After the successful appointments in Venice, Milan and Turin, which witnessed the participation of over 250 representatives from local non-profit organisations, Techsoup arrives in Rome with the Digital Solidarity Tour. Today, September 24, non-profit organisations will meet and discuss technological innovation for the social sphere in an event promoted by Techsoup with the support of Microsoft Italy and the Fondazione Mondo Digitale.
The Digital Solidarity Tour, which after Rome will travel to Bari, Naples, Palermo, Pisa, Genoa and Bologna – are open to all local non-profit organisations interested in learning more about the innovative TechSoup Technological Donation Programme (www.techsoup.it), which provides access to low-cost products and cloud-based technology.
The event format includes an exchange of the scenarios (vision) in which technology is employed in the third sector by representatives of associations and academia. A subsequent phase will address the benefits of the donation programme and an overview of all the available benefits (advantages). The final session will showcase the experiences of local non-profits that already enjoy the Techsoup innovation programme (experiences).
The Roman event, hosted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, will be opened with a welcome by Rome Social Policy Councillor Francesca Danese and a reflection on innovation in the third sector by Alfonso Molina, Professor of Technology Strategy, University of Edinburgh and Scientific Director, Fondazione Mondo Digitale.
Testimonials include Gian Paolo Montini, Director General of the Rome Peter Pan Onlus, an association developed by the parents of children with cancer to provide concrete help to families in the same situation; Andrea Bossoletti, the IT Manager of the Comunità di Sant’Egidio and Emanuele Mattei, who will illustgrate the L’Angolo del Computer Project.
“As a tech company,” explains Paola Andreozzi, CSR Manager at Microsoft Italia, “we have observed the radical changes that our lives are undergoing thanks to digital tools and technology and how it influences the way in which we operate day in and day out. The social sphere can benefit greatly from technology that can reduce distances and improve the efficiency of any organisation. We have been promoting the importance of digital technology in the third sector for years and are happy that this year we are actually on tour. Thanks to this collaboration with TechSoup and the Fondazione Cariplo, which shares this mission, the Digital Solidarity Tour will bring the message of innovation throughout Italy and provide a direct access point to the Microsoft Software Donation Programme.
“Technology is fundamental for growth. We have to learn to use it and not cower from it: youth and elders alike, without any gender or age distinction. Avoiding the digital divide mean avoiding a cultural gap and the guarantee of democracy. It means devevloping a just society, guaranteeing gender equality. In this process, the third sector can play a key role,” points out Sergio Urbani, Secretary General, Fondazione Cariplo.
Stefano Sala, President of TechSoup Italy, declared: “The digital transformation of the third sector is a fundamental step towards a more solidary and equal society, but this change must also represent a sustainable reality for non-profits. The Techsoup Technology Donation Programme, developed thanks to the contribution of Microsoft, makes this transformation accessible to all non-profit associations.”
“We were born over 10 years ago from a challenge that wanted to transmit the inclusive potential of new technology to all the world. Today, the Global Junior Challenge has reached its 7th edition. Since then, we have brought Internet connectivity to refugees in the Sahara Desert, to welcome centres and elderly centres throughout Italy, to long-term hospitalised children and individuals with special needs,” explains Alfonso Molina, Professor of Technology Strategy, University of Edinburgh and Scientific Director, Fondazione Mondo Digitale.
Digital Solidarity – Innovating the Third Sector to Improve Local Environments
Thursday, September 24, 2015
9.30 – 12.30 am
Phyrtual Innovation Gym – Fondazione Mondo Digitale
Via del Quadraro 102 - Rome
The TechSoup Tour Initiative is supported by CSVNet and the Third Sector Forum.
