Job Digital Lab with ING Italia: the story of Arianna who learned to shout her dreams
“I’m 25 and my generation is understanding that not much can be accomplished with words. We need to be hands-on.”
Arianna Palazzini, a very young entrepreneur from Arezzo, participated in the Job Digital Lab event held in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce Arezzo-Siena to testify that digital tools can safeguard tradition [see news: Job Digital Lab in Arezzo].
With the help of Nicoletta Vulpetti, a true lover of identity stories, the second edition of Job Digital Lab, the educational programme developed with ING Italia, presents the stories of the protagonists of personal and community change.
“I grew up with my grandmother. I spent entire days amongst her olive groves that became part of the family. When, one evening, Grandma Rita told us she wanted to sell her 1300 olive trees because they were becoming too expensive to look after, I put my foot down and refused.
So, in the midst of the pandemic, I pondered about how I could save the olive grove with my digital marketing skills. My father, Massimo, came up with the idea: let’s give each tree a name, a character, a personality. And then we can put them up for adoption. Olive trees are sacred and have a history that spans centuries. They are works of art of nature, which, unlike those closed in museum showcases, you can touch, smell, feel their presence.
And that’s how AdottaSi was developed as a project for the digital adoption of olive trees as open-air works of art to support agriculture, a hard job that rarely leads to profits.
We planned everything: a yearly adoption cost, adoption certificates, a plaque with the name of the tree and the farmer who will take care of it. We also send out a periodic newsletter with information on who to take care of olive trees. And naturally, they can come and visit their trees, visit the oil press and participate in olive picking in October. Then, we send three bottles of olive oil to each adopter, with Tuscan bread and garlic. Everything you need for a delicious bruschetta!
As the project took shape, we understood that we could do more, that we should turn it into an experience and activate collaborations with local hotels and bed and breakfasts for those who wished to meet their tree. And we also decided that we could go international!
We are very normal people, but we managed. At the beginning, we were shy about going on social media. We wanted to hide behind our trees, but when we started showing our faces, the involvement of our audience increased markedly. I believe the key is the passion in our words, how our hands caress our trees. I think we all have to look after our planet.
I’m 25 and my generation is understanding that not much can be accomplished with words. We need to be hands-on. If there is one thing that I’d like to teach my brothers, it’s to shout their dreams. If you keep them to yourself, they’ll remain in the drawer. However, if you share your desires with others, someone will listen and help you make them come true.”
