Amaze. Explore. Motivate. Guide. These are the four key concepts for the new edition of the residential internship programme of the Me.Mo. (Merit and Social Mobility) project promoted by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies

From Monday 19 to Wednesday 21 May, the new edition of the residential internship programme of the Me.Mo. (Merit and Social Mobility) project will kick off. Promoted by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, the programme is aimed at 120 fourth-year high school students selected on the basis of merit and background in potentially economically and socially fragile contexts. The aim of Me.Mo., a completely free orientation programme launched in 2013 and funded by the PNRR through the MERITA - La rete per il talento (The Talent Network) project, and supported by the Fondazione Il Talento all'Opera and the Laviosa Foundation, is to support deserving students from fragile socio-economic backgrounds (first generation students) in making a more informed choice of university.

Thanks to the MERITA network, which brings together some of the most important centres of excellence in Italian higher education (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Collegio Superiore dell'Università di Bologna, Scuola Galileiana di Studi Superiori dell'Università di Padova, Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati della Sapienza Università di Roma), in the 2024/2025 edition, the Me.Mo. project has grown significantly and now involves 610 participants from all Italian regions, selected for their family and socio-economic background, and not only for their academic performance.

An immersive experience on campus

The three-day residential programme has been designed to offer interactive lessons, workshops, mock university entrance exams, and opportunities for open discussion with lecturers, influencers, and prominent figures. The aim is twofold: to share current issues and to encourage participants to talk about their own study and work experiences. An important step towards greater awareness of career paths and choices is also the opportunity to see the university environment up close, experience college life and meet researchers and students, even in informal settings.

Amaze, explore, motivate, guide to imagine a new future

The programme revolves around the four key concepts that underpin Me.Mo.'s philosophy: amaze, explore, motivate, guide. People who are capable of making a difference must have the opportunity to amaze, by making an impact on the crucial challenges of our time, such as the fight against climate change and the sustainable development goals; to explore, by getting to know the laboratories where research is carried out; to motivate, by understanding the modern world, imagining the future and giving free rein to ideas and creativity. Finally, the aim is to try to guide or “disorientate” participants through a better understanding of the tools available to them for making choices and of themselves as individuals and future students.

The Me.Mo. programme

The opening event is scheduled for Monday 19 May at 3 p.m. in the Aula Magna of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, with institutional greetings from Nicola Vitiello, Rector of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, and Patrizia Alma Pacini, President of the Il Talento all'Opera Foundation.

On Tuesday 20 May, there will be a focus on sustainability issues, with participants having the opportunity to visit Peccioli and the Belvedere waste disposal and treatment plant.

On Wednesday 21 May, in the Aula Magna of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, there will be a discussion on self-awareness and how to approach university access (organised by CISIA, the Interuniversity Consortium for Integrated Access Systems).