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, 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 Italy’s first Social Impact Managers. 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 addressing ethics and legality for community development and the spread of justice values. “I think this is a highly commendable activity, we need young people committed to spreading an ethical message and respect for rules – he stated – I believe this is just the beginning and I hope, and wish the Foundation, that these are just the first building blocks of a great edifice.”
In the early afternoon, the President of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences – H.E.R. Msgr. Mariano Crociata also participated via video link to discuss with students the urgency and necessity of “Building a culture of peace.” Msgr. Crociata didn’t hesitate to define the Augurusa Foundation’s training program as “original and particularly urgent. It’s not easy to find institutions that engage directly on this front. Involving young people and proposing such important topics for their life, their future activity, and their presence in society is enormous content from the perspective of human formation and collective growth.” Then addressing the Augurusa Foundation: “I feel gratitude and appreciation for you, continue to carry forward this activity.”
The second speaker, Sigrid Marz, President of UNIAPAC (International Christian Business Executives Union) continued, stating: “Being an entrepreneur for us at UNIAPAC, where individuals rather than companies are registered, is a noble vocation aimed at producing wealth and improving the world for everyone by serving the common good. As humans, we have the possibility to choose. And as entrepreneurs, we choose to build a more just economy in service of humanity.”
We then moved to the parish church where Msgr. Maniago expressed his approval thus: “I was very struck by the Foundation’s origin from the tragedy of a young man who truly dreamed of a beautiful, important future of peace. On that dream, something important like the Foundation was created, making 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 young Antonio, from whom the Foundation inherits its name and mission: “Antonio was a young man who had big dreams, so big and important that they 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 serve not only the local Church but also the territory.”
There were also considerations about the positive mark left by Antonio: “His figure is very interesting because it shows how Great Men are already present in children. Asking them to contribute is an innovation that the Augurusa Foundation could carry as a slogan around Italy, because children have enormous capabilities that are just waiting to be discovered.”
Addressing global issues while considering local impacts on individual communities and territories is the leitmotif of this first “Social Impact Manager” training edition, and the choice to hold it in a peripheral context couldn’t be more emblematic. As Francesco Augurusa, President of the Augurusa Foundation, reminds us: “Redeeming Antonio’s tragedy 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 creating a culture of Peace and moving in the direction of Generative Restitution at both territorial and international levels.”
