Third sector

Volunteering skills, testimonies of the 'Volunteer@Work' award winners

The experiences of realities active in the practice of social responsibility: ST Foundation, EOS Edison Orizzonte Sociale, Airc Foundation, Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco Rome

by Claudia Angelini, Roberto Battaglia, Daniela Fratantonio, Matteo Marullo Reedtz

18 April 2025

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Key points

"Improved corporate reputation"
"Objective to generate value in territories"
"A marketplace of competence"
"A future for young people in need"

4' min read

"Improved corporate reputation"

"The computer education project in prisons started in 2009".

We are very proud of the Terzjus Award and want to dedicate it to all our volunteers. STMicroelectronics has decided to participate in the "Volunteer@Work" award to raise awareness of volunteering expertise in the company. In 2001, under the leadership of engineer Pasquale Pistorio, ST created ST Foundation, responding to the request of the UN Task Force on ICT, with the aim of closing the digital divide in the world.

Since then, we have touched the lives ofover one million final beneficiaries, improving their quality of life through digital skills, which are increasingly indispensable today. The computer education in prisons project nominated for the award started in 2009.

I believe that companies today, more than ever, have a great social responsibility and corporate volunteering is the means to give back to the communities in which they operate. The return generated is great: you improve corporate reputation and create a positive corporate culture, key elements to motivate colleagues and attract new talent.

Among the benefits for employees, I see personal development, greater job satisfaction, reduced stress, and the development of transversal skills such as empathy, team spirit, flexibility and agility. I take as an example a colleague from ST's Catania site, a mother of three young children, who wants to be part of the volunteer team to donate time and expertise, despite her busy schedule. ST encourages participation in volunteering even during working hours, providing an annual amount of hours that employees can extend with their holidays.

Claudia Angelini, Country Manager ST Foundation Italy

Volontari@Work, Edison e Airc premiati per volontariato di competenza

"Objective to generate value in the territories"

'The Good Idea project also includes teaching Italian to foreigners'.

"We are very proud of this recognition that goes to all the Edison colleagues who have proposed, developed and managed Good Idea projects, creating a deep connection between Edison and EOS Foundation, a real collective social intelligence, at the same time concrete and linked to local communities". With these words, Francesca Magliulo, Director of Fondazione EOS Edison Orizzonte Sociale ETS, described the project's profound significance. At Edison, corporate volunteering is an integral part of the business culture and reflects the desire to generate value in the territories. With 'Good Idea - Good projects are born from within', a virtuous path has been set in motion that starts from people and focuses on knowledge of the local context, active participation and the desire to build genuine social impact.

In 2024, the first projects were launched. In 2025, more than 120 Edison people will be involved, more than 1,000 volunteer hours - more than 50% outside working hours - and benefits for more than 700 people, including adolescents, school classes, teachers, educators and Third Sector organisations. The projects range from teaching Italian to foreigners to integration courses for adolescents.

Each initiative, born from an internal idea, was realised thanks to multidisciplinary teams. An example of how the energy of people can become an engine for change, strengthening the sense of belonging and creating a caring, supportive and active corporate community.

Matteo Marullo Reedtz, EOS Foundation, Edison Social Horizon

"A marketplace of competence"

'Central to the Airc Angels project is the support of professionals'.

The 'Airc Angels' programme was set up in 2022 to accompany the Foundation's growth, as well as new hires, with professionals ready to lend their expertise.

The experience developed is based on a 'competence marketplace' that crosses certain evolutionary needs of the Foundation (on areas such as recruiting, training, compliance, logistics and IT) with the knowledge of volunteers from corporate realities who are able to work out and deliver a solution and cooperate with Airc people to transfer part of their expertise.

After three years, the results are encouraging. The Airc organisation benefits from a high level of professional input that it would not have been able to afford under ordinary conditions. Employees can count on the transfer of experience that comes from working alongside Airc Angels. Volunteers feel the impact of their contribution and show gratitude and pride in being part of the Airc community. Partner companies can enhance an internal capital made up of altruism and solidarity that turns into social value, but also a greater sense of belonging.

The programme demonstrated the extraordinary impact that askill volunteering with a good project can have for a non-profit organisation and the benefits for companies that take this path with a medium to long term vision integrated with new talent development policies.

Roberto Battaglia, chief operating officer Airc Foundation.

"A future for young people in need"

"Thirty young people placed in companies where they were trained".

As Casa Salesiana Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco we are very honoured to have received a special mention for the 'Volontari@Work' award, promoted by Fondazione Terzjus.

We believe very much in voluntary work and for several years, together with many companies on the local and national scene, we have developed an innovative and effective model of intervention, aimed at job placement ofyoung people in difficulty.

The project, which led to this recognition, saw the collaboration betweenAlice Pizza and the Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco, which enabled the vocational training and job placement of 30 young people in situations of marginalisation and social hardship. A virtuous process took place in which the resources and skills of the company met the skills and resources of the Third Sector and together, in a spirit of intentionality and reciprocity, they positively and concretely affected the lives and futures of many young people.

This partnership between profit and non-profit has achieved a twofold objective: that of professionally training young people coming out of reception facilities and that of finding resources to be included in the workforce of the company itself that provided the training. A concrete example of a win win policy.

Competence volunteering confirms itself as a valuable resource that allows skills to be shared and put to use, turning them into opportunities for people.

Daniela Fratantonio, External Relations Manager Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco Roma