Support for refugee children and young adults with the “Growing Up” project

Intesa Sanpaolo supports the "Growing Up" project run by the Italian Council for Refugees dedicated to the social inclusion of foreign children and young adults aged between 16 and 23.

The aim is to assist them along the path of growth and towards full autonomy in respect of their actual, emotional and psychological age.

In greater detail, activities included:

• psychological-social workshops aimed at listening to their needs and wishes, strengthening their skills
• legal workshops to provide essential information on employment contracts and related rights and obligations
• language courses, vocational training and apprenticeships for school and work placements
• facilitation of self-reliance for housing, including through the provision of rental and home-stay contributions.

A total of 111 boys and girls were helped in the first six months of the project: 15 girls and 96 boys from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Senegal, Guinea, Gambia, Colombia, Egypt, Tunisia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Albania, Nigeria, Ukraine, Ivory Coast, El Salvador, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Syria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Philippines, Iraq, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Peru, Somalia and Ghana.

In recent years, the presence of unaccompanied foreign children in Italy has gradually increased. At 30 June 2024, there were 20,206 unaccompanied foreign children in Italy.