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The Association That Helps Others

, by Davide Ripamonti, translated by Jenna Walker
Students for Humanity promotes and coordinates volunteer activities for Bocconi students

Among the many associations in the Bocconi student groups, one was missing at Bocconi. "And it's still missing, as far as we can tell, at other Italian universities." Students for Humanity, a newly-created group of students with two sections, one Italian and one international, it aims to "coordinate student involvement in volunteering projects in Milan and around the world through a network of international NGOs."

Luigi Traldi and Federico Ratini, both students in the Master of Science in Economic and Social Sciences, the former originally from Bologna and the latter from Rome, were already volunteers in their home cities and decided to provide support to those students who come to Milan to study and want to continue their praiseworthy activities. "Our group, which already collaborates with a large number of associations (Croce Rossa, SOS Bambini, Naga, AGDP, Bambini in Romania, Piccolo Cottolengo, Vidas, Pane quotidiano and Anni Azzurri), aims to be a kind of intermediary between the supply and demand of volunteering," they explain, "but it also does more. We oversee students during their work and also promote and organize meetings on these topics."

Working for Wasa, for example, is a project in Tanzania managed directly by members of Students for Humanity, which raises fund through sales of photographs taken there: "We manage the funds directly," say Luigi and Federico, "with the aim of creating micro-projects for social development. So far we have already created a nursery school, and other objectives are to create a health clinic and an orphanage."

The association should help anyone at Bocconi who would like to work as a volunteer, but they also have the objective to expand: "We would like to involve other universities as well," they say, "because young people have a strong desire to contribute and help out. Creating an actual structure is an important step."
The next appointment for Students for Humanity will be on 19-20 March: "We're setting up a stand in Piazza Sraffa to sell Eater eggs to support SOS Bambini, and it will be an opportunity to provide a contribution and to get our name out there. We are also available Mondays from 5 to 6:30pm at the Campus Life area."

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