«When you go into space you arrive in hostile, marginalized environments. This is why I am convinced that those who come from difficult situations have an advantage.” The astronaut Roberto Vittori thus encourages the children of the thirteen schools in Campania who have joined the project Space Village and which culminated in the inauguration of the «Space Young Hub»the first Italian incubator for start-ups of young students in the space sector.
The headquarters is in the scientific high school «Francesco Severi» Of Castellammare di Stabiawhere the ribbon cutting ceremony took place, in the presence of the Undersecretary for Education and Merit, Paola Frassinettiwith the regional councilor Valeria Fascioneastrophysics Mariafelicia De Laurentis and astronaut Vittori.
«Excellent structures and projects like these are welcome – said Undersecretary Frassinetti – schools must be encouraged, especially in difficult areas, encouraging children to follow innovative directions which can also be important for the development of the South and of Italy as a whole in a sector in which our country boasts many excellences.”
The excellences
The Space Young Hub is part of the activities of the broader Space Village project, created by the start-up Space Holidays in collaboration with the Campania Aerospace District – DAC, Intesa SanPaolo, the companies Space Factory, ALI SpA, Marscenter and the patronage of the Italian Space Agency – ASI. Important collaborations which have the main objective of bringing secondary school students closer to the world of space technologies, and more generally of innovation, creating a tutoring path for the launch of new “young” start-ups and a process of growth of the youth enterprise.
An active part in the project are Roberto Vittori and Mariafelicia De Laurentis, who accompanied the young people in the courses and in the selection of the most interesting start-up ideas. «The promise was kept. This is an important step for creating a path, difficult but not impossible, to develop new job opportunities and put a stop to the continuous bleeding of young people from the South” is Vittori’s thought.
«I have often given very low marks to the kids’ projects, because it is important for them to understand that selection and commitment are important – added De Laurentis – I myself started from a small town in southern Italy and I was in the team that photographed the black hole and now I coordinate an international group of scientists. My greatest satisfaction was being able to receive a direct call from my university to teach the kids.”
Training
For Valeria Fascionecouncilor for Research, Innovation and Startups of the Campania Region, la Space Economy «It represents one of the most interesting development trajectories of the world economy. Campania expresses a significant wealth of knowledge and businesses that place it among the most active regions in the sector, thanks also to the signing of protocols with ESA, ASI and ENAC to allow testing and verification of products and services. The inauguration of the “Space Young Hub” stimulates the birth of new youth businesses.” Satisfied too Luigi Carrinopresident of Campania Aerospace District: «This first hub represents not only a springboard for the many brilliant minds of our territory, but also a tangible contribution against the flight of talent from the South. This project, supported by the DAC, is a concrete example of how innovation and training can converge to create new job opportunities and stimulate youth entrepreneurial growth.”
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