CIES Onlus, Lead partner of MYSEA project, in cooperation with Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) programme and the Interreg Volunteer Brunilda Elezi has organized the event Destination Future, that took place in Rome on Monday 10 October 2022.

In the European Year of Youth, the aim of the meeting was to inform and inspire young people and women on the opportunities for professional training, career growth and sustainable development fostered by the EU Cohesion Policy and to share the experience of IVY, a programme for young people eager to gain new international experiences through volunteering, managed by AEBR (Association of European Border Regions).

The event was composed of two sessions.

The morning session featured a conference, held at the Prassede Palace Hotel, whose focus was on employment opportunities for young people within the framework of European cohesion policies. CIES Onlus, with President Ms Elisabetta Bianca Melandri and International Cooperation Sector Manager Ms Loredana Gionne, presented the MYSEA project, co-funded by the European Union under the ENI CBC Med 2014-2020 programme, of which CIES is Lead Beneficiary, and in particular illustrated the vocational training courses that will start soon in the regions of Lazio and Sicily in the framework of the project.

Institutional speeches were opened by Mr Luca Stefanini, representative of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, who presented the initiatives put in place for active employment policies for youth, NEETs and women at the national level.
After an interactive activity during which participants were asked to build a career roadmap, speeches were given by: Mr Franco La Torre from the FUSILLI Project, who presented the Living Labs about participation and social and labor inclusion in the agrifood sector; Luigi Salesi of the Speha Fresia vocational training organization; Federica Fioretti, head of the CIES Onlus Orientation, Training and Employment Desk; Gabriele Milani, farmer and member of the Slow Food Youth Network of Lazio; and finally Silvano Falocco, environmental economist and expert in Green Jobs.
This plurality of voices served to compose a clear and detailed picture, highlighting the complexity and challenging context in which the MYSEA project moves, and the ensuing debate was rich and engaging.

The afternoon session was organized in collaboration with the FUSILLI Project, financed by the EC under the Horizon 2020 programme, G.A. no. 101000717. After a bus ride, a guided tour was held at the Cooperativa Agricola Coraggio, an agricultural company founded by young people, who have already been able to produce quality food with sustainable methods for several years even in a metropolis like Rome. The founder, Giacomo Lepri, answered all the curiosities of the young people, who wanted to know how to undertake an autonomous activity that is sustainable, respectful of nature and land resources, and at the same time economically satisfying.

The day ended with a tasting of food products from the Cooperativa Agricola Coraggio - a definitely enjoyable activity, and it is no coincidence that the participation of young people was widest in this last session!