Alongside completing the last year of his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Western Australia, Guaia is committed to developing the Italian Scientists and Professionals’ Community in WA (ISPC-WA), an organisation which he founded in October 2015.
At just 22 years old, Guaia launched the ISPC-WA with the intention of bringing together Italian professionals and scholars in Western Australia and providing an avenue for engagement between different fields, where individuals can network and share ideas and experiences.
Guaia, who hopes to enter into the professional sector, moved to Perth in 2012 with his family, but his worldly mind was developed much earlier.
Born and raised in Palermo (Sicily), Guaia spent his childhood moving back and forth to the UK in the summer and at Christmas time for his father’s work before the family transferred to Australia.
The proud Sicilian explained that it was vital for him to stay in touch with his heritage once he moved to Perth, and to maintain his knowledge of the Italian language while improving his English vocabulary.
The talented student recognised the importance of Italians engaging with their culture while living abroad.
“For first-generation Italians here in Perth, most of them find it quite important to engage with their roots and where they came from. It’s becoming harder and harder to engage more students with language classes due to the prevalence of the Asian languages here in Australia, but I would say that the community tends to act on their Italian identity either by shopping at the local Italian deli, or with music and through the traditional festivals here in Perth.
“In terms of the Italian community, there were initiatives around like cultural festivals and I always took the chance to go to most of those events, mostly to engage with the older generation of Italians because it is interesting to hear their stories and see how they actually managed to make their fortune here in WA,” Guaia said.
Guaia was eager to become an active member of the Perth community as soon as he moved to the city, and when he began his studies at UWA he started establishing valuable connections.
“I was lucky to be elected as Ordinary Guild Councilor for the UWA Student Guild, where I constantly furthered the diverse interests of UWA students at the highest levels as a member of a number of peak committees within the University, including the Academic Board, to enhance the student experience.
“This took a lot of responsibility but also it helped me to realise that sometimes the way we see the organisation from the outside is different to how it is. It’s much more complex once you start working, and it was a great learning experience,” Guaia said.
From his childhood in Sicily, to his visits to the UK and his home in Perth, Guaia is on a journey to success, making a difference in the Italian-Australian community along the way through his self-made organisation, the ISPC-WA.
The organisation is unprecedented and unique, establishing connections between scholars, academics, professionals and students in Perth and on an international scale.
“Firstly we want to connect not just Italian professionals and scholars but also Australians in Western Australia. Secondly, we aim to foster collaboration in terms of joint research and development projects down here in Perth, because we noticed that there are people that work in different fields that are not connected with each other, and we want to facilitate that. And finally what we hope in the long term is to establish connections between universities in Italy and universities here in WA, so that scientists can visit other universities in either country to assist in local projects,” Guaia said.
The ISPC-WA has already secured strong affiliations with Italy by interacting with many universities, among them the largest technical university in the nation, the Politecnico di Milano.
The organisation’s first event was held in November 2015 and was “quite a big success”, with around 120 people attending.
While the earlier initiatives were more social, the ISPC-WA gradually began to plan seminars which were more focused on a specific issue or theme.
In fact, the organisation will hold two seminars in the coming months based around two key discourses: migration and innovation.
“The initiative coming up on August 21 is a comparative forum regarding migration approaches and policies between Italy and Western Australia, and the second one which will be on October 26 is an innovation forum, still with a comparative approach but between Australia and the European Union.
“For the second seminar we will have speakers like Chief Scientist of WA Peter Klinken and the managing director of Spacecubed Brodie McCulloch, and other speakers to be announced closer to the date,” Guaia said.
The ISPC-WA is an inclusive organisation, and while the average age of members is 30, Guaia is interested in involving all areas of the Italian community in Australia.
The organisation uses social media as a platform to connect with younger groups, while reaching out to the older generations through local regional clubs, not only to get the word out but to also listen to what older Italians have to say and to work together with the collective community.
While the organisation is still in the development phase, Guaia and his driven team have their sights set on the international scene, hoping to one day expand to represent not only Italy but a broader regional unit comprised of individuals from all over Europe.
“The main question we’ve been asking ourselves is whether a group based on a national interest which is Italian-based can actually flourish, and the way that the organisation can become stronger is to represent European professionals and scholars rather than individual nations.
"It would be great to see a merging of different nationalities that represent a single EU entity here in WA, because there are more opportunities to access funding instead of relying just on national brands,” Guaia said.
The ISPC-WA has already been in talks with the French and Greek communities in Perth to discuss the possibility of a joint mission, while the African professional network has also expressed an interest in collaborating with other regional groups to engage professionals and scholars from all continents, both in Western Australia and abroad.
Guaia looks forward to realising his aspirations of advancing the ISPC-WA on a local and global scale, and while this may seem like a large task to many, no goal is unattainable for the ambitious Sicilian student.
For more information on the ISPC-WA, visit the organisation’s website or Facebook page.
