Gabriela Preisig Karnouk, in her role as president and co-founder of the Gamil Stiftung, how would she reflect on the experiences that led her to the responsibilities she holds today?
I was born and raised in Zurich. I attended the city's Interpreters' School, where I studied English, French, and Spanish, cultivating a particular interest in the latter language, as well as the culture and lifestyle of the Hispanic world. After several stays abroad and earning a master's degree in Hispanic Studies, I began working as a language teacher and translator. My passion thus became my profession. Teaching young adults and sharing my enthusiasm for languages—especially Spanish, history, and literature—has been a source of great satisfaction for me.
What inspired you to get involved in philanthropy?
Since my husband and I are childless, after my parents' passing, it seemed natural to me to dedicate part of my inheritance to the greater good, particularly to young people who are less privileged than I was in my youth. Establishing a foundation seemed to me the most effective way to achieve this goal. Instead of having to painstakingly search for projects and organizations that reflect my values, a foundation offers the opportunity to select, from a wide range of applications, those that appear most worthy and most in tune with one's goals.
What personal experiences or values influence your work as president of the Gamil Stiftung?
What I appreciate most about my work at the foundation is the direct dialogue with young people. Their enthusiasm is often contagious, and I continue to be amazed by the passion with which they transform their ideas into concrete projects: not for material gain, but to generate genuine social value. When our foundation is able to contribute to the realization of an initiative driven by such dedication and whose merits we are convinced of, I derive profound satisfaction.
How would you describe the mission of the Gamil Stiftung today and how does it differ from other support institutions?
The primary mission of our foundation is the promotion of childhood and youth. When we decided to establish it twenty years ago, I was deeply disturbed by the rise in youth violence. For many children, violence represented a kind of momentary excitement in a life perceived as empty, devoid of direction and meaning. When parents fail to cultivate natural qualities such as curiosity, a desire for knowledge, and enthusiasm in their children, and are unable to offer them attention, recognition, protection, and security, then others must take on this role.
For this reason the Gamil Foundation It supports institutions and projects that aim to enable young people to develop their intellectual, creative, and human potential, both individually and within groups. This is accompanied by the transmission of ethical values fundamental to peaceful and nonviolent coexistence in a democratic society.
We are certainly not the only ones pursuing these goals: there are numerous foundations in Switzerland with similar support criteria. Maintaining personal contact with beneficiaries is particularly important to us; however, I believe that even in this respect we do not differ substantially from many other philanthropic organizations.
According to what principles does the foundation decide which projects to support?
We support the education of young people through scholarships and promote projects aimed at children and adolescents. These initiatives should, as already mentioned, stimulate intellectual and creative abilities, but also strengthen social skills, a sense of community, respect, tolerance, and responsibility towards people, animals, and the environment. This goal can be achieved in many ways: through the arts, through training camps and workshops, or through discovery experiences in nature.
Our support focuses on small-scale projects in Switzerland, which are not for profit and do not receive significant public funding. Abroad, we support only a few organizations we know directly, under Swiss supervision, that take in street children and orphans, offering them food and an education.
What cultural or social issues are particularly close to your heart?
Art and culture, language and communication are of essential importance to me. Literature, music, theater, cinema, but also history and philosophy, nourish my mind and my senses, broadening my inner horizons. I need them like the air I breathe. A society in which art and culture cannot express themselves freely risks suffocation.
To continue to "breathe" in the future, however, it is essential to preserve nature. This is why I place great value on environmental education, supporting programs that educate young people about the respectful and conscious use of natural resources.
How has the foundation's advocacy strategy evolved over the years since its inception, and what learning processes have guided its evolution?
From the very beginning, promoting young people has been a priority for us, while also supporting projects aimed at a wider audience, provided they are socially relevant. Over time, the foundation's reputation has grown, and with it, the number of requests. This has led us to gradually narrow our scope of intervention, focusing exclusively on promoting children and young people.
As the volume of applications continued to increase, we decided to distribute the available funds across a larger number of projects, rather than supporting a few beneficiaries with larger contributions. We learned that even modest contributions can often prove decisive in bringing an initiative to fruition.
What role should a foundation like the Gamil Stiftung play in today's rapidly changing environment?
Foundations like the Gamil Stiftung are called upon to fulfill a role of social and civic responsibility. Ours therefore strives to provide the financial resources necessary for the implementation of educational projects and programs that provide young people with the tools and guidance to navigate an increasingly complex and difficult-to-interpret world. This is complemented by raising awareness of the risks associated with the use of digital media and artificial intelligence, as well as promoting reading and language skills, essential for connecting with and navigating the world. Initiatives that foster a deeper understanding of political and economic dynamics, the structures and rules that govern collective life, can also offer valuable support in maintaining a sense of direction in an ever-changing context.
How do you imagine the evolution of the future cultural landscape and what What contribution can your foundation make to its realization?
An ideal cultural landscape is, by its very nature, constantly flourishing. In our highly technological and profoundly mechanized societies, human beings risk delegating their intellectual and creative faculties to machines—or subordinating them to artificial intelligence. Art and culture constitute an essential counterforce, capable of preserving and nurturing human creativity, preventing it from withering. It is therefore essential to nurture them, supporting them through both public policies and private initiatives.
What new forms of collaboration between art, science, and society do you think are necessary to foster lasting change?
We are witnessing a growing number of interdisciplinary experiments in which art and science converge. Of particular value, in my opinion, are the collaborations between theaters and prestigious research institutions, which enable the development of joint initiatives capable of translating and communicating to a broad audience scientific knowledge otherwise reserved for academic circles.
Through an artistic translation of scientific content, enriched with philosophical questions and critical reflections on society, even the most complex issues can be made immediately perceptible. A collaboration between art and science can illuminate the major problems of our time from different perspectives—from climate change to biodiversity loss. I am convinced that synergies of this kind can foster profound public rethinking and contribute to lasting changes in consumer behavior.
If you could give shape to your boldest visions, without any limitations of resources or conditions, what projects would you like to realize?
Visions often border on utopian. And yet I would like to imagine a world where, given unlimited resources, it is possible to guarantee every human being education, well-being, and equal opportunities. And I dream that, in the not-too-distant future, we can develop technologies capable of ensuring a dignified and prosperous life without compromising the environment or the natural foundations of our existence.
