19 Sep Interview with Alessandro Carano, founder of Carano 4 Children.
We are talking to Alessandro Carano, Founder and President of the non-profit foundation Carano 4 Children. An organization that seeks to develop the potential of children in art & science on the topics of climate, equality, and peace through the Leonardo4Children initiative in cooperation with several partner organisations.
What is the main mission of the Carano Foundation?
The Carano 4 Children non-profit foundation has the mission to help children to develop their potential in scientific and artistic skills, addressing key global issues, and to support children in need, in particular orphans, abandoned, hospitalised or refugees, to overcome their post-traumatic stress thanks to the benefits of art & science.
The Carano 4 Children foundation was created in Brussels in 2018, in memory of Luigi Carano and Erika Ciancaleoni, two married top aeronautical engineers and incredibly creative artists from Italy.
What are the main programs or projects that the Carano Foundation is currently involved in?
The main flagship activity of the Foundation is managing the “Leonardo 4 Children” non-profit initiative.
The non-profit initiative “Leonardo 4 Children” includes international awards which represent a kind of “Nobel prize” for children stimulating their creativity, and developing artistic & scientific skills to address global issues.
In fact, if Leonardo da Vinci were reborn today, 500 years after his death, he would not need to solve the problems of discovering the secrets of nature and of human body, inventing how to fly, or inventing machines: he would likely use his genius to solve global problems to improve the quality of our lives. We encourage children and young people to develop their creativity and become the new Leonardo’s of 21st century.
Through events and books, funds are raised to support children in need through partners such as UNICEF, NGOs, foundations or hospitals.
In addition, the foundation is leading a consortium of 5 schools across Europe to develop an innovative “Leonardo 4 Children Academy” over the next 2 years based on the Erasmus+ project funded by the European Union.
How do schools get involved or participate in your causes?
Schools are welcome to get involved in Leonardo 4 Children Awards and organise sessions such as workshop or events in favour of their local causes such as will be the case for the event on 29 September at St. Paul’s School.
We see this as a model where we can provide support with the concept Leonardo 4 Children and this is adapted to the local school’s needs and local beneficiary projects, such as help for children in oncology areas of paediatric hospitals.
What have been the recent European projects that you are most proud of?
We are very proud of winning the Erasmus + cooperation partnership projects with 5 schools and several foundations as associated partners. This will enable to create an innovative education module for any school in Europe to promote the respect for the environment, climate action and equality through the children’s creativity and art & science skills.
We are also very proud that more than 800 entries have been submitted in the Leonardo 4 Children awards since the launch in 2019 on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Leonardo da Vinci’s death, and more than 4,700 people attended 15 events and concerts.
What does the opening concert mean to you?
This concert is very important as it marks the start of the school year for St. Paul’s School, and the launch of the new Leonardo 4 Children 2024 Awards which invite children aged 6-12, teenagers aged 13-18 and young music composers aged 16-30 to use their creativity and art & science skills to address the issues of climate change, equality and peace.
We are very grateful to St. Paul’s School and to the young musicians from Fundación Conservatori Liceu, the Ukrainian soprano Marina Krasnova, Fundación Small and Fundación Philippe Cousteau for this great example of partnership in favour of new generations.
Why did you choose St. Paul’s as the venue for this important event? What would you say to a family who is considering attending?
Together with our long-standing partner Fundacion Philippe Cousteau: Union de los Oceanos, we chose St. Paul’s Schools based on the fact that the school is very dynamic, open and active in promoting international cooperation and art & science initiatives. They also promote young music talents and have the sensibility to help children in need, which makes is a perfect match for Leonardo 4 Children.
We invite all parents to join and help develop the talent of their children, which can become the Leonardo’s of 21st century and the new responsible leaders of Europe.
Do you have plans or new initiatives in mind for the future?
We plan to replicate the initiative in other schools, and we hope to come back to St. Paul’s in the near future. We also invite all people to attend our flagship concert and award ceremony in Brussels on 20 October and our concert in Barcelona´s Liceo Auditorium on 23 November, on the occasion of the World Peace Forum in cooperation with Fundación de Fomento Europeo, Reial Cercle Artístic Barcelona and Fundación Philippe Cousteau.
Stay tuned and follow us on social media @leonardo4children @carano4children for more initiatives!
