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Siena Summer School on Sustainable Development

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Siena, September 21st 2018

On 25 September 2015, the United Nations approved the Global Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), articulated in 169 Targets to be reached by 2030. Since then, the global effort to act and measure progress on the so-called 2030 Agenda has been a global priority and younger generations have led action at many levels.

Now, Enel Foundation in cooperation with the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS) is promoting a new initiative to engage young generations: the Siena Summer School on Sustainable Development. The two-weeks summer school (September 10th – 21st 2018), themed “Solutions for better societies”, offers a group of 30 participants a multidisciplinary training path with focus on the sustainable development triangle: economic, social and environmental. In addition to academic lectures, the program includes workshops and group workstreams focused on politics, science and innovation, and new business models for sustainable development.

Leading Italian organizations such as Leonardo, the Network of Universities for Sustainable Development (RUS), Sustainable Development Solutions Network ItaliaSustainable Development Solutions Mediterranean Network and the Santa Chiara Lab from the University of Siena were part of the initiative as well.

The participants to the Siena Summer School include newly graduated up to 5 years, PHD students and researchers from any discipline, Managers, Managing Directors and Policy makers from private as well as public sector. Enel Foundation contributed to define the syllabus and deliver the course, in addition to supporting ten scholarships. Moreover, five selected participants of the Summer School will have the opportunity to publishing their final project work on an upcoming e-book on SDGs for first-year students of Italian Universities, edited by Enel Foundation in partnership with Treccani Scuola.

Carlo Papa, Director of Enel Foundation, commented, “The Summer School on Sustainable Development matches perfectly Enel Foundation's vocation to promote research and training to help win the race towards a clean energy future”.

Prof. Enrico Giovannini, spokesperson for the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development, underlined that “the complexity of the 2030 Agenda requires high profile professionals capable of integrated thinking”. In his view, the initiative supported by Enel Foundation will contribute to train “new sustainability professionals, crucial to help changing mindsets, to introduce new technologies, and to re-think the governance of systems within institutions, administrations, corporations and in the education and training paths”.  

Prof. Angelo Riccaboni, Chair of SDSN Mediterranean and professor at University of Siena, shared his gratitude for Enel Foundation’s partnership with Siena Summer School, saying that “it is essential to create awareness on the value of every single person’s contribution to achieve the SDGs and to share concrete technological and social solutions. In fact, education is crucial to implement Agenda 2030”.