Roll Cloud: group interview with experts from Intesa Sanpaolo for social issues
There are aptitudes and skills that, in order to be trained, require empathetic and engaging experiences in which trainers overcome distances and are willing to share part of their life experience. These particular experiences include the Roll Cloud Talk sessions, meetings in which experts from the Intesa Sanpaolo per il sociale group guide students in a session dedicated to orientation, soft skills and transversal competences. To talk about them, Fabio Giovannini, Barbara Lorusso, Claudia Medda and Alessia Oliveri, all Senior Specialist Learning Design at Intesa Sanpaolo per il sociale, have generously opened a window on their experience as Roll Cloud trainers in a group interview.
We start from the assumption that it's not easy to make young people fully understand the importance of developing skills in managing their own life and relationships in everyday life... Often, giving practical examples, getting involved and being willing to share fully is a winning tactic. It becomes important to make them smile or evoke a reflection to leave a trace in young people. Barbara Lorusso explains: "We prepare young people to face the challenges of the future and help them learn to manage their time better, to relate to others effectively and assertively, so that they can creatively solve the problems that arise every day. To use a metaphor, it's as if I wanted to go fishing and I had marvellous equipment, but I didn't know how to use it’. This is not a one-way street, but a source of great satisfaction for those who, like Claudia Medda, see it almost as a mission: ‘I really like the idea of being able to make a difference in young people's lives, helping them prepare for the future, to become the best version of themselves. Putting yourself to the test, working in a dynamic and stimulating environment where you can share your experiences and also learn from others, is very rewarding. Roll Talks are an opportunity to get to know the young people, discover their perspectives and their point of view on the world. The continuous exchange of knowledge makes this job increasingly interesting and fulfilling’. But how can we give substance to concepts that are apparently completely immaterial? Alessia Oliveri uses practical examples: ’the kids will be able to distinguish themselves in whatever career they choose if, for example, they know how to express themselves clearly and if they know how to understand others, developing an ability to listen actively. Not being frightened by unexpected situations. They will be more enterprising, more ready to take the initiative and will know how to collaborate better with their colleagues. Ours is a commitment to men and women who have to face their daily lives and manage their personal relationships and their life as a couple better, and organise their free time well’. Fabio Giovannini goes into detail about the meetings: ‘Our activities are never lectures. We enjoy workshops made up of games, challenges, group and individual competitions because from our point of view we have experienced that the best way to convey content to young people of any age (but also to adults) is to make them play, to make them have fun, to make participation active and challenging. And so dynamism, play and having fun are an integral part of what we normally do during our workshop activities with young and old’.
It is important, of course, to remember the meaning of these challenges: training oneself to live in one's own time while enjoying the opportunities offered by technology, as Claudia Medda reminds us: ’We are in the age of artificial intelligence. The skills required are constantly evolving, so new opportunities will also emerge in sectors that perhaps didn't even exist until recently. It is essential that students are aware of these dynamics, that they keep up to date. That they study the evolution of trends in the job market, including the cloud professions sector which, for example, didn't exist until a few years ago’.
What should we bring from our own lives to Roll Talks? Experience, of course. But anecdotes are also useful, as well as funny episodes that serve to play down the situation, and more serious examples that explain in a concrete way how soft skills help to overcome problems (Barbara Lorusso). Conversely, what can we bring to our daily lives? A fresh perspective, energy and the desire to find our place in the world, the desire to get involved by speaking publicly about our needs (Alessia Oliveri).
How do the kids react? Despite the fact that they are online, they feel stimulated, they raise their hands to speak, they ask questions, they applaud spontaneously. The important thing is not to stop at the time of the talk and to continue to train soft skills! (Fabio Giovannini).
Intesa Sanpaolo for social issues
The social commitment of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group has deep historical roots and represents a distinctive feature of the banking method, which is not limited to the provision of financial services, but has always supported the social economy and the well-being of the communities in which it is present. Since 2018, social commitment has become a strategic objective and, subsequently, a pillar of the Business Plan capable of translating the Group's values into a concrete and credible commitment.
Since its establishment, announced by the CEO in October 2023, Intesa Sanpaolo per il Sociale has been working in three main areas:
- Analysing social needs and coordinating the Bank's many social initiatives, creating networks with associations, organisations and institutions to develop actions with a high social impact.
- By promoting interventions to meet basic needs and inclusion programmes for people and families in vulnerable situations.
- By combatting educational poverty with training and job placement programmes, aimed in particular at young people and those in disadvantaged situations.
‘Intesa Sanpaolo per il Sociale’ acts as a bridge between the bank and the third sector. While the Impact Department offers products, services and financing designed for non-profit organisations, Intesa Sanpaolo per il Sociale acts in a spirit of collaboration and co-planning with the public, private, social and non-profit sectors to implement projects that meet the needs of the community.
The bank can intervene at 360°, combining financial instruments and concrete initiatives to generate a positive and lasting impact on communities and local areas.
By Onelia Onorati, press office of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale
