BET SHE CAN is a project primarily aimed at girls and young women in pre-adolescence – between the ages of eight and twelve. Its objective is to accompany them as they grow up, providing tools designed to support them during a period in which they are developing an understanding of who they are (talent and potential) and who they want to be and taking control of their choices and actions.
The BET SHE CAN approach is to get the girls involved in programmes that offer original experiences and perspectives, during the period of their lives in which they are building up awareness. This strategy can be decisive in nourishing coherent aspirations and desires while minimising cultural or social constraints.
BET SHE CAN positions itself as an investment, combining an ambitious, future-oriented approach with a desire to bring out talent and potential.
BET SHE CAN is based on an operational model that starts by working with the young girls involved and then helps to build awareness in their social environment (family, school etc.) by operating within these contexts, working towards the overall objective of inclusion.
The BET SHE CAN programmes are structured according to the level of awareness at their heart: development of self (intrapersonal focus), development of you and I (interpersonal focus) and development of us (social focus).
BET SHE CAN is a young non-profit organisation created by Marie Madeleine Gianni, who wished to give a deeper meaning to her work and felt the need to invest in the future and look beyond her personal interests. Marie Madeleine works with two partners with extensive experience in the world of consultancy and legal affairs.
The Foundation was set up in 2015 and operates across Italy, with expansion abroad possible.
The future we want
A world of mindful people who respect themselves and others.
Where the potential of every man and woman flourishes naturally.
Where every human being is responsible, brave and constructive.
Where young girls carry us towards a sustainable, inclusive future.
The contribution we offer
We design and offer rapidly scalable routes to empowerment.
We invest at source and place our faith in potential, before constraints can take hold.
We prioritise action rooted in the local context, thus ensuring continuity.
We work with pioneers who combine conviction with concrete action.
The commitment we make
We make sure that all organisations and individuals are involved in an authentic way, as part of our efforts to ensure the model is sustainable.
We produce programmes tailored to fit the needs of the supporters, ensuring that these are respectful of and coherent with the principles of the foundation.
We carefully select the people we work with based on specific skills, maintaining an agile structure.
We measure the results and impact of our work.
Governance
Marie-Madeleine Gianni
Founder, President of Board of Directors
Born in France, Marie Madeleine has been a director at multi-national consultancy firms for many years. She has lived in France, Holland and Germany and has long-standing roots in Italy. She is convinced that investing in young girls is the best way to change the future for the better. She is determined and focused on her objective and the results she wishes to achieve.
She provides the foundation with the expertise she has built up over 20 years in consultancy, particularly as regards the management of complex projects, general, cross-disciplinary coordination of resources and commercial development.
She is a mother, passionate about adventures, a lover of Italian and French wine and good food and a big fan of opera.
Laura Arena
Board member
A lawyer at a public organisation, Laura has always been active in the world of volunteering and social work. She believes in the positive potential of girls and young women and is ready to invest in them to build a more equal world.
Enthusiastic, empathetic, determined and results-oriented, she offers the foundation her 20 years’ experience in the legal field, her professionalism and expertise in dealing with complex issues and her mastery of economic matters.
She lives in Rome with her husband, two children and a cat. She adores long walks, reading novels, going to the cinema and socialising.
Giovanna Leto di Priolo
Vice President
A business management consultant, she also runs a small yoga business. She believes that in rediscovering their essence, women will be able to bring peace and balance and – through their energy – make a precious contribution to ensuring shared, far-reaching growth.
She offers the foundation the expertise she has built up over 20 years in consultancy, as well as significant experiences in the world of non-profit organisations.
Giovanna loves taking responsibility and asking herself to go the extra mile. Romantic and determined, visionary and concrete, she thrives off nature, people’s stories and searching for the sense in the seemingly casual moments that make up our lives.
There’s no apparent emergency. No evident need. Yet there is a desire to believe that we can change the future by helping people to get to know themselves better, build up confidence, realise how far they can go and make the most of their potential. The foundation is unique. At its heart is pure investment logic, combined with a far-reaching focus (not only on professional or technical issues but on all aspects of a person) to reach an atypical target audience. Very few organisations reach out to preteens, but it’s crucial we engage with this demographic at this important time in order to effectuate change. The social impact is huge. We focus on the source, just before the unease of society’s burdens and constraints takes hold.
Marie Madeleine Gianni – Founder and President of BET SHE CAN –
Take action and help us to empower girls by supporting BET SHE CAN’s programmes