The historic setting of Palazzo Sersale hosted the official opening of the second edition of the Summer School "Desf4Future", organized by the Department of Economics, Statistics and Finance of the University of Calabria and supported by the Municipality of Cerisano. A moment rich in content and shared visions, with the involvement of university, school and administrative institutions that animated the inaugural table. The mayor of Cerisano, Lucio Di Gioia has emphasized the centrality of the project in the cultural and youth revival of the village, in a work of synergies that aims to enhance the territory through training paths. Next, Angela Costabile, delegate to the Orientation of the Unical, and Massimo Costabile, director of the DESF, who highlighted the importance of creating solid bridges between the high school and the university. Pier Francesco Perri, coordinator of the Summer School, described the novelties of this second edition, alongside Patrizia Piro, Unical professor and president of the Centro Studi Idraulica Urbana, and Francesco Raniolo, pro-rector with delegation to the Residential Centre. The table was completed with the voices of school leaders Angela Audia, Rosita Paradiso, Fortunato Praticò and Rosanna Rizzo, who emphasized the guiding and educational value of the experience for students of Calabrian schools.
The Summer School, which will take place until 27 June, involves thirty deserving students of the fourth year of the high schools of the region, selected from 61 applications from 17 different institutions. Numbers in sharp increase compared to last edition, sign of a widespread enthusiasm that crosses all of Calabria. The initiative is an integral part of the project "Cerisano Factory", funded by the Ministry of Culture to be based on PNRR Nextgeneration EU funds on the measure "Attractiveness of the Villages – Line B" that has allowed not only to create synergy between the academic world and the Municipality offering training activities within the village, but also the recovery and enhancement of the spaces of Palazzo Sersale, today become a cultural hub to generate value on the territory.
Compared to 2024, the format of Summer Schiol was further enriched by specialized laboratory activities, direct testimonies from the world of work, group activities, simulations and guided tours to discover the village. During the six days planned, the children will experience an intensive experience between the village of Cerisano and the Campus dell’Unical, alternating lectures, analysis of data and moments of collective reflection in the rooms of the historic ducal palace. There are 21 statistical surveys proposed, conducted in laboratory form and supervised by experts, that will offer a concrete opportunity to train critical thinking, scientific method and collaborative skills.
Summer School is not only a training moment, but also an opportunity to build an idea of the future. The meeting with professionals and university teachers allows students to look more aware of the world of research and the economy, looking to the future with greater awareness in an informal but highly qualified context.
