Youth engagement, support for seniors, cultural identity and education, but also keeping a vibrant and united community in an ever-changing world: these are some of the topics of discussion of the public forums organized by the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation in Montreal, as they celebrate their 50th anniversary.
“If we don’t do something together in our community, we’ll be forgotten,” said Joseph Broccolini, president of the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation.
All the insights collected will inform a province-wide report that will guide the foundation and other leaders in better understanding the community’s needs
“(To) get the feedback from the community as to what their needs are and where we should be targeting our funds,” said Broccolini.
The foundation says they’ve rarely had the opportunity to receive the opinions of Italian-Montrealers.
“We just felt like this was a way to open up the foundation,” said Alexandro Loffredi, the executive director of the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation.
“It is the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation and really for the general public to have a say in where the funds are going to be donated and what types of activities and events and initiatives and programs really are important to them.”
After the first public forum held on July 15 at the Leonardo Da Vinci Centre in Saint-Leonard, more meetings will take place in Laval and across Montreal and participants seem to believe it’s a great idea.
“Our parents are Italian immigrants — we are not Italian immigrants,” said participant, Marisa Portolese. “We are Italian-Canadians that were born here that come to the table with a different set of identity, politics, values that are, you know, in harmony with our parents, but also very different. And I think it’s important that we start to build our history here as Italian-Canadians”
“Make a change and create new and different types of events, perhaps, for the young professionals and the business owners and entrepreneurs in the Italian community,” said participant, Christina Capobianco.
Pat Buttino, the director general of the Leonardo Da Vinci Centre said he was glad to see the response at the event on Tuesday night.
“I’m anxious to hear what the comments are going to be and what are going to be said, so it will give some guidance to the five organizations that are here, to basically where we’re going and what we’re going to do in the future,” he said.
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“Everybody should get together and help us, like help each other, help yourselves,” said Nick Fiasche, vice-president of the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation. “Even if you have children or grandchildren, and don’t let them forget from where they came from.”
Loffredi says there is a new generation that wants to “to take up more space, that wants to be involved, that really wants to go back to the roots.”
“We want the next 50 years to have a lasting impact on our community, and this is really the first time it’s happening at this level,” he added.
