Italian employees jump out of their comfort zone

By Laura KreiderFebruary 23, 2023

Italian employees jump out of their comfort zone
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – VICENZA, Italy – AMICI Program Manager Jay Pasion, left, greets Mattia Berno after his experience at the 34 foot Jump Tower on Caserma Ederle Feb. 15, 2023. Other AMICI Program members, Samantha Sommaggio, center, and (in the back from left to right), Elisabetta Bon, Andrea Luison and Laura Dalla Vecchia look on. (Photo Credit: Laura Kreider) VIEW ORIGINAL
Italian employees jump out of their comfort zone
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – VICENZA, Italy – Laura Dalla Vecchia, an AMICI Program participant, gets an opportunity to experience firsthand equipment after instruction from Sky Soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Feb. 15, 2023.

Throughout the program, Italian professionals also shared their contribution to the quality of life for the Soldiers. AMICI is open to Italian employees of the U.S. Army working within the Vicenza and Darby Military communities. (Photo Credit: Laura Kreider)
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Italian employees jump out of their comfort zone
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – VICENZA, Italy – Andrea Luison, one of the 12 AMICI Program members, gets a briefing on the U.S. Army Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV), during the tour at the Jump Tower Feb. 15, 2023. Throughout the six-month program, participants had the opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and gained insights on the daily routines of Soldiers and paratroopers. (Photo Credit: Laura Kreider) VIEW ORIGINAL
Italian employees jump out of their comfort zone
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – VICENZA, Italy – Silvia Zanellato, one of the 12 AMICI Program members, gets camouflage put on her face as part of the activities at the Jump Tower on Caserma Ederle Feb. 15, 2023. Throughout the six-month program, participants had the opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and gained insights on the daily routines of Soldiers and paratroopers as they train and work. (Photo Credit: Laura Kreider) VIEW ORIGINAL
Italian employees jump out of their comfort zone
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – VICENZA, Italy – 12 AMICI Program members, pose for a photo at their first meeting July 26, 2022. After this first briefing, they continued their six-month program throughout several activities on the Vicenza installations.

AMICI, which means “friends” in Italian, stands for American Military Italian Civilian Integration. It is a six-month-long enrichment program created in 2017 for the Italian workforce within Vicenza and Darby military communities. During this period, participants get to know and gain a better understanding of the U.S. Army mission in Italy. (Photo Credit: Laura Kreider)
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VICENZA, Italy - A dozen Italian professionals from several organizations and units hardly knew how the U.S. Army Garrison Italy AMICI Program would be during their icebreaker back in July 2022.

Italian employees jump out of their comfort zone
VICENZA, Italy – Jay Pasion and Silvia Trevisan, respectively AMICI Program manager and assistant manager (fourth and third from left) pose for a picture with AMICI participants after the Jump Tower event on Caserma Ederle Feb. 15, 2023.

AMICI participants are (in alphabetical order): Giovanni Albanese, TSMO; Mattia Baio, 509th Signal Bn.; Mattia Berno, LRC; Elisabetta Bon, IFCE Finance; Andrea Clavello, LRC; Laura Dalla Vecchia, DHR; Maurizio Di Nuovo, DPW; Alessandra Dionisi, DES; Alessandro Frugani, LRC; Andrea Luison, LRC; Samantha Sommaggio, U.S. Army Health Clinic; Silvia Zanellato, S3/5/7. (Photo Credit: Laura Kreider)
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AMICI, which means “friends” in Italian, stands for American Military Italian Civilian Integration. It is a six-month-long enrichment program created in 2017 for the Italian workforce within Vicenza and Darby military communities. During this period, participants get to know and gain a better understanding of the U.S. Army mission in Italy.

“The AMICI program is fantastic because it shows you the whole organization,” said Elisabetta Bon, one of this year's participants, after her experience at the Jump Tower on Caserma Ederle Feb. 15.

Bon has been working for two years at Travel, Central Processing Facility, where she assists Soldiers during their military moves overseas.

“In your job, you perform your best, but you will never get the vision that you have by participating in this program,” Bon added. She explained that she had the chance to learn about other duties and to meet commanders who tell you firsthand what they think from their point of view.

Before starting this program, each participant did not know how each unit or directorate supported the community.

“Each supporting unit would provide a briefing that would lay out each unit's capabilities and services,” explained AMICI Program Manager Jay Pasion.

In his first year as a manager, he mentioned that this is one of the events he is most proud of.

“It gives our Italian professionals a broader view on why they are important to the garrison. This gives the tenant units the opportunity to brief the AMICI participants and provide a better understanding between both U.S. and Italian civilian and military communities,” he said.

Throughout several activities participants experienced during these past months, the response from each of them has been positive, said Pasion.

Facing some activities has been a challenge. The biggest one was at the 34-foot jump tower where 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team “Sky Soldiers” assisted participants in their jump after they toured a static display for weapons and vehicles.

Italian employees jump out of their comfort zone
VICENZA, Italy - AMICI Program member Mattia Berno jumps from the tower after instruction from Sky Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Feb. 15, 2023. AMICI, which stands for American Military Italian Civilian Integration, means “friends” in Italian. It is a workforce enrichment program, which was created in March 2017. (Photo Credit: Laura Kreider) VIEW ORIGINAL

“I'd say that the most challenging event was today’s activity at the jump tower,” said Giovanni Albanese, construction mixed commission specialist with USAG Italy. “This program has a lot of opportunities to get yourself out of the comfort zone, and the jump tower certainly was one of them,” he added.

Albanese also highlighted that this type of experience offers the possibility of sharing stories with all the Soldiers during their daily life.

“Thanks to this program, we have the chance to see the big picture and understand firsthand how we fit in, so we can realize and appreciate how important everybody is in this community and it is a great motivation for us and for everybody,” Albanese said.

After an event in March on Caserma Del Din, all participants will receive a certificate of completion.

“They [participants] will take all information back to their offices, so others can learn from their experiences gained through the program,” said Pasion.

**To view more about the Jump Tower event visit:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6aKWc3JOraY