Social Inclusion
We promote social inclusion as a key value in creating value for communities
The marginalization of the most vulnerable members of society is damaging for the whole community from every perspective. Each individual has their own contribution to make to developing the local area and the community in which they live, but needs support and a solid and inclusive social network to do so.
Based on this conviction, we support many projects for people and families in especially vulnerable situations, with the aim of helping them to reintegrate into the community, and for young people likely to leave school early and at risk of social marginalization.
UNHCR
Following its support for the UNHCR programme for the protection of refugee women, Mediobanca has strengthened its partnership with the UN refugee agency, renewing its commitment in favour of the integrated programme for the protection of unaccompanied foreign minors in Italy.
The main aim of this initiative is to come alongside minors from the time when they arrive in Italy, helping them overcome the main difficulties involved in making a new start: from learning the language, to developing social relations, knowing their rights in terms of being integrated into the education system, and helping them find job opportunities.
In particular, Mediobanca works alongside UNHCR in promoting and reinforcing recognition of the role of the “volunteer tutor”, a key figure in the programme for welcoming and offering protection to minors, many of whom are children, at what is an extremely delicate phase of the process.
INSIEME is a long-term project developed in conjunction with CUS Milano Rugby and the city council of Milan to promote sport for young people from socially disadvantaged situations and at risk of exclusion in certain areas on the outskirts of Milan. Launched in 2017 in the Quarto Oggiaro area, the INSIEME initiative was gradually extended to the Via Padova and Baggio areas too. The project involves providing instruction in sports such as rugby, volleyball and light athletics, with the occasional participation of volunteers from the Bank. Mediobanca has also financed the refurbishment of some of the most run-down sports facilities in the areas targeted by the programme, to improve access and quality of the facilities used for sport.
The project has been renewed for a third three-year period, from 2023 to 2026.
Mediobanca has renewed its commitment in favour of social inclusion for young offenders, by supporting a second round of the Orizzonti (Horizons) project, developed in conjunction with Fondazione Francesca Rava - NPH Italia ETS.
In its first year, the project involved institutions for juvenile offenders located in Milan, Pontremoli, Rome, Naples, Bari and Catanzaro, activating reintegration programmes featuring manual, educational and training activities. Initiatives implemented included: graffiti and redevelopment of areas, courses on CPR and how to stop choking, workshops on gardening and cutting and decoration, coupled with career guidance sessions and mentoring from specialized professionals, with the involvement of volunteers from Mediobanca and its subsidiaries.
In its second year, the project has expanded with the inclusion of institutions in Bologna and Palermo, and has been further strengthened with new programmes and workshops, with the aim of developing more practical skills with a view to facilitating social reintegration.
“Weaving the Future” is the name given to a three-year textiles innovation and sustainability programme launched in 2024 by Mediobanca in conjunction with the “Oliver Twist” school run by Cometa. The project is intended to create value for the community, with reference in particular to young people, especially those in vulnerable situations.
The aim of the initiative is to provide training for young people to help them find work in the textile production chain, from designing to actually making the fabrics, to application and product packaging, with a particular focus on digital skills and environmental sustainability, both of which are key factors for the sector’s development.
Through the school-enterprise model, the objective is to build and develop the specific capabilities required in order to help the young people approach the job market, offering tailor-made courses to help address the phenomenon of early school-leaving and encouraging them to complete their training and so improve their chances of finding work.
More than a hundred young people were involved in the first year of the project, along with 19 teachers and tutors. Some Mediobanca staff members also took part as volunteers, coming alongside the students as they performed their activities.
See press release
In the United Kingdom, the Mediobanca London branch office supports local charity St Mungo’s, including volunteering activities by some of the branch colleagues, to help the homeless find secure housing.
Health is a fundamental and inalienable human right. Assistance for the sick is not only important medically but also in human and psychological terms. For this reason, we support charities operating in and around Milan that provide assistance in the healthcare and social services areas.
Mediobanca supports VIDAS, a charity which provides complete healthcare and assistance free of charge to patients suffering with terminal cancer, both at home and in the Casa Vidas hospice in Milan. Our contribution to the association is addressed specifically to the Children’s Respite Home, which provides care and respite for children and young people at advanced stages of incurable diseases and their families.
Mediobanca supports the “Associazione San Fedele” charity, which has been active in tackling healthcare and social poverty in Milan for around seventy years now, providing assistance to the most vulnerable members of society.