Cutting-edge training

Zurich and Junior Achievement promote financial and insurance culture in schools

Zurich@School 2026 edition: 30 high school classes with a total of over 570 students from all over Italia involved.

by School Editorial

17 April 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

The project
Participants
Development of a real business idea
Winning project award ceremony

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The 4th edition of Zurich@School, the Zurich project aimed at promoting insurance and financial education in high schools and accompanying the new generations in the development of skills useful for the world of work, has come to an end.

The project

The initiative, realised by Zurich in collaboration with Junior Achievement Italia, a non-profit organisation dedicated to entrepreneurial and economic education and orientation for young people, is part of a path launched by the Z Zurich Foundation in 2023, with the aim of involving an increasing number of students and contributing in a concrete way to the formation of the skills needed to face the challenges of the future.

Participants

The edition that has just ended involved 30 high school classes for a total of more than 570 students from all over Italia, called upon to respond to a concrete challenge on the theme of protection: to devise innovative solutions in the field of insurance, capable of protecting people, goods, data or the environment. The classes were supported in their work by Zurich mentors who made their time and expertise available to the initiative.

The declarations

"For us, Zurich@School represents an investment in the generations that will build tomorrow," underlined Bruno Scaroni, Country CEO of Zurich Italia. Promoting financial and insurance education means making a concrete contribution to forming more aware citizens and professionals, capable of protecting themselves, others and the environment in which they live. We want to transfer our skills to young people and help them find their way in an ever-changing socio-economic context. It is through initiatives like this one that we contribute to reducing the distance between school and the world of work and to strengthening a more widespread and conscious culture of protection in the country, a concrete commitment with which Zurich looks to the future, starting with the young".

"The partnership with Zurich Italia shows how volunteering expertise can become a real driver of change when it enters schools on a permanent basis. In three years, more than 100 professionals have dedicated more than 1,000 hours alongside students, helping to build a model of collaboration that is now active nationwide and growing steadily," added Miriam Cresta, CEO of Junior Achievement Italia. "In a country where many young people still do not have access to financial and entrepreneurial education, having involved more than 1,500 students in this three-year period is a concrete result, made possible also thanks to the strong commitment of the management in promoting dialogue and a culture of responsibility between business and school.

Development of a real business idea

Organised in teams, the participants worked on the development of a real business idea, building a complete business case: from the conception of the product or service to the definition of the business model and, in some cases, the creation of a prototype. This experience allows the participants to acquire not only technical skills, but also entrepreneurial and transversal competences - such as critical thinking, autonomy and problem solving skills - that are fundamental for dealing with complex and constantly evolving contexts. Throughout the course, the teams are supported by teachers and a dedicated tutor, a Zurich employee, who guides them through the various stages of the project and helps them find their way in the insurance world. The final event was attended by more than 150 students, who presented their innovative projects in front of Zurich Italia's management, at the end of a 4-month course.

The award ceremony for the winning project

The day ended with the award ceremony for the winning project, Cinema Safe & Fun, created by class 4° A SIA of the Istituto G. Deledda of Lecce: an innovative insurance policy designed to protect spectators' cinema experience. The project tackles an often underestimated barrier: the fear of "wasting" a ticket for a film that does not meet expectations.