G.A.S.A.
A concrete bridge between young people and their local community: an experiential journey that combines training, sport and personal growth.
What G.A.S.A. is
G.A.S.A. was created to build a concrete bridge between the world of young people and that of companies, through a journey that combines training, sport and personal growth.
The bridge G.A.S.A. builds is the one between high-school (liceo) students and local businesses. It is a deliberate choice: the link between companies and technical and vocational schools already exists and is well structured, while students attending a liceo often reach the end of their studies without ever having had real contact with the world of work. G.A.S.A. closes this gap.
It is not a series of conferences, nor a traditional careers-guidance activity. It is a closed group of thirty people — half students, half professionals — who meet once a month for five months and work together on the same themes: competence, goals, the group, emotions, and how to present themselves. The guests are figures from the world of sport and business who bring real experience, not a lecture.
The aim works in both directions: students develop self-awareness and transferable skills in a real setting; professionals come into direct contact with the way of thinking, the language and the questions of the new generations. Both learn, and it is this reciprocity that is the project's distinctive feature.
Why it exists
Between high school and work there is a distance that formal pathways only partly cover.
Students meet companies when they have to choose, often too late and always in a position of asking. Companies meet young people when they have to select them, with just a few minutes and a CV in front of them.
G.A.S.A. steps in earlier: it creates a space where the two sides get to know each other without either one assessing the other. From there come real guidance, Formazione Scuola-Lavoro work-experience pathways and, in some cases, internships — as the result of a relationship, not the outcome of a procedure.
How it works
Five meetings, one a month, three hours each. Every meeting follows the same structure: opening, a talk-interview with the guest, a workshop in mixed micro-groups, and a closing with a personal commitment.
The format
An initial digital quiz revisits the themes of the previous meeting. Then the opening, a talk-interview with the guest, a workshop in micro-groups and the closing with a personal commitment. At the end, feedback is gathered from everyone.
The mixed micro-groups
The heart of the method: work is not done by category, but in groups where a seventeen-year-old and an entrepreneur tackle the same exercise together. This is where the generational exchange becomes real.
Facilitation & Formazione Scuola-Lavoro
The meetings are led by Davide Zecchinello, with the support of Luigi Tonetto at the opening and closing. The project is approved as Formazione Scuola-Lavoro (school-to-work programme) by the Istituto Brandolini-Rota.
Who takes part
The group is made up of a maximum of thirty people, split equally between professionals and students in the final three years of the licei — from the Istituto Brandolini-Rota and other schools in the Oderzo area.
Students are selected on the basis of age, giving priority to older students, and on the assessment of a motivational letter. The selection panel is made up of three teachers from the Istituto Brandolini-Rota and a representative of the organising body.
For students, taking part is free of charge, all places are covered by training grants offered by partner companies.
The journey — The art of getting things done
From self-awareness to the method for making things happen. The thread is to focus, to define, to work with others, to hold firm, and to give back.
From talent to competence
Talent is a starting point, competence is built: what a competence really is and the method to train it.
Declaring your goal
A goal kept to yourself is a wish; declared, it becomes a commitment you answer for. And if the measure is commitment, what counts is the journey, not just the result.
The working team: hierarchy, dialogue and climate
In a group no one is neutral: everyone raises or lowers the level of those around them. Dialogue holds hierarchy and cohesion together without turning them into obedience.
Emotions: the non-limit in success and defeat
How to cope with a defeat and how to stop success from becoming a ceiling.
Giving back
Final workshop and networking moment: companies introduce themselves to the students, and students present the professional profile they built during the journey.
The guests for the second edition are being confirmed.
The first edition — 2025 / 2026
From November 2025 to March 2026: thirty participants, ten local partner companies and four professionals. Five themes, each with a guest.
The journey ended in the theatre: the mixed groups turned the experience into a performance on stage, followed by a talk by Maria Cristina Piovesana and a moment of free networking between students and companies. From the professionals came a clear response: the students stood out for their imagination and creativity. From the students: availability and experience genuinely shared.
At the beginning, diversity scared us, but the social, physical and personal barriers were broken down quickly. From the participants of the first edition
What participants gain
For companies and professionals
- Real intergenerational exchange and a deeper understanding of the youth world, its language and its values
- Training: leadership, communication and mentoring practised in direct dialogue, not in a classroom
- Direct contact with young people from the area, with the chance to activate Formazione Scuola-Lavoro pathways and collaborations
- Social value: doing something concrete for the growth of young people
- Brand reputation as a company that cares about training, well-being and the local community
- Public visibility: a mention in the project's communications, on the website, on posters and in press releases
For students
- Greater self-awareness, of your talents and your potential
- Development of the soft skills essential for your professional future
- Direct contact with leading figures from the world of sport and business
- Concrete guidance and Formazione Scuola-Lavoro placements at the participating companies
- More motivation and confidence in your own worth, thanks to direct dialogue
- A personal pitch and a first real contact with local companies
How to take part
Students
Access is by application, with a motivational letter; selection takes age into account, giving priority to those in their final years. The call opens in September.
Free of charge Apply →Companies and professionals
You take part through the G.A.S.A. package, which includes:
- The participation of one professional in the programme
- A training grant for a local student
- A mention among the partner companies in the project's communications
- A presence in the Brandolini Sport spaces
The G.A.S.A. package does not include product-category exclusivity: if two companies from the same sector want to take part, they both take part. G.A.S.A. is an educational project.
Frequently asked questions
Who can apply?
How much does it cost students?
Does it count as Formazione Scuola-Lavoro?
How much commitment does it require?
Can a company send more than one person?
Do you need particular experience to take part as a professional?
Do you want to be part of G.A.S.A.?
Whether you're a student ready to get involved or a company that wants to invest in the young people of the area, get in touch: we'll tell you about the journey and how to take part.