Following the success of the Roland Garros day for the children of L’Aquila, BNP Paribas and BNL resumed their activities for young people affected by the violent earthquake last spring.

Jean-François Boutringain, head of Organization and Development at BNP Paribas, explained the group’s agenda:

“This allowed us to pass a message [to the children] telling them they are not all alone, and each child will return to their family and talk about their adventure to many others. It will hopefully be something they won’t forget.”

Last November, some forty teenagers spent two days in Paris. Divided into two groups, the Italian youngsters visited the Grande Galerie de l’Évolution at the National History Museum on the first day, before having lunch on a boat that had been specially chartered to allow them to see the famous sites along the River Seine. The second day was more geared to sport; the Palais Omnisport de Bercy opened its doors for the major tournament, the BNP Paribas Masters de Bercy, and the youngsters enjoyed a visit behind the scenes, a tennis match, and a meeting with the players…

All the young people were delighted, as were all the accompanying Italian and French adults! A real chance for the Italian youngsters to enjoy themselves and bond…

Massimo Cococcetta, Headmaster of the Scuola Media Statale Giuseppe Mazzini in L’Aquila, described the effect of the disaster on the children and their schooling.

“The earthquake practically reduced the school life to zero, both in and around the city of L’Aquila, rendering the schools unsafe and unusable. With the help of First Response teams, some of the population was moved to villages near Abruzzes, where they stayed in various hotels. The approximately 800 students from our city have disappeared. When I say disappeared I mean they 80 to 90% have been moved to other neighbouring cities. For the few students who remained, we reorganised school activities in certain camps…”

Maria Rosaria Fiori, Head of HR in the Abruzzo/Marche region at BNL and one of those accompanying the children in Paris, stressed the positive impact of this visit.

This initiative that we organised…was very important for the young kids from L’Aquila. We gave the children 3 wonderful days, and they appreciated the voyage. The idea was born after the earthquake and was created to put a smile on the face of the children after the sad days they experienced because of the earthquake. I think the kids are very excited to be here at Bercy!”

The BNL branch, which is located in the heart of the historical part of L’Aquila, the epicentre of the April 2009 earthquake, opened again in December. To mark the occasion, the young students from the “Study and Music” class at the Giuseppe Mazzini secondary school who had taken part in the trip to Paris decided to express their thanks to BNP Paribas and BNL again by performing several musical works. These young virtuosos turned the branch opening into an unforgettable occasion for the inhabitants of L’Aquila.