This award is related to the figure and commitment of Barbara Repetto, not only as a way of paying tribute to her, but also as an attempt to continue her work.

Throughout her long career, especially as a public administration manager and cultural promoter, Barbara was undoubtedly helped by her generous nature and her ability to transmit positive energy to those around her. She was guided by some deep convictions:

The first is that all people have qualities and talents: in some they are obvious, while in others they are just waiting to be discovered so that they can express themselves. This is also, and perhaps above all, true for those people who, for many reasons, are defined as disadvantaged. Therefore she knew that the ideal tools are not only empathy and culture, but also vocational training and continuous professional development.

The other conviction is that work is the reality that shapes and develops people more than any other. No job or activity is more “noble” than any other. As manager responsible for vocational training area, she believed that the different forms of intelligence that humanity is endowed with must be able to express themselves by finding their own way.

Barbara’s other strong conviction, closely linked to the first, is that Europe is the most suitable and useful context for providing answers and opening up opportunities for young people. It is a social Europe, a Europe of freedoms, open borders and help for those most in need. Even during her time as provincial councillor, she made Europe the driving force behind the creation of jobs, training and culture.

Finally, Barbara’s strongest conviction was the need, especially in the province of Bolzano, to do more to ensure that young people learn not only local languages but also other languages. The best learning takes place in the context of everyday relationships, without separate spaces, under the same roof and with shared activities. This model is similar to that of the European School: each culture has its own identity, but they follow a single shared path that is open to the world.