United Italian Societies (UIS) is a student-led non-profit founded by Italian university students studying abroad. It reunites Italian student societies in different universities abroad and provides a series of free student-led services to Italian students to enrich their experience away from home. Thanks to our widespread presence in each university, we are able to effectively reach and inform a large audience about our events and programs and can represent Italian students to companies and institutions.
United Italian Societies aims to connect, promote and support Italian university students across the world, fostering cultural exchange, personal growth and the circulation of talent.
We, at United Italian Societies, believe our generation can contribute to Italy’s potential with its many and diverse talents. We make sure our organisation is run on democratic principles and professionalism. We believe there is a need of collective collaboration among Italian students abroad for the betterment of our society.
We have a culture that is modern, relevant, and aims to inspire students to have a brighter future. We are determined in our approach to supporting students, are creative in our thinking, and bold in our ambitions.
Our organizational structure emphasizes democratic representation, efficient decision-making, and a continuous flow of ideas, feedback, and suggestions among young Italian minds. For this reason, the governance of UIS is based on four main bodies. Each of them has a specific function that is crucial to the success of our organization
UIS is founded as a non-profit organization in the United Kingdom by Umberto Belluzzo and Tommaso Stoppani based on the pre-existing Italian Societies Student Network made by Mattia Villani. The project was officially announced during a press conference held at the Consulate General of Italy in London. [Link]
The project gathers support from Italian student associations at the leading universities in the United Kingdom, with over 20 presidents joining the first UIS president’s committee. At the same time, the first mentoring and consular assistance services were launched, along with cultural events.
The Italian Symposium is founded and held at the London School of Economics. The Italian Symposium is UIS’s flagship annual event aiming to provide students with the opportunity to engage with prominent figures from various fields. See more here.
UIS expands its network outside the UK, connecting with Italian Societies in France, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States and Switzerland.
Second edition of Italian Symposium held at the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford. The goal of the event is to establish a tradition of dialogue between Italian students studying abroad and Italian personalities. In the second edition, the symposium saw more than 2,000 students attend the conferences held over multiple days. See more here.
UIS is consolidating its expansion, extending its support to a broad audience of students. Aware of representing an exceptional pool of talent, UIS aims to use its network to connect talented young people with opportunities for study, research, and work. UIS seeks to become the point of contact between Italian university students abroad and Italy, serving institutions to enrich Italy with the knowledge acquired abroad. A key aspect of the project would be the creation of a scholarship program to support deserving students from less affluent backgrounds.
