Social and Gender Equality as a Systemic Strategy for Social and Sustainable Innovation

Parma, 22 June – 2 July 2025 – Project UNITAFRICA

CUCI (University Centre for International Cooperation), Strada Massimo D'Azeglio 85, 43100 Parma

At a time when social and gender inequalities hinder global development, the Summer School Social and Gender Equality as a Systemic Strategy for Social and Sustainable Innovation offers a training space for reflection, practice, and transformation. Organized within the framework of the UNITAFRICA project, this educational experience aims to train socially conscious innovators, capable of acting with fairness and responsibility.

Participants are expected to arrive on June 22, 2025. The course will take place on June 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, and July 1, with departure scheduled for July 2. The daily schedule will follow a well-defined structure:

9:30 AM – 12:30 PM: peer sharing and interdisciplinary reflections
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM: lunch break
2:30 PM – 5:30 PM: group work, workshops, and practical projects
June 23 will be dedicated to socialization and intercultural integration activities.

The program, organized in collaboration with Ashoka Italy, covers the following topics:

integration of social and gender equity in entrepreneurship
design of inclusive interventions
ethical leadership and diversity management
testimonies from African social entrepreneurs

Over the course of ten intensive days, participants from South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Senegal, and Tanzania, with backgrounds in anthropology, sociology, economics, and political science, will explore how gender and social justice can serve as drivers of social and sustainable transformation.

The program promotes a holistic approach to gender equality by integrating inclusive theory and practice in support of social entrepreneurship. From sociology to design thinking, from African social innovators to real-world consulting challenges, the Summer School offers an interdisciplinary path that crosses both disciplines and geographic boundaries.

The Summer School is organized in collaboration with Ashoka (www.ashoka.org), one of the leading international NGOs committed to promoting social innovation on a global scale.

Among the lecturers and speakers will be Nadia Monacelli, Director of the CUCI Center (University Center for International Cooperation), Dr. Francesca Cavallini, Janet Maro, founder of Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT), Naomi Betsy Mwaura Njeri, founder of the Flone Initiative Kenya, Enrica Cornaglia representing Ashoka Italy, Prof. Laura Ghirardi, Prof. Gianluca Maestri, Prof. Luca Caricati, Prof. Martina Giuffré, and Research Fellow Dr. Elisabetta Dall’O.

All the interviews from the Summer School can be found on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CUCI_Unipr

Social and Gender Equality as a Systemic Strategy for Social and Sustainable Innovation

Parma, 22 June – 2 July 2025 – Project UNITAFRICA

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