For many of us who are active in the Italian American community, there exists a common, existential fear, a constant refrain that can be heard at Lodge meetings and Sunday dinners alike… “The young people aren’t interested in being Italian!” But we decided to challenge this terrifying assumption by providing an opportunity for Italian America’s most dedicated young leaders to meet, mingle, and consider our proud community’s present — and future — state.

“Inspiring,” “incredible,” “life-changing”… these are just some of the words used to describe the inaugural Italian American Future Leaders Conference held this past weekend at the FLA Live Arena in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We at the Italian American Podcast are proud to have played a role in this first-of-its-kind event that brought together more than 100 young, active Italian Americans between the ages of 21-35, the future leaders of our community from across the US and Italy.