Guido Venosta Foundation: Culture, Health Prevention and Tangible Support for Youth

Milan, 21 January 2026 – Last night, at Teatro Franco Parenti, the Fondazione Guido Venosta paid tribute to Guido Venosta (1911–1998) with the event “The Value of Vision – Guido Venosta: Between Business and Solidarity.” A manager and civic-minded entrepreneur, and among the founders of AIRC, Venosta is remembered for combining rigour, vision, and civic responsibility—showing that solidarity can be effective only when it is organised, planned, and measurable. The evening traced his life and ideas through images, texts, testimonies, and the performance “Chi come me” by Roy Chen, directed by Andrée Ruth Shammah, highlighting how culture and civic memory can engage in dialogue with tangible social action.

Today, the Foundation—led by his grandson Giuseppe Caprotti—continues to translate these values into concrete initiatives supporting young people and the wider community across several areas of work: health, culture, environmental protection, and solidarity. Two particularly meaningful projects stand out, both focused on adolescence and its challenges: the campaign on Eating and Nutrition Disorders (DNA) and the cultural initiative “L’età sospesa” (“Suspended Adolescence”).

The DNA campaign, developed together with Fondazione Bullone ETS and the Clinical Dietetics and Nutrition Unit at Ospedale Niguarda, addresses one of the most serious health emergencies affecting young people: the second leading cause of mortality in school age, with an age of onset that continues to fall. The campaign is not only about information: it is a tool for prevention and social responsibility, aimed at schools, families, and adult networks who support teenagers every day. It directly involves young beneficiaries—many of whom have experienced the illness first-hand—creating a positive cycle of awareness. Its dissemination is supported by institutional and media partners, with creative consultancy from Next Different and Fondazione Italia Patria della Bellezza.

Alongside health prevention, the Foundation has strengthened its cultural and educational commitment through “L’età sospesa,” created in June in collaboration with Teatro Franco Parenti. Inspired by the play “Chi come me,” the project addresses the vulnerabilities of adolescence—loneliness, hyperconnectivity, aggression, and a sense of inadequacy—turning theatre into an educational tool for personal growth. Around the performance, the programme develops workshops and practical pathways, including CFS – Centro Formazione Supereroi (the “Superheroes Training Centre”), designed for upper secondary schools in vulnerable contexts, as well as “Diario delle mie catastrofi” (“Diary of My Catastrophes”) and “Il corpo oltre la pelle” (“The Body Beyond the Skin”) by Laura Pasetti, conceived for adolescents aged 11 to 18. Meetings with experts such as Matteo Lancini, Loredana Cirillo, Umberto Galimberti, and Davide Fantprovide parents, educators, and practitioners with interpretive tools and good practices.

The Foundation works in partnership with Il Minotauro, Spazio Aperto Servizi, CDS – Le Comunità della Salute Monza e Brianza, CSV Monza Lecco Sondrio, and Società Storica Lombarda, building an ecosystem of education and support. “L’età sospesa” also connects, in spirit, with earlier initiatives such as “Happy. Diventare capaci” (“Happy: Becoming Capable”), confirming the Foundation’s ongoing focus on young people’s psychological wellbeing, cultural access, and personal development.

Last night’s event showed how the Fondazione Guido Venosta turns Guido Venosta’s memory and values into tangible actions that can make a real difference in the lives of young people and the community. By combining culture, health prevention, education, and support, the Foundation addresses adolescent vulnerability, promotes health and inclusion, and builds structured pathways that foster skills, autonomy, and awareness—embodying in every project the principles of rigour, responsibility, and commitment to the common good that guided Venosta throughout his life.

Speakers:

• Giuseppe Caprotti, President,Fondazione Guido Venosta
• Alberto Mantovani– Pathologist, immunologist, and science communicator; former Scientific Director of Istituto Clinico Humanitas until February 2025; currently President of Fondazione Humanitas per la Ricerca and Professor Emeritus at Humanitas University
• Silvio Garattini– Oncologist, pharmacologist, and researcher; Founder and President of the Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri
• Andrea Sironi– President, AIRC
• Fabrizio Du Chêne de Vère– Board Member, AIRC
• Andrée Ruth Shammah– Director and Artistic Director, Teatro Franco Parenti

Thanks to Roberta Liberale, Eleonora Sàita, and Cecilia Chirivì.