MAIE Tour North America 2026: Supporting Italians Abroad | Italian News

MAIE Launches North American Tour to Support Italians Abroad

The Movimento Associativo Italiani all’Estero (MAIE), a movement dedicated to representing and supporting Italians living abroad, is launching a new tour of North America starting in March 2026. The initiative aims to strengthen the connection between Italy and its citizens living overseas and to advocate for greater representation in Rome.

Vincenzo Odoguardi, Vice President of MAIE, announced the upcoming tour, stating that the organization is now in the planning stages. “We announced this in recent weeks – and today we have entered the phase in which we are concretely planning the future,” Odoguardi said. “We are doing this together with all MAIE coordinators and with those Italians abroad who want to commit themselves alongside us, to make their voice strong and to obtain greater and increasingly authoritative representation in Rome.”

MAIE’s roots are in Catholic volunteer associations, a history that informs its core values. According to Odoguardi, the movement deeply values culture, traditions, and a sense of belonging. “MAIE was born from the association of Catholic volunteers – it continues – and knows well the value of culture, traditions and a sense of belonging. That is why our first commitment has always been to defend the rights of Italians abroad and to spread Italian identity, strengthening the link between Italy and its citizens around the world.”

The tour will focus on key consular districts in the United States and Canada, and will include meetings, discussions, and events designed to celebrate Italian identity and pride. Odoguardi explained that the final details are being finalized before the tour commences. “They will be strongly identity-based missions, built on listening and participation.”

The North American leg of the tour will also serve as an opportunity to review MAIE’s work in the Italian Parliament and to reaffirm the movement’s cultural and political commitment to Italian communities abroad.

“Our goal is clear,” Odoguardi concluded. “To give voice, dignity and a future to Italians in the world. Because Italy does not end at its geographical borders: it lives every day in the communities that continue to believe in it, defend it and represent it with pride.”

MAIE’s efforts come as Italy continues to grapple with questions of citizenship and identity for its diaspora. A new rule regarding Italian citizenship, implemented recently, requires great-grandchildren of Italians living abroad to demonstrate Italian language proficiency at the B1 level to be recognized as citizens, a change that is expected to significantly impact future generations.

The organization’s work also follows reports of confusion and concern in Italy regarding the planned assistance of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unit with security at the Winter Olympics. While not directly related to MAIE’s mission, the situation highlights the ongoing complexities surrounding international relations and the protection of Italian interests abroad.