10 July 2009 - Tivoli, Italy
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today met with more than eighty Canadian students who are studying Italian language and culture in Italy through the Centro Scuola e Cultura Italiana.
"For more than 30 years, the Centro Scuola has helped thousands of Canadian students connect with their Italian roots," said the Prime Minister. "This is just one example of the strong bonds of friendship that connect the people of Italy with Canadians and, in particular, Canadians of Italian descent."
Founded by Alberto Di Giovanni, the Centro Scuola e Cultura Italiana takes 300 to 500 Canadian students of Italian descent to Italy each year, for Italian language and culture summer courses accredited via local school boards. This year, because of the damage and population displacement caused by the Abruzzo Earthquake, many of the students had to be redirected to towns outside the region.
"In virtually every field of endeavor – be it the arts, sciences, business or politics – our country has been immeasurably enriched by the contributions of Canadians of Italian heritage," said the Prime Minister. "I congratulate Alberto Di Giovanni and the entire Centro Scuola for building on this tradition by providing this incredible opportunity to the leaders of the future."
10 July 2009 - Tivoli, Italy
The Centro Scuola e Cultura Italiana is an Italian-Canadian cultural institution located in Toronto. It promotes learning the Italian language and culture. The school operates year round, with students ranging in age from pre-school to university. The school is housed in the Columbus Centre of Toronto, which is also home to other Italian-Canadian institutions such as the Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery and the Alberto Di Giovanni Library.
The school’s flagship program is the summer exchange for Canadian youth to travel to the Abruzzo region of Italy to learn the language and experience the culture. Since the school was founded by Alberto Di Giovanni in 1976, some 300 to 500 Canadian students (predominantly of Italian heritage) have participated in this exchange program each year.
The Centro Scuola e Cultura Italiana has partnered with the Toronto Catholic District and York Catholic District School Boards to help finance and provide course credit for students traveling to Italy.
This year, because of the damage and population displacement caused by the Abruzzo Earthquake, many of the students on the exchange program had to be redirected to towns in the Marche region. The Abruzzo region is the place of origin for a significant portion of Canada’s Italian community. The school raised $100,000 for earthquake relief efforts, mostly through small donations from current and past students.
The students will also tour Rome and then travel to Calabria for an intensive, three-week course in Italian culture and civilization.
For more information on the Centro Scuola E Cultura Italiana, visit their website at http://www.centroscuola.ca/
