Values

The activities and decisions in the selection procedure on projects of the Barbara and Roberto Conza Foundation are based on the following values and selection criteria:

Learning is a key function in human life at the level of social organization and at the level of the personal development of every individual. The macroeconomic performance and the size of the range within individuals can determine and design their lives are both closely related to it. The initiatives of the Barbara und Roberto Conza Stiftung refer to different levels of learning capacity. The support of young academic and up- and-coming artistic talent is one of main objectives of the foundation. The foundation promotes and facilitates high-quality standards in the learning processes and working environment as a basis for superior performance.

01.

The public mass systems for education cannot maximally meet the needs of

all learners. Individuals with learning disabilities on the one side and

individuals with high learning capacity, willingness and exceptional

creative power on the other have special educational needs. For these

two groups, the Foundation advocates complementary learning alternatives

that begin where regular instruction ends.In addition, the foundation

supports innovative learning projects at the level of regular schooling

and studies.

02.

Barbara Conza August 2000

03.

To ensure quality formal education, the learning landscape is continuously being developed. The view of learning must be constantly renewed involving innovative models of teaching and learning. The Barbara and Roberto Conza Foundation deals with the question of the conditions for the best possible learning. At best, learning is inspired, self-forgetting, fluid, it leads to complacency, mindfulness and seeks its culmination in innovative participation in the performance and humanitarian development of society.

04.

Excellent education programs in science and art are essential for the humanitarian maturing of society, for solidification of peaceful coexistence and to give dignity to the individual human beeing. Excellent education may awake the good in man, arouse empathy and tolerance in individuals and groups.

05.

Cultural progress is a result of new answers and better solutions to human questions and problems. Switzerland's innovation system is well positioned but there is room for improvement in the recruitment and promotion of young talents who use their creative spirit and their knowledge and skills to develop these new answers and solutions.

06.

Creative learning is a significant concept as a prerequisite for the participation of the individual in the human community. The subjective quality of life depends largely on the experience of good learning experiences, i.e. the experience of self-efficacy and the achievement of personal goals through acquired knowledge and skills. In their phase of life, young people benefit particularly strongly from self-chosen learning projects, which they experience over a longer period of time as a meaningful, identity-building part of their lives. Contact with other learners also plays an important role in establishing identity. In personal learning projects, unlike in conventional teaching, cultural assets are not simply passed on to the learners, but the spirit that produces these cultural assets is awakened in them.

07.

Quality learning is determined by the learning atmosphere and the characteristics of the environment. With personal learning projects that take place in a supportive environment, there is a great opportunity for excellence.

08.

The Barbara and Roberto Conza Foundation is a foundation with Swiss identity. Switzerland's identity includes the interest and competence to act in the international arena. For young learners from Switzerland, a view of other cultures and contact with learners from other countries is important for assessing one's own performance and opening doors for self-fulfillment and cooperation on a global scale. The exchange experience promotes the finding of an own identity. The Barbara and Roberto Conza Foundation's field of activity has its focus in Switzerland but does not end at the national border. Learning contacts with other countries, especially with learners from countries that have few resources to promote education, falls back positively on learners from Switzerland. One of the foundation's principles for project development and funding is therefore: "local presence - global outlook."

Origin

The Barbara and Roberto Conza Foundation was established in 2015. Its financial basis is the assets that the Ticino-born lawyer Roberto Conza left to his wife Barbara Conza on his death in 2013. The purpose of the foundation is made up of the personal interests of Roberto Conza, who was enthusiastic about art and science, and the concerns of Barbara Conza, who dedicated her professional life to promoting the development of children, teenagers and young adults. The unifying focus of the interests of Roberto and Barbara Conza is the support of learning processes of young people to develop their personality and to acquire competences under special learning conditions, on the one hand in the sense of difficult learning and on the other hand in the sense of highly developed artistic or scientific learning abilities. Throughout their lives, Roberto and Barbara Conza maintained a radius of vision that extended beyond the borders of Switzerland. For a few years they lived in Italy, but for the greater part of their common life they lived in Switzerland. Barbara Conza grew up in Wilderswil in the canton of Bern. Barbara Conza died there in 2020. The Barbara and Roberto Conza Foundation is recognized by the tax authorities as a non-profit organization and is tax-exempt.

The Barbara and Roberto Conza Foundation sees itself both as a donor foundation and as an operational foundation.

As a donor foundation, it provides financial support for learning projects of organizations and individuals.

As an operative foundation, the Barbara and Roberto Conza Foundation either initiates its own projects and realizes them itself. These are primarily projects in the field of "innovative learning". At present, the foundation is concentrating operationally on the lead project "Lernwerkstatt - Encouraging Science, Inspiring Art".

Foundation Board

Application

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