Our values

Embedded within the mission of Friends for Teach for Italy is opportunity. The Fellows in Italy work to create a more equal and just learning environment for students. Our focus is to provide opportunity to all: for our Fellows to grow and develop leadership skills; for the students to have access to quality education so they can succeed; and for the supporters, donors, staff, board members, and volunteers to create a brighter future for Italian students and for all of us.

We are generous with our time and our resources, and through this generosity we will grow the FTFI community. TFI Fellows lead with passion–through their leadership and generous time commitment to students and Italian communities, we will be able to grow the impact of TFI. Our community is engaged, providing the support needed in order to strengthen education for all students in Italy.

We lead with integrity with all the work we do at FTFI. Our leadership in schools and communities around Italy, as well as our community here in the United States, is important. We do our work with consciousness and respect our supporters and donors. We are confident in the abilities and skills of the TFI Fellows and as educators and future leaders; we operate with the confidence that students are being properly educated, and cared for given the integrity of our Fellows.

We operate with the confidence that we can improve the world. FTFI is focused on engagement and philanthropy to support quality education all throughout Italy. We are optimistic that given the excellence of the Fellows, this goal can be achieved as it has in the US (Teach for America) the UK (Teach First) and India (Teach for India). This model works, changes communities and systems, and we know it will work in Italy too. We believe that improving the educational environment throughout Italy will allow for a future in which quality education is a constant.

Teach for Italy Fellows and alumni have the opportunity to change the future of their country. They begin within the classrooms and local communities by building relationships, and then as alumni work as connectors – they are a community of changemakers. FTFI is seeking to build a community of supporters in the United States and outside of Italy who are interested in connecting to this work. FTIF is a hub, a community that connects people: we are stronger together, and must come together to enable the best environment for our students and mentors. Within every room that we occupy together, we establish a sense of connection and connectivity. Family is the most important part of Italian life. Remaining connected, close, and supporting your family is key to the culture and community of Italians and Italian-Americans. We have a chosen family here at FTFI (our fellows, staff, students, volunteers, donors) and we seek to create spaces where we can come together, lift each other up, and achieve the goals of our organization.

We stimulate the desire to achieve through learning. This curiosity can help to achieve endless possibilities. Within FTFI, we are seeking to build a community that operates with a similar sense of curiosity – seeking an understanding of the current education landscape, and the desire to help change it. Within our events and programming, we aim to bring new experiences to the audience – learning paired with an opportunity to engage: the opportunity to meet something new, visit a new place, have a culinary experience or simply learn.

While we work to make important changes to education within Italy, we approach our work with a tremendous sense of energy, fun and joy. We always maintain a sense of joy as we engage in the work – during gatherings, meetings, events, etc. The American experience with Italy and Italian culture (travel, food, wine, art, fashion, design etc.) is centered in our joy.