The Vere Vitae Academy Project

  The Vere Vitae Summer Academy was created from a deeply held conviction: that education must develop the whole human being — not only the intellect, but also character, judgment, resilience, and a sense of purpose.

What began as a vision to create a place where children feel seen, supported, and challenged to grow has taken root alongside the Vere Vitae retreat in the hills of Calabria, where nature, simplicity, and intentional living shape the learning environment.

The Academy integrates a holistic and developmentally attuned approach to learning, combining narrative-based teaching, experiential exploration, and immersion in the natural world. Its aim is to cultivate clarity of mind, strength of character, emotional maturity, and the confidence to think independently and act with integrity.

This vision is shaped by my own life and educational journey across cultures and systems. I studied in France, Spain, and the United States, and later attended Miami Dade College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Georgetown University, along with executive leadership education at Harvard Business School. Living, studying, and working across countries and professional fields exposed me to diverse educational models and reinforced a central insight: intellectual rigor alone is not enough. Young people must also develop judgment, adaptability, self-awareness, and the ability to navigate a complex and changing world.

The Vere Vitae Academy brings together these experiences into a single commitment: to create a learning environment that develops capable thinkers, grounded individuals, and responsible human beings.

My intention is to build a place where each child is recognized as an individual to be cultivated — not a mold to be filled — so that their light may grow with confidence, depth, and authenticity.

— Giadha A. De Carcer, Founder & Director