Tools for a new strategy for the territory
In a recent Corriere della Sera article, Cariverona Foundation President Bruno Giordano, building on the findings of the Futuro Qui! research, relaunches the commitment to young people, announcing the establishment of an Advisory Young Board. This board, composed of 10 young people from the area, will work alongside the Board of Fondazione Cariverona to concretize the involvement of young people.
Future Here: A sharp snapshot of youth priorities
This awareness of the importance of involving young people firsthand stems from Future Here! This research gave voice to more than 1,000 young people between the ages of 18 and 34 in the provinces of Verona, Vicenza, Mantua, Belluno and Ancona, investigating their expectations about work, culture, mobility and belonging with respect to their local area.
A lucid and, in part, worrying picture emerged:
> The 50% of the young people surveyed do not see themselves in their territory in the future;
> The 24,8% are ready to move wherever there are better opportunities.
A finding that calls for systemic interventions and invites redefining territorial priorities, starting with the needs expressed by young people themselves. Among these, the research highlights:
- Salaries appropriate to the cost of living (43.5 percent are dissatisfied with the current salary) and the type of work performed (41.6 percent).
- Access to housing facilities adequate to their needs (47.9 percent consider themselves satisfied with the supply of houses and apartments in the area).
- The enhancement of shared forms of mobility (36.2 percent attribute very negative values to transportation).
- Incentivize a people-conscious business culture. (34.2 percent complain that the current business culture is not suitable for work-life balance).
- Improve youth policies (deemed lacking by 31.9 percent of respondents).
If young people do not see Italy as a country where they can build their future, it is necessary that even provincial places work to make themselves attractive in the eyes of the new generations, crossing the needs that have emerged from new lifestyles. The younger generations are not asking for utopias, but for concrete conditions to stay, grow and contribute to the future of the territories, prioritizing the public services (health, environment, road networks, etc.) and to work (wages, quality of work, professional growth, etc.).
The demands and opportunities for revitalization: engagement and mobility
Unfortunately, it is precisely the youngest in the 18-24 age group who feel marginalized by a society facing population decline and in which their priorities are little considered.
"We count little ... we are few ... we are a minority ... we feel lonely."
Yet, a strong desire to be active, to participate, to feel part of a living community emerges in the focus groups. Young people ask for opportunities to meet, spaces to express themselves, relational networks that go beyond the personal circle. In some realities, it is precisely the presence of associations or volunteer activities that make the area more attractive.
A cross-cutting and critical issue is the mobility: in the absence of efficient public transportation, those who do not have access to a car experience a growing sense of isolation, affecting work, education, and sociality.
Seven priorities for desirable territories
The country's demographic trends and the results of the research conducted on young people of the five target provinces of the Cariverona Foundation represent an important opportunity to define priorities for action. Viable solutions to increase the attractiveness of territories through seven areas of intervention: mobility, space , participation, culture, governance, employment and housing.
One of the most interesting proposals is the adoption of programs of shared participation, capable of involving all generations in defining local priorities, through public assemblies, digital platforms and working groups. These tools not only strengthen social ties, but restore a sense of belonging and collective trust.
On the front of the governance, the call is to systematically include the views of young people through consultations, working tables, representations and initiatives designed from their needs.
Upskill 4.0: activating the dialogue between young people and businesses
Future Here! is the culmination of work that started three years ago with the Upskill Cariverona projects in which we created 50 innovation projects by matching young ITS and university students with as many SMEs in the territories of Verona, Vicenza, Mantua, Ancona, Belluno.
Not only did we realize that young people can bring innovative ideas and enthusiasm to the company, but also that they were fascinated by the ability of these companies to pass on a know-how and cherish a wealth of knowledge that deserves to be enhanced.
The fact that these two worlds-the world of businesses that are custodians of a manufacturing or craft tradition and the world of young people in training-have a hard time meeting each other says a lot about the difficulties our country faces.
SMEs that do not gear up for a generational transition, transfer and inclusion of new skills risk losing competitiveness, and with it the wealth of knowledge and relationships that makes them unique. According to the Bank of Italy (Bank of Italy Annual Report for 2023), the absence of generational turnover and new managerial skills is a significant brake on SME productivity in a global context where innovation and adaptation are essential. The failure to introduce young managers, who are often better trained and open to innovation, limits the ability of firms to invest in research, development and digitalization, making them less competitive with international competitors. In addition to tangible assets, there is a risk of losing know-how, manual skills, traditions and ties to the territory, elements that are fundamental to the continuity and distinctiveness of Italian companies. But the problem is also closely linked to the other side of the coin, young people. The inability of the younger generation to take on roles of responsibility -and as highlighted by the Futuro Qui! research to find consistency and salaries appropriate to the task at hand- pushes many qualified young people to seek opportunities abroad or in other sectors, exacerbating the brain drain problem.
The Upskill 4.0 method: listening, co-design, experimentation
Central to our approach is the combination of training and innovation: bringing young people into companies, having them work on real challenges, allowing them to be heard and to be protagonists of change. This is where the match is made : when young people see their value recognized and companies discover new ways to innovate.
It is precisely thefailed listening one of the aspects that weighs most heavily in the negative judgments expressed in the research. The perceived distance between young people and institutions generates distrust, but also a desire to react: young people ask for spaces, tools and responsibilities to contribute. It is up to companies, as well as institutions and intermediate bodies, to act to respond actively to this demand, creating opportunities for young people, involving them, making them feel heard, training them and giving them the chance to express themselves and contribute their ideas, experiencing leadership, planning and real impact.
Concrete initiatives such as the Young Advisory Board of Fondazione Cariverona or the territorial innovation projects of Upskill 4.0 go precisely in this direction: not only studying young people, but involve them actively, listen to them, train them e entrust them with a leading role in designing possible futures.
With Upskill 4.0 we position ourselves as a bridge between the world of research and innovation between business and education. This allows us to provide useful tools to intercept the needs of the territory and be able to find concrete solutions that also direct governance toward new models of territorial activism.
Read the full research at this link https://www.upskill40.it/futuro-qui/