Eleven years pass by quickly! Journalists write articles using the third person, in a professional and detached way, but this time it is not possible. How can I be detached speaking of something who has personally involved mefor eleven years? I am talking about the Mentoring USA/Italy Project which I consider a unique opportunity to give roomforfree and deep human relationship.

The intuition of Mrs. Matilda Raffa Cuomo – who I have had the great honor of meeting in more than an occasion – is simply a genius one: offering to a young person the possibility of referring to a Mentor through the relationship one-to-one. Believe me: the impact with someone outside the confront with his or her peers can give freedom of choice also at nine or ten. It is like meeting a friend who is not a member of a group or for fear of being alone but because it's Him. On the other hand – in my place as a Mentor – it happens the same thing, the only difference is that I can have a more complete picture from my point of view, more awareness and responsibility as well.

Hence the urge to give the best: better values, better availability and so on. A young person is an attentive judge when you're down: this condition is not completely accepted. Young person are like special "battery chargers": Raffaella, Michela, Francesco, Enza...how many of them I have met and how much space we would need to tell just one episode. It is not easy to keep up with young people motivations and expectations, but when you get recognized it is a great emotion, a real success.

Eleven years...has it passed so much time? It still seems the beginning of a beautiful journey!

Rosa Scarpa

in the picture, in the middle, Rosa Scarpa and the group of mentors and mentees