Filogaso Becomes the Davos of Social Impact

The Augurusa Foundation’s Contribution to a New World Balance

Responding to the call are the World President of Christian Entrepreneurs, the President
and Secretary General of European Bishops, the Secretary of the Calabrian Episcopal
Conference, and the Archbishop of Catanzaro, as well as the Public Prosecutor of Vibo
Valentia and the North Star of impact marketing.

Yesterday, April 9, was a day full of surprises for the town of Filogaso (VV), which saw the
highest representatives of civil and ecclesiastical institutions walk through its streets to
reach the Augurusa Foundation and its young Social Impact Managers of the
free Advanced Training Course that is taking place in these weeks in
premises provided free of charge by the municipal administration. A day
dedicated to legality, education, and peace that brought together in the
Town Hall and in the Parish Church of Sant’Agata V.M. the Public Prosecutor
of Vibo Valentia – Camillo Falvo, the Secretary of the Calabrian Episcopal Conference –
H.E.R. Msgr. Attilio Nostro and the Metropolitan Archbishop of Catanzaro Squillace –
H.E.R. Msgr. Claudio Maniago face to face with citizens and students of the
Augurusa Foundation, who came from across the country and abroad to become the
first Social Impact Managers in Italy. Among the exceptional instructors was also Gabriele Carboni,
who has been working with American Philip Kotler to chart the course of marketing and
management for the next 100 years: “Filogaso is like Davos: small and peripheral, but
capable of sparking global reflections. Here, the figure of the Social Impact
Manager is born and consolidated, bridging businesses and communities, guardian of change and promoter of a
more equitable and sustainable future.”

Prosecutor Falvo opened the series of events with the themes of ethics and legality for the
development of communities and the spread of values of justice. “I think it is a highly meritorious activity; we need young people committed to spreading an
ethical message and respect for the rules,” he declared. “I believe this is only the beginning and I
hope, and I wish for the Foundation, that these are only the first bricks of a great building.”

In the early afternoon, the President of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences
of the European Community – H.E.R. Msgr. Mariano Crociata also spoke via
video-link to address with the students the urgency and necessity of “Building
a culture of peace.” Msgr. Crociata did not hesitate to define the Augurusa Foundation’s
educational path as “original and particularly urgent. It is not easy to find institutions
that commit to this front in a direct way. Involving young people and proposing themes
so important for their lives, for their future activities, and for their presence in society is
enormous content from the perspective of human formation and the growth of the
community.” Addressing the Augurusa Foundation, he added: “I feel gratitude and
appreciation for you; continue to carry out this activity.”
The second speaker, Sigrid Marz, President of UNIAPAC (International
Christian Union of Business Executives), continued by stating: “For us at UNIAPAC,
where it is people and not companies who are members, being an entrepreneur is a noble vocation oriented toward
producing wealth and improving the world for everyone by putting oneself at the service of the common
good. As humans, we have the possibility to choose. And as entrepreneurs, we choose
to build a fairer economy at the service of mankind.”

We then move to the parish church where Msgr. Maniago expressed his
praise. “I was very struck by the origin of the Foundation from the tragedy of a boy who
truly dreamed of a beautiful, important future of peace. Upon that dream, something
important like the Foundation was realized, which makes his idea concrete. It
almost seems as if Antonio continues to support his dream and accompanies it with his presence, making this commitment even more fruitful.” With these words, Msgr. Maniago
reflected on the figure of the young Antonio, from whom the Foundation inherits its name and
mission: “Antonio is a young man who had big dreams, so big and important that
they still continue to fuel the hopes of many young people even after his death. From
this death, a great experience of hope was born.”
Msgr. Nostro also expressed words of praise: “The Augurusa Foundation has stepped
forward and made itself known, and this is a great demonstration of humility,
availability, courage, and also subsidiarity, because with their professionalism and their
charisma, they place themselves at the service not only of the local Church but also of the territory.”
There were also considerations regarding the mark of good left by Antonio: “His
figure is very interesting because it shows how Great
Men are already present in children. Asking them to make a contribution is an innovation that the Augurusa
Foundation could carry as a slogan around Italy, because children have great
capabilities that are only waiting to be discovered.”

Addressing global issues while considering the local impact on individual communities and the territories
they inhabit is the leitmotif of this first “Social Impact Manager” training edition, and the
choice to hold it in a peripheral context could not be more emblematic. As
Francesco Augurusa, President of the Augurusa Foundation, reminds us: “Redeeming the
tragedy of Antonio and transforming the pain of his loss into a tool for social
commitment—this is my mission as a brother and the mission of our Foundation.
Therefore, we will continue to contribute to the creation of a culture of Peace and in the
direction of Generative Restitution at both the local and international levels.”