Despite a growing belief that younger Italian-Americans are less interested in embracing their ancestral heritage than earlier generations, John Viola, Basil Russo, and Patrick O’Boyle aim to prove otherwise as co-founders of the Italian American Future Leaders (IAFL) Conference.
The second annual conference (IAFL2) will take place from January 12th to January 15th, 2024 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, welcoming 100 new attendees as well as alumni from the inaugural conference held in January of this year.
The participants will represent the most active individuals in the Italian-American community between the ages of 21 and 35 across the United States and Italy, who will participate in a series of keynote seminars, networking events, group presentations, and more to promote Italian-American culture. They will also take part in several exciting social events such as a Karaoke Night and Florida Panthers game in their home area against the New Jersey Devils.
IAFL2 will aim to build on the success of the first conference that offered a true 360-degree experience for attendees. Basil Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) and of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), has said that IAFL1 “produced results beyond our wildest expectations” and that “20 years from now, we will be looking back at this conference as one of the most important events to have ever occurred in the Italian-American community.”
John Viola, IAFL Conference chair and president, also had nothing but positive commentary after the inaugural conference, stating that “with each passing year, we’ll accrue more talent and funding so that these incredible young Italian Americans can begin to exercise their vision for community leadership today, instead of sitting in waiting at the back of the room.”
He appears determined to deliver on that promise, and with IAFL2 just over one month away, we won’t have to wait much longer for the largest gathering of young Italian-American minds in the country.
Resources:
- ‘Italian American Future Leaders’ a Bellwether of Cultural Progress [ISDA]
- Italian American Future Leaders Conference Website [IAFL]
