2 classes, 20 students between the ages of 12 to 17 and 20 different nationalities (such as Nigeria, Georgia, El Salvador, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, Cape Verde, and Cameroon): these are the numbers of the digital classes that power2Cloud has been following since June 2023 to fight educational poverty.
The activities, which are part of the Think Big! Educational Pacts for Designing the Future,are just one of the pathways, in partnership with the Dedalus Social Cooperative of Naples, that the children are following in full immersion once a week.
"Not just a time to learn, but to connect"
"Today's kids are mobile first, - tells Alessia Impagliazzo, Customer Success Manager power2Cloud -, they know how to use cell phones very well, not at all computers.
There are many things that seem obvious, but they are not at all. For a while we started practicing with readings and dictations in Italian, then moving to the Google Workspace Apps, but also to Canva and Shopify.
In the coming months, we will continue to deepen these digital solutions by prioritizing everyone's curiosity, timing, and skills, so as not to loosen involvement.
Last year - Alessia continues - I followed, again with Dedalus, the R.I.D.E. (Reach Inclusion Through Digital Empowerment For Migrant Women) project. An equally challenging path that gave great satisfaction, I hope it will be the same this time as well.
One thing is for sure, these kids have to work harder than me and anyone else not only to study, because language is the first hurdle, but it is not the only one. Yet potentially they have so many more opportunities, each knows at least 3 languages, some strategic even in tourism - business.
Making children aware of their gifts and aptitudes, connecting them with their dreams, but also with the concrete opportunities they can choose in the near future is important.
In addition to being very loving, they also have a lot to teach. Certainly my perspective has changed over time: face-to-face classes are not only a time to produce or learn something, but also to do team building, consolidate bonds and self-esteem, share important aspects for growth, regardless of everyone's future.
Planting a seed and providing the right tools is our duty, the rest is up to them."
inStazione and D'Ordia met with kids to tell about digitization
"Giving young people the chance to explore job outlets related to the digital world right away, it is in constant turmoil, is important," adds Giordano Iovine, CEO power2Cloud.
"Discovering this world and the realities of the area together can help them really understand what digital means, what the opportunities are, to understand whether this is a path of interest to them or not.
We are happy to support the Think Big project with Dedalus because it allows us to create synergies between kids and companies in the area and create a direct link to excellent international digital solutions such as those of Google Workspace or Shopify."
power2Cloud thought to involve, among its clients, realities such as inStazione and D'Ordia: different stories and verticals, united by a digitalization path and especially by successful uses cases.
inStazione is a conciergerie present not only in Campania (a chill zone present inside Garibaldi Station, but a presence also in Pompeii and Rome), and it is a format destined to grow.
It is precisely the two co-founders Chiara Gargiulo and Katia Cupo, along with their Marketing Manager Anja Trybushuk who reiterate the importance of key digital tools such as Google Workspace, HubSpot, and Shopify to scale sales and especially internal processes.
They are the ones who explain how to synchronize data and activities to know their customers better, sharing information in real time with all colleagues. Technology is only a means of efficiency and connection; it is human resources that make the difference above all.
Commitment is definitely the ingredient that unites many achievements. A reminder of this is also Simone Ciriello, D'Ordia eCommerce Manager, who follows with owner Luigi, all activities related to the sale.
Because having an online storefront is a bit like having an offline one, you have to take care of updating the homepage, uploading new products, sharing stories on social, taking new campaign photos, but also thinking about sponsorships, newsletters, shipping and much more.
Under the attentive gaze of the kids inStazione and D'Ordia welcomed them, shared details of their activities and answered any curiosity.
"With commitment, basics and the right tools, great things can be achieved!"
What was their impression?
Alisson's thoughts certainly are encouraging and urging to do more and more.
"It was a wonderful experience and opportunity," he writes, "of how with the help of the right basics and the right tools and that with commitment and doing what you love you can achieve great things, my interest in the course increased even more because of these two people we met. They have taught us a lot about the work they do and how they handle so many things and that of this course we are taking we can learn so many things."
"With kids we explore job outlets in digital"
"Reading this comment excites us!" concludes Giordano Iovine.
"We are happy to support the Think Big project, together with Dedalus, because it allows us to get to know better the realities of our area and make links between young people and emerging realities such as those of inStazione and D'Ordia, without forgetting digital solutions of excellence and international scope such as Google Workspace and Shopify.
I think it's important to also give young people the chance to explore job outlets related to the digital world that is in constant turmoil right away, to explore this world, compare themselves with some companies in the area, and help them understand whether it is of interest to them."
"A whole new world has opened up for kids!"
"The path related to digitization is demanding and the challenges are many," continues Fatima Ouazri, a cultural mediator from the Dedalus Social Cooperative and tutor of the project, "especially because we work with adolescent boys of developmental age who come from poorly digitized backgrounds.
There are those who studied computer science in school, those who wanted to learn more about certain topics intrigued by the potential of knowing how to use certain tools well.
The response was varied. There were those who realized they could target and enhance these capabilities, and those who had a completely different idea because they were used to using only their cell phones. A whole new world opened up for them, and this was part of the initial challenges of the project!
While on the one hand we present the potential that digitization offers, on the other, the educational one, we allow people to learn about local, national and international realities that use digital tools to improve their work or invent a new one."
"We started with Google Workspace. You never stop learning!"
"With the guys," says Stefano Pisacane, Deployment Specialist Google Workspace power2Cloud, "already last year we started a path to unleash skills, competencies and ideas. With a few little tips, we launched ourselves into the digital world and its tools.
We started with Google Workspace and its Apps for writing, organizing, storing and working with several hands on the same Document, comparing new features useful one tomorrow also in the working world.
Getting to know people of different ages, cultures, languages, and especially thoughts reminds us that each of us is unique and inimitable in our own way!
Human values such as respect, friendship and team spirit are what we all need to grow, because you never stop growing and learning!
As Socrates said, I know that I do not know. This knowledge leads each of us to push ourselves toward new goals, even those that initially seem unattainable."
"Let's create eCommerce by working in groups. Collaborating is a great lesson!"
"Classes with kids are undoubtedly the best experience of my life, especially because I understand how important it is to be able to convey something," concludes Francesca Grieco UX Designer power2Cloud.
"Everyone is very involved, always asking lots of questions and trying to practice what they learned right away. We work in groups: collaborating is the key to success and a great life lesson, not only for eCommerce projects.
When we began to envision what to sell online, we immediately thought of products that could pay off economically. The wackiest and most creative proposals came up. Not only selling shoes and clothing, but also wigs and technological or compostable materials, and that surprised me.
Roles are divided according to aptitude, those who are good at drawing will be in charge of creating graphics and campaign images, those who are more meticulous will move on to product management and uploading, and those who pay attention to economic details to orders and returns."
We'll see, maybe tomorrow, we'll find one of these eCommerce online, for now we keep working on it.