The first stage of the orientation forum ended at the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa. On the second day we talked about computer investigations, Sicilian companies and artificial intelligence, and an entire room trained without getting up from their chairs.
Around 10,000 students in two days. Thus, on 29 October, the first stage of the Mondadori Academy Forum Orienta, the orientation project of Mondadori Media created with Evidence Network, Evidence Network Scuola and UniversityBox, ended. For two mornings the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa in Palermo were filled with high school and university students, teachers, universities and companies.
The second day opened again under the banner of cybersecurity. Antonio Blescia, from Deas, explained how an IT incident is investigated: every attack leaves traces, and there are those who professionally collect them and reconstruct what happened. He also told how those investigations became a comic, DFIR Chronicles, and then a game. It is the same game used in the Spazio ZAC hackathon, where 32 student teams competed over two days and which ended with the winners being awarded prizes.
On the stage of the Cinema De Seta it was then the turn of the person who built a company in Sicily. Vincenzo Prezzemolo, of Prezzemolo & Vitale, and Marcello Mangia, president of Mangia’s, told their stories in a meeting organized with Sicindustria and moderated by Ansa journalist Alfredo Pecoraro. The morning ended with Tony Siino, new media expert and author of «Artificial Intelligence. The jobs that won’t disappear.” He explained what linguistic models really are, why some call them “stochastic parrots” and which skills will remain decisive: creativity, critical thinking, empathy, ability to decide.
In the White Room of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, trainer Nicolò Famiglietti recounted a path that was not written anywhere, from a degree in Motor Sciences to fitness centers. Then he got the whole room moving with a series of “motor snacks” to do while remaining seated. Invitalia presented Resto al Sud 2.0, the incentive for under 35s who want to start a business in the South. With Mentors4U, Carlo Papa of the Enel Foundation and Emilio Madonia of Boston Consulting Group explained what a mentor can change in study and work choices, together with a student who has experienced it. In the Blue Room Webboh Lab brought data on the desires and fears of the new generation, discussed by Furio Camillo and the entrepreneur Adriana Santanocito. Mondadori Retail showed how the bookseller’s profession changes between artificial intelligence, BookTok and physical bookstores. The universities, from the University of Palermo to LUMSA to Kore of Enna, presented their courses.
For teachers there were meetings on masculinity at school and on green skills.
The Forum was sponsored by the Municipality of Palermo, the Metropolitan City of Palermo and Sicindustria. The main partners are Banca Ifis and Deas Cyber+, the institutional partners are the Ministry for Sport and Youth and Invitalia. The Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, CESIE, CISIA, Magnisi, Mentors4U, Studenti.it and Webboh collaborated.
The next stops are Lecce (10-11 November) and Taranto (1-2 December). In 2027 the Forum will arrive in Catania, Bari and Brindisi.
