium-sized companies operating in the cultural and creative industry, including teams of people who want to set up a company, and third-sector parties who want to implement their investment projects. Also, Smart&Start Italia supports the birth and growth of innovative startups. It funds projects in the range of €100,000 to €1.5 million. Eligible for resources are small innovative startups, established for no more than 60 months, teams of individuals who want to establish an innovative startup in Italy, even if they reside abroad, foreign citizens in possession of a “startup Visa” or foreign companies that commit to setting up at least one office on the Italian territory. Next, there is ON - Oltre Nuove Imprese a Tasso Zero: this initiative was created to support micro and small businesses that are mainly or entirely made up of young people under 35 or women of any age. It consists of a mix of non-repayable grants and interest-free financing to be used to create, expand or transform businesses. Finally, there is Nuovo SELFIEmployement, a call addressed to NEETs (young people aged 18 to 29 who are not studying or working) and aimed at making them start small business ventures. It consists of interest-free and guarantee-free loans.
Campania offers many opportunities in this regard thanks to the tenders that are published annually to support new startups and that have made the region a national leader in terms of quality and quantity of innovative and creative startups.
How to get started? You need to sign an expression of interest and send an application, which can be formalized individually or as a team, submitting proposals and projects to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
By May 31, you can send your creative project even if it is still a preliminary idea, along with brief explanatory notes and, if necessary, graphics.
In June, there will be a pitch day dedicated to those who have sent in their applications, who will thus have the opportunity to explain in detail their proposal, the goals they intend to achieve, and the tools and actions they wish to put in place.
The projects that will be considered to be most in line with the idea and objectives behind this initiative will be presented in July during Giffoni 2023. In September, this new adventure will be definitely starting with the signing of a program agreement allowing the use of the brand free of charge for one year. This agreement may also be renewed at a later date.
“Giffoni for young people. Once again. As always”, Claudio Gubitosi concluded. “As always, we do that in a tangible way, but never forgetting the power of dreams. And young people’s dreams are the only dreams that can really change the world”.
