Inclusion, training, and merit: the Severino Foundation event

Inclusion, training, and merit

Severino Foundation Event

Friday, December 10, 2021 | 6:00 PM
Luiss Campus - Viale Pola 12 

and streaming on Luiss Social TV

“Legality is freedom,” Goethe’s famous phrase, perfectly captures the spirit behind the Severino Foundation’s “Legality and Merit,” established in December 2019. It was conceived by Paola Severino, Vice President of Luiss Guido Carli and President of the SNA – the National School of Administration.

The Foundation aims to promote education on the rule of law, offering support to disadvantaged individuals such as inmates, while also supporting the merit of talented students. On Friday, December 10, at 6:00 PM, in the “Mario Arcelli” Aula Magna at the Luiss campus on Viale Pola, there will be a presentation of the projects already completed and those ready to launch.

During the event, introduced by Professor Paola Severino, who will outline the Foundation’s many activities, there will also be performances of scenes from the play “Ramona e Giulietta” by the “Per Ananke” Association, featuring, among others, some former female inmates.

Finally, the documentary “Rebibbia Lockdown” will be shown. Directed by Fabio Cavalli and produced by Rai Cinema with Clipper Media, it chronicles the experience and exchange that began before the COVID-19 pandemic and continued during the lockdown. It features four Luiss university students and a group of inmates from the high-security wing of Rebibbia prison. The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and aired for the first time on Rai1, portrays the anxieties and fears sparked by the pandemic, both outside and within the prison system.

And it is precisely in this area of education and re-education in legality that the Severino Foundation focuses its actions and efforts.

The Foundation also provides pro bono legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, as well as to those who are incarcerated or have been incarcerated. Together with them, and on their behalf, the Foundation promotes positive educational pathways that give concrete form to the rehabilitative purpose of sentencing, with the goal of facilitating full reintegration into society.

But that’s not all. Among the Foundation’s other pillars, there’s also support in various forms for deserving students, in strong continuity with the “Legality and Merit in Schools” project. This initiative was launched in 2017 from an idea by the Luiss Vice President herself and developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of University and Research, the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate, and the National Anti-Corruption Authority.

For the past four years, this initiative has engaged high school students, young inmates from various Italian juvenile detention centers, and Luiss university students in raising awareness and fostering dialogue about the values of legality and merit, a culture of shared responsibility, rules and civic responsibility, transparency, and respect for common goods.

Finally, the Severino Foundation helps support the Ebron project. This initiative provides housing in a group home run by the Ain Karim Association for women who are former inmates, currently under house arrest, or placed on probation by social services. The foundation guides and supports them on their journey to achieving full independence and reintegrating into society.

“Legality offers an extraordinary opportunity for social inclusion, and education is a fundamental tool to combat the scourge of corruption, which has traditionally been at odds with merit,” stated Paola Severino, Vice President of Luiss Guido Carli. She added, “That’s why, for some time now, I’ve wanted to create this Foundation to support disadvantaged individuals and those who are incarcerated. I firmly believe that providing training, job prospects, and new opportunities for integration can be a first step in helping people find the strength to take action and look to their future with greater confidence.” The fact that we’ve managed to carry out so many projects over the past two years is primarily thanks to the dedication of everyone who has contributed their time and expertise to our Foundation.”