The Opening Ceremony for our Master in Project Management took place the 20th of July 2018 in Rome, and welcomed the new students into the School and the Community of fellows.
As part of the tradition, Marco Crescenzi, founder and President of Social Change School, warmly welcomed the students. The President expressed his happiness looking at such a promising and talented group of fellows and shared his sense of responsibility towards them and his enthusiasm thinking of their path from now on.
After his words, Andrea Stroppiana (from the NGO Ricerca e Cooperazione, Consultant of the European Commission projects and programs and long-time lecturer) held the Keynote Speech, presenting his experience and recalling his own first steps in the NonProfit world, wishing to inspire and give some inputs to the crowd.
The Master Director Alessio Di Carlo (from CooperAction Onlus and Social Change School alumnus) was there to accompany and support the new fellows too, glad to meet his new group of PMC students.
The representatives of some of our partners were present as well and greeted the students during this special and important day: Marcello Rossoni, Regional Director Middle East at INTERSOS, Alessandra Prampolini, Head of Sustainability Programme at WWF Italia, Dario De Nicola, Desk Officer Tanzania at CEFA, Andrea Sparro, Project Manager and Deployment Officer at GVC, Letizia Papotti, Human Resources Assistant at AVSI. This was the first meeting between our students and the partner organisations, and it is just the beginning of an ongoing relationship; during this year of Master our fellows will get to know different realities and people of the world of the NGOs, starting from the lecturers that, as every year, are sector professionals, and then meeting the HR of some of our partners when testing their skills in a job interview simulation.
During the morning, as per tradition, one of our new graduates, Noemi Spagnoletti, Project ManagerAssistant and alumna of our PMC Master Edition 2017, made a symbolic handover “entrusting” the banner of the Social Change School to one of our new students. She also shared her Master experience and the opportunities that the school offered her, she stressed the importance of being proactive students and of networking with the professionals met during the Master and the other fellows and to have the right attitude to take advantage of the many opportunities offered. Thanks to her proactive and positive attitude and to the support of the Career Development Service of the School, Noemi is now working for Coopermondo.
Students then met some members of the Staff, including Cinzia D’Intino, Head of Didactics and Master PMC Coordinator, who introduced herself and her experience as Project Manager in Tanzania, Lebanon and Zambia. After her own introduction, she then presented the didactic structure of the Master in Project Management, with the didactic areas and activities that students will undertake during the year.
During the afternoon, fellows presented themselves to their classmates and to the President, Master Director and Staff of the School. They shared their dreams and expectations, with inspiring and heartfelt words.
At the end of the day, our new fellows were very satisfied with this very first meeting, having particularly appreciated the opportunity of meeting some of our partners, the words of our alumna Noemi, and the chance they had to meet the rest of the students. Fellows were particularly grateful for the staff’s kindness and availability throughout the day, thanking the Head of Didactics for her availability to answer all their questions.
Thanks to all those who took part in it and good luck to our new fellows!