Final Event – 27 October 2025, Residenza Scopoli (Padua)
The final event of the Arrupe Project, held on 27 October 2025 in the Aula Magna of Residenza Scopoli, had 42 participants and offered a meaningful space to the voices and experiences of refugee students involved in the path. The project, carried out within the framework of the HEQUITY – Building Higher Education Quality Inclusion Pathways project, is the result of a collaboration between Popoli Insieme, the university residences Collegio Mazza and Centro Antonianum, with the patronage of the Municipality of Padua and the support of the University of Padua through its International Relations Office.
The Arrupe Project provides a concrete response to the challenges that many refugee students face in their educational and personal journeys in Padua. Beyond offering housing, the project promotes an inclusive living environment in which Italian and international students share daily spaces and participate in formative activities together. The aim is to foster integration, personal growth, and wellbeing through meaningful relationships and dedicated educational support.
The event The Roots of the Future was an opportunity to reflect on the project’s impact and on the stories of those who experience it firsthand. The session was facilitated by Elisa Gamba, PhD candidate in Human Rights at the University of Padua, who guided the afternoon by introducing the various inputs and accompanying the dialogue among participants.
The programme opened with institutional greetings from the Collegio Mazza delivered by Mirco Paoletto, General Director, followed by an overview of the project presented by Francesca Palmieri from Popoli Insieme. The core moment of the event, Let them speak, gave space to several students from the Arrupe Project, who shared their experiences of coexistence and integration through both video testimonies and live contributions. Their stories highlighted the depth and complexity of the journey and the importance of the support network developed around the project.
The session From Arrupe onwards then created space for a collective reflection on future perspectives, involving the main institutional and educational stakeholders. Speakers included Camilla Girasole, Head of the International Relations Area at the University of Padua; Anna Tosetti, Coordinator of the Education and Training Area at Popoli Insieme; and Elena Carraro, Director of the Job Campus Residence of Collegio Mazza. The discussion shed light on the barriers that still hinder full university and labour market inclusion for many refugee students, emphasising the need for joint and concrete solutions.
The event concluded with remarks from Marco Semprebon, North-East Regional Manager of UniCredit, followed by a convivial moment open to all participants. The event also served as an opportunity to give visibility to the HEQUITY project, which shares with Arrupe the goal of promoting inclusive pathways for refugee students within higher education. The presence of university institutions, the dialogue on access barriers and the centrality of students’ testimonies made it possible to highlight HEQUITY’s key themes and to strengthen the link between the European project and local initiatives already established in Padua.
