Me.Mo. (Merit and Social Mobility) Project: 94% of participants choose to continue their university studies. Thanks to the MERITA network, the project is expanding nationwide: 610 students involved from all over Italy
94% of the students who took part in the 2022/23 edition of the Me.Mo. (Merit and Social Mobility) project have chosen to enroll, or are in the process of enrolling, in a university degree program. This figure highlights the concrete impact of the project in supporting talented young people from fragile socio-economic backgrounds, accompanying them towards a university education that, for many, initially seemed out of reach.
The results of a study currently being published estimate the program's impact as a 15% increase in university enrollment, with particularly significant results among female students, those who have attended technical or vocational institutes, and those who, despite not having excellent school grades, have demonstrated motivation and the ability to grow.
The results were presented on Thursday, April 10th during the conference “Aprire al futuro: Merito e Mobilità sociale” (Opening up to the future: Merit and social mobility), which took place at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa. The event was an opportunity to talk about the evolution of the Me.Mo. project, the orientation program that aims to support merit students from fragile socio-economic backgrounds (first generation students) towards a more informed university choice. After six successful editions, a new national phase of the MERITA project – The network for talent, funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, is now underway.
MERITA involves five Scuole Universitarie Superiori italianeI: the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (leader), the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, the Collegio Superiore of the University of Bologna, the Scuola Galileiana di Studi Superiori of the University of Padua and the Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati of the Sapienza University of Rome. During the conference, which was attended by the rectors and directors of the five Higher University Schools (Sabina Nuti for the Sant'Anna School, Luigi Ambrosio for the Scuola Normale Superiore, Stefania Pellegrini for the Collegio Superiore Università di Bologna, Gianguido Dall'Agata for the Scuola Galileiana di Studi Superiori of the University of Padua, Mattia Crespi for the Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati of the Sapienza University of Rome) the history of the Me.Mo. project was retraced, the objectives achieved and the new perspectives in relation to the new challenge of the MERITA network. MERITA aims to strengthen the university high school system, promoting excellence, inclusion and the development of advanced skills, also through orientation activities such as the MEMO project.
Thanks to the MERITA network, the 2024 edition of the Me.Mo. project has grown significantly and now involves 610 participants from all Italian regions, selected for their family and socioeconomic background, and not only for their academic performance. Over the next few months, the young people will take part in immersive courses at the various universities, where they will be able to experience not only university life, but also life in an academic community of excellence, characterized by discussion, sharing and personal and intellectual growth.
Me.Mo. tutors: the stories
University tutors, students of the Sant'Anna School and, from this year, of the Merita Network Schools, also play a fundamental role, having accompanied and will accompany the participants along the way.
“Being a Me.Mo. tutor is not only a formative experience, but also a human one,” explains Alessandro Gazzetti, a student at the Sant'Anna School and a Me.Mo. tutor. ”We work to create trust, build orientation and support each person in recognizing their own possibilities. It is a privilege to see a real change in the eyes of those who, thanks to this opportunity, begin to believe in their future.”
“Being a tutor means giving back a little of what I have been given in terms of guidance and trying to help others, at such a delicate time, to choose the right path,” says Caterina Giacometti, a student at the Sant'Anna School and Me.Mo. tutor.
The transition from Me.Mo. to MERITA marks a systemic turning point: a project that began as a pilot initiative has now become a national model, capable of reducing educational inequalities, recognizing merit and promoting a more accessible, conscious and inclusive education.
