Sustainability rooted in local territories: Fondazione Augurusa brings institutions and international diplomacy to the Vibo Valentia area for the Green Social Impact Manager course
The Third Edition of the Advanced Training Course of the Antonio Emanuele Augurusa Foundation Green Social Impact Manager (SIM) continues with high-profile institutional appointments, transforming the small village of Filogaso into a cutting-edge hub for training future social impact leaders. On Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16, figures from local institutions and global climate diplomacy took turns teaching: on Friday, May 15, Anna Aurora Colosimo, Prefect of Vibo Valentia, met with the Green SIM Course students along with the middle school students of the Sant’Onofrio Institute in Filogaso, followed by Klaus Algieri, Vice President of Unioncamere and President of the Cosenza Chamber of Commerce. On Saturday, May 16, the meeting with Grammenos Mastrojeni, Assistant Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), projected the course into a global dimension with a keynote lecture held at the Confindustria Hall in Vibo Valentia.
In last Friday’s speech, Prefect Colosimo, returning for the second time as a SIM lecturer after her well-received participation in the autumn 2025 edition, spoke about the culture of legality as an indispensable precondition for countering organized crime, which hinders any model of sustainable development and social impact. The Prefect dedicated a profound reflection to the figure of Maria Chindamo, defining her as a true “heroine” in the fight against the mafia and a symbol of the rejection of all forms of oppression, before reiterating the crucial importance of rooting these debates in the territories and regions most affected, starting precisely from schools and places of education: “In these classrooms, I have seen the desire, curiosity, and passion of the young people participating in this journey,” stated the Prefect in an interview with Fondazione Augurusa. “It is extraordinary that the Foundation decided to bring them and gather them here, in the heart of a small Calabrian village.”
The importance of rooting the construction of a sustainability economy in local territories was also discussed by Klaus Algieri: “Sustainability cannot start with laws imposed from above by governments and multinationals,” stated the Vice President of Unioncamere, “if it is not rooted in the territories, in the practices of small and medium-sized enterprises, it risks becoming mere marketing and bureaucracy for its own sake.”
A concept also echoed by Grammenos Mastrojeni, Assistant Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), in Saturday’s lecture on May 16: “It is fundamental that projects like Green SIM start from the territories,” stated Mastrojeni. “Calabria has so much to offer: today it faces the risk of transitioning toward new natural scenarios, but the adaptation process can provide new opportunities.”
The bond between Mastrojeni and Fondazione Augurusa was born during the proceedings of the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil, where the high-ranking diplomat was struck by the social innovation model developed by the Foundation in Filogaso, deciding to come in person to witness its impact. Mastrojeni’s lecture to the Green SIM students provided an extraordinary insider’s view of the complex diplomatic and scientific work carried out over recent decades to safeguard the planet, revealing its historical evolution and most critical stages.
Drawing on his role as a negotiator in the drafting of the revolutionary Paris Agreement, the high-ranking diplomat offered an unprecedented retrospective on the complex balances of climate diplomacy. Mastrojeni highlighted how the contemporary approach to sustainability has moved beyond the fragmented vision of the past—which viewed biodiversity protection and economic development as antithetical—to embrace a perspective that sees the climate fight, the overcoming of social and economic inequalities, geopolitical stability, and social justice as interconnected and integrated aspects for building a sustainable future.
The Assistant Secretary General finally dedicated the last part of his speech to job opportunities for young people within the United Nations and international organizations, encouraging the students present in the classroom to pursue a diplomatic or technical career oriented toward global sustainability.
With this Third Edition, now halfway through its course, the Fondazione Augurusa Green SIM Advanced Training Course reaffirms itself as a cutting-edge educational and social model on the national and international stage. The project is attracting the attention of institutions, high-profile diplomats, and international experts, who increasingly agree in recognizing this initiative as a benchmark for innovation and sustainability, demonstrating how even small villages can become engines of global change.
