Where ideas turn into impact: the Early Stage Program starts a new journey with SocialFare

This year once again, the Early Stage Program officially kicks off, developed in collaboration with SocialFare, Italy’s first center for social innovation. Now in its 2025–26 edition, the program is built on a shared vision: nurturing a new generation of changemakers who can read the complexity of today’s social challenges and transform them into entrepreneurial projects with real impact, in close collaboration with the universities and ITS institutes within our network.

Within the program, SocialFare brings its methodology, tools, and social innovation mindset, equipping Enactus teams with the knowledge needed to navigate every stage of the project journey — from problem analysis to prototyping, from solution validation to impact assessment. The experiential nature of the program then challenges students to put theory into practice, supported throughout by Enactus Mentors and professionals from the broader network.

The value of this ecosystem also emerges clearly from the research conducted among Enactus students during the 2024–25 academic year. The findings offer a meaningful snapshot of participation, interdisciplinarity, and the diversity of the community engaged by the program in fostering youth leadership skills: 219 students involved, coming from a wide range of academic backgrounds, with a strong presence from economics and STEM fields. Particularly striking is the data on female participation, with women representing 54.5% of students in STEM areas and holding 56% of leadership roles — clear evidence of a learning model where change becomes visible and measurable.

To explore the program in more depth and read the full article, visit the SocialFare website: https://socialfare.org/enactus-e-socialfare-formare-le-nuove-generazioni-allimpatto/