THE CORNERSTONES

To educate is to introduce the totality of reality: to guide, to support, to accompany the other to encounter, to discover, to understand reality in all its aspects, in all its factors, in all its facets, up to the decisive questions of life: what is the value, the ultimate meaning of reality? Who am I?

An educator is one who is committed to one’s own humanity, not in a fragmented way by dividing up the individual elements of existence (profession, family, politics, relationships, free time, study…), but in a unified way, that is, by committing oneself in the first person in every sphere of life, recognising that in every moment resides the possibility of self-fulfilment. To educate is the responsibility that is asked of each of the Foundation’s collaborators; for this reason, everyone who works for the Foundation is an Educator: this is their role, whatever their task.

The path to work is called training, in all the developmental ages of man. Training encompasses both a technical and a human aspect.

On the technical side, the Foundation supports high-quality training activities in line with the most current demands of the labour market, opening up to collaboration with companies and specialised professionals offering cutting-edge skills. To work at one’s best, in addition to technical skills, it is necessary to have self-esteem and to know how to relate to others; for this reason, the Foundation proposes and supports training courses that help everyone rediscover the value of self, one’s own abilities and skills.

Work is the place where a person discovers and makes the most of his or her talents, brings his or her intelligence and energy into play, learns that he or she is made, in the image of God, to create something beautiful, good, true; and, at the same time, realises that there is nothing created that can fully satisfy his or her desire.

Work is the basic condition for everyone to be themselves, to discover their place in the world and the concreteness of reality. Labor, in Latin, means fatigue, the fatigue of obeying, of adhering to something that is other than oneself; therefore, the necessary condition for living the experience of work that the Foundation proposes. For this reason, the Foundation’s challenge is to accompany everyone it meets to work, not just finding a place, but its own place.

The Foundation is open to the development of all research and technology transfer projects that might arise from the encounter with companies, understood as an opportunity for professional training to also grapple with real problems from the corporate world.

By the term ‘sustainability’, the Foundation means a way of working that respects and protects the delicate balance between the individual and his or her surroundings, taking care of the common home as an environment and as a place to cultivate interactions between people, cultures and economic, political and social institutions.

It is becoming increasingly important to learn to cooperate in order to live in a rapidly changing environmental, social and economic context. For this reason, the Foundation’s sustainability, including economic sustainability, is built in its relations with territories, institutions, companies, families and all those who, for various reasons, support its purpose.