Mediobanca Group, Milan Council and CUS Milan together again to promote social inclusion. New rugby piych inaugurated in Baggio
New initiative as part of the INSIEME project, which has seen more than 1,000 young people from the suburbs of Milan involved since 2017.
A new rugby pitch was inaugurated today at the San Giovanni Bosco parish oratory in Via Mar Nero 10, in the Baggio district of Milan. This is now the third initiative of this kind implemented as part of the TOGETHER/INSIEME social inclusion project promoted by the Mediobanca Group together with CUS Milano Rugby and the Milan City Council.
After the new rugby and volley pitches were opened at the Sant’Agnese parish oratory in the Quarto Oggiaro area in 2017, the project continued in 2019 with the inauguration of the rugby pitch in Via Cambini near Via Padova. More than a thousand young people have been involved in sports activities in their respective areas through the project.
Today’s inauguration ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala, the Chief Executive Officer of the Mediobanca Group Alberto Nagel, and Sergio Vicinanza, Chairman of CUS Milano Rugby. The Milan-based club will again manage and co-ordinate the activities at the new rugby pitch, with the support of a team of educators and qualified technical staff under the co-ordination of former Italian national rugby star Diego Dominguez.
TOGETHER/INSIEME is a project addressed to pupils attending primary and secondary schools located in certain peripheral areas of Milan which are among the most vulnerable in terms of their economic and social conditions. The main objective is to pass on the basic values of sport, in a project involving up to 1,500 children and young people, boys and girls, aged from 4 to 16 years.
"Promises are meant to be kept”, said Giuseppe Sala, the mayor of Milan, “especially if they’re made to children and young people. After Quarto Oggiaro and Via Padova, we said we would develop a rugby pitch in Baggio as well, and finally, even in spite of all the difficulties caused by the pandemic, we’ve done so. I’d like to thank all those who’ve worked so hard on this project, from Mediobanca to CUS Milano Rugby, from the San Giovanni Bosco parish to all the volunteers. In the suburban areas of Milan, the largest ones in particular which are where the highest number of families with children are concentrated, sport is an opportunity for to socialize and develop, to have fun and learn. Young people learn to play by the rules, teamwork, the importance of hard work to obtain results, and respect for their opponents. The values of sport, rugby in particular, can be a great ally in giving young people prospects and teaching them life skills. And not just; also for urban regeneration in a given area, starting with the youngest members of its population".
“We believe in the value of sport as a factor for social inclusion and as a tool for integrating the most vulnerable members of society, the ones who are most at risk in terms of marginalization”, said Mediobanca CEO Alberto Nagel. “In these four years we have helped develop physical spaces and offered opportunities for socializing, which have become even more important following all the various lockdowns, especially for young people in difficult circumstances”.
“The commitment and hard work of the Milan City Council, the Mediobanca Group, the San Giovanni Bosco parish, CUS Milano Rugby and all the many other volunteers have brought us to the point where we’re able to celebrate another joint public/private success. We’ve worked hard to facilitate the inclusion and integration of these young people, through playing sport and the values that come with it. My hope is that the beauty of these redeveloped spaces and the enthusiasm of the people who come here is a suitable reward for those who have made all this possible”, said Sergio Vicinanza, Chairman of CUS Milano Rugby.
Milan, 22 September 2021