The 18th Global Week of Italian Language, organized by the office of the Consul General of Italy, Cristiano Musillo, and the nonprofit ODLI, which is dedicated to the promotion of the Italian language in, took place in various Florida cities from October 15 until October 22, 2018 and brought together Italians and non-Italians to celebrate the Italian language and the cultural and business innovations that Italians have contributed in the United States and beyond.

The week launched on Monday, October 15 at the Korach Gallery at the University of Miami with the opening reception of an art exhibit that was comprised of student art work created through their participation in NETWORKshops, a collaborative project showcased Italian excellence in language, visual arts and business and involved Italian artists mentoring high school and University students of Italian.

The stuidents were from Carver Elementary school, Carver Middle school, Ponce de Leon Middle School, Metropolitan International School, iMater Charter Middle/High School, International Studies Charter School, International Studies Preparatory Academy, Palmetto Senior High School, Gaither High School, Somerset Academy Middle/High School, Florida International University, University of South Florida - in lab workshops. The artists include Diego Santanelli, a painter who works with natural enamels; Paola Cassola, an installation artist; Marina Fonteyne, a photographer and Enrico Ostuni, a video storyteller. In addition, a young Italian entrepreneur, Matteo Achilli, educated students on startup projects in Italy that involve new technologies.

The week of events culminated in Miami on Friday, October 19th with a roundtable discussion, "When I.T. makes the difference. Italian and new Technologies, " at the University of Miami. Representatives from various educational, cultural, artistic, scientific and business sectors participated, including:

Luigi Bava - President of ODLI | Moderator

Panelists

Luigi Ferrara - Dean of Center for Arts, Design and Information Technology at George Brown College
Alejandro Perez - Administrator Director for the Central Region Office for Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Margarita Pinkos - Assistant Superintendent, Global Education and Community Outreach for School District of Palm Beach County
Andrea Macario - Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Venture Hive and Delegate to Startup Miami Scientific Italian Community
Megan Conyers - Director of US Strategy for Kimonus
Matteo Achili - Start Up Entrepreneur and Creator of EGOMNIA
Massimo Casagrande - Director of Education at Istituto Marangoni Miami