Short biography

I am an expert in adult education and CEO of Skill Up Srl. I am a specialist in soft skills training, project management and European initiatives, with over 20 years of experience. Having previously worked as an archaeologist, I am passionate about empowering people through creativity, emotional intelligence, and inclusive education. I am also deeply committed to women's equality and empowerment.

My Story

I started using EPALE in 2020. At the time, I had mostly national experience as a trainer, with limited involvement in European partnerships within the field of adult education. 

During the period of the pandemic, when many of our personal and professional certainties seemed to be collapsing, EPALE became my gateway to Europe. 

Thanks to EPALE, I was able to build relationships with trainers from across Europe. We were all facing the same challenges and seeking the same solutions. Most importantly, we all shared a strong desire to invest in our professional development and establish networks based on common interests. Thanks to the Partner Search tool on EPALE, I connected with many inspiring professionals, many of whom I still collaborate with today. I broadened my horizons and established a reputation at the European level. Today, my network includes over 200 contacts from across Europe and several from outside the EU — half of whom I interacted with directly on EPALE and half of whom I connected with via the platform. EPALE's blog section also provided me with an opportunity to showcase my work.

Two Erasmus+ projects that I led through my company, Skill Up Srl, were recognised as good practices — a feat that EPALE helped to publicise. When developing a project with a broader impact in mind, it becomes natural to write articles, share outcomes and join the wider debate. Above all, EPALE helped me to evolve from a corporate trainer into an adult educator with a more inclusive and transformative approach, both professionally and personally.

It made me aware of my ability to drive change. 

I became more active in women's empowerment, and this has become a central theme in my work. I started incorporating environmental safeguarding modules into all my training toolkits. I developed a sustainability mindset that now informs the future direction of all my projects.

Over the past two years, I have become increasingly committed to inclusivity in my work. One notable project is Emotional Respectful Men (2023-2-IT02-KA210-ADU-000180897), which was recently completed and involved the development of an emotional education toolkit for young men to help prevent gender-based violence. The project was so well received that I was invited to present it at a hearing before the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Education and School Policies Commission of Rome's XI Municipality. Then, ICARUS (2023-1-IT02-KA220-ADU-000152409), which is currently ongoing, focuses on reactivating emotions in prison inmates by using chess as both an educational tool and a powerful metaphor for personal growth. Although it addresses a complex and sensitive issue, the participation and feedback results we are achieving are remarkable. 

What are the next steps? We will continue to work with increasingly inclusive target groups and strive to become an even greater change-maker in adult education.

Thanks to my ongoing exchange of ideas with colleagues on EPALE, I no longer ask what adult education can do for me; I ask what I can do to help transform the sector.