L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 L'Italo-Americano O n the 25th of S e p t e m b e r Italians, in- cluding those living abroad, are called to vote for the 2022 general elections. It is an important opportunity for cit- izens living outside of Italy to make their voices heard and choose their representatives for the Italian parliament. The Movimento Asso- ciativo Italiani all'Es- tero (MAIE) is one of the options available to voters in North America, where the movement is coordinated and represented by recently- appointed Italian American b u s i n e s s m a n V i n c e n z o O d o g u a r d i . O d o g u a r d i , whose companies operate in the US and Canada, strongly supports MAIE's main ideol- ogy, that of "safeguarding t h e i n t e r e s t s o f I t a l i a n s around the world." MAIE is a cultural, social and political movement that operates in complete auton- omy, and is not affiliated w i t h a n y I t a l i a n p o l i t i c a l party: this is an essential factor because it allows the movement to act freely and efficiently to meet its main political aim, that of pro- moting the identity of Ital- ians abroad, and protecting t h e i r r i g h t s a n d t h o s e o f their descendants. It is important to under- stand that MAIE is not a t r a d i t i o n a l p o l i t i c a l party, as political ideals are not at the heart of its mis- sion. On the contrary, MAIE and its representatives want to embody and protect fun- damental values and princi- ples, themselves at the heart of Italy's very own Costi- tuzione: respect for the Ital- ian Republic's institutions, democracy, and all its prin- ciples. These are the main- stays upon which the whole philosophy of MAIE is built, and which can be summa- rized in three points: 1) safe- guarding Italian migrants at a social level; 2) promoting Italian culture and language around the world; 3) con- tributing to the strengthen- ing of Sistema Italia inter- nationally. These principles are rooted in the awareness t h a t I t a l i a n s a r o u n d t h e world, and their contribu- tion to the growth of com- mercial, social, and cultural relationships between Italy and other countries, is key in the current climate, and rep- resents an immense oppor- tunity for Italy and its peo- ple. E s s e n t i a l p o i n t s , u p o n which more can be devel- o p e d , i n c l u d i n g t h e strengthening of the cultural a n d p e r s o n a l c o n n e c t i o n between Italians abroad and their Motherland: giving all I t a l i a n s , i n c l u d i n g t h o s e born already in North Amer- ica, the opportunity to dis- cover their roots is key for MAIE. This is why the tur- i s m o d e l l e r a d i c i i s strongly supported by the movement: "root tourism," a proposal of Italy's Ministry f o r F o r e i g n A f f a i r s a n d International Cooperation, i s a t y p e o f t o u r i s m t h a t wants to help Italians from abroad to get in touch with their roots and learn more a b o u t w h e r e t h e y c o m e from. With more than 80 million people around the w o r l d w h o c o n s i d e r I t a l y their country of origin, the offer is of interest to a very large community. I n t h i s c o n t e x t , M A I E wants also to underline the e s s e n t i a l r o l e o f A I R E , the Anagrafe Italiani Resi- denti all'Estero (Register of Italians Living Abroad), and the importance for all Ital- ians who call North America home to register: it is not o n l y a m a t t e r o f k e e p i n g track of the growth of the community but also to be an active part of it and to enjoy Italian citizenship to the full. Registration with AIRE is a c i t i z e n ' s r i g h t a n d d u t y (Article 6 of Law 470/1988) a n d i s n e c e s s a r y t o t a k e advantage of the services provided by Italy's consular network in North America, as well as to exercise essen- tial citizen rights such as voting, or for the renewal of i d e n t i t y a n d t r a v e l d o c u - ments. T h e u l t i m a t e g o a l o f MAIE is, to put it simply, to m a k e I t a l i a n s a b r o a d a n even more important part of the Italian nation and, by extension, to help Italians around the world – and in Italy, too – to feel truly and fully "citizens of the world." Vincenzo Odoguardi said it c l e a r l y w h e n d i s c u s s i n g MAIE's mission: "We focus on Italians around the world and their needs: they are at the heart of our political, social and cultural action" b e c a u s e M A I E w a n t s t o "build and strengthen their global network with the aim of making them integrant part of the Italian nation as a whole and, therefore, a great r e s o u r c e f o r t h e I t a l i a n Republic." Odoguardi, who is of Cal- a b r i a n d e s c e n t l i k e m a n y o t h e r I t a l i a n s o f N o r t h America, is known for his work in public relations and volunteering, as well as his profound respect for institu- tions: " I am already at work – he explains – to develop M A I E f u r t h e r i n N o r t h America, thanks to the many connections I have here and the many Italians who, just like me, understood how tra- ditional Italian parties can- not give concrete answers to the North American Italian community." Notice of Non-Affiliation and Disclaimer L'Italo-Americano is not affiliated, associated, en- dorsed by, or in any way of- ficially connected with the Vincenzo Odoguardi for Sen- ator MAIE North and Central America campaign. STAFF Vincenzo Odoguardi, MAIE candidate for North America (Photo courtesy of Vincenzo Odoguardi/MAIE) MAIE, a movement to represent and support Italians abroad with Vincenzo Odoguardi NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS

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