The commitment of the Cecilia Gilardi Foundation to support young people: “Everyone has a dream, we help them nurture it.”

In the last 13 years, Piedmont has lost 46,000 artisan businesses, nearly a quarter of its entire production network. On a national level, we are the third region for the loss of workers in the artisan sector. These jobs, which often represent the tradition of Italian excellence, are now at “risk of extinction.” It is partly to counter this trend that the Cecilia Gilardi Foundation has been supporting young people since 2010, helping them find their path and revitalize certain professional niches. In its thirteen years of activity, the foundation has financed 320 scholarships and 45 special projects, disbursing over 1.2 million euros. “Often, talented young people already have their path in mind, but they don’t know how to follow it. We help them make their dreams come true in a concrete way”, explains Alessandro Gilardi, president of the foundation named after his daughter, who died at 17 in an accident.

The Master Mëstè program, supported by the CRT Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce, is aimed at individuals under 35 and is now in its third edition. “97% of the young people we’ve helped have since been hired on permanent contracts; the dropout rate is practically negligible”, says Alessandro Gilardi. Initially, the project was limited to the Piedmont region, but it has since expanded to Liguria and Valle d’Aosta. “Over the years, we’ve helped mosaic restorers as well as actors who are now part of the Teatro Stabile,” recalls Gilardi.

Alongside Master Mëstè, the foundation also supports young athletes, artists, or talented university students who lack the means to complete their studies. All are selected by a scientific committee that evaluates not only financial criteria, such as the ISEE, but also the strength and originality of their projects. “Over the years, we’ve realized that young people still have dreams; they just need help to nurture them”, concludes Gilardi.