At first, Joan felt cut off, with a constant sense of being left out, as if standing before a closed door. “I felt distant from everything and everyone,” he says. “Every morning it became harder and harder to get up.”
A story that is not just his own. Today, in Italy, almost one in four young people consider dropping out of school early, and a significant proportion remain on the margins between school and work. This is what emerges from the ‘Fragili’ report by Salesiani per il sociale, produced in collaboration with AstraRicerche, which conducted a survey of a sample of almost 1,100 young people aged between 14 and 20, providing a clear – and at times unsettling – snapshot of the first wave of Italy’s Generation Z.
This fragility is often accompanied by a widespread sense of uncertainty: just over half of the young people feel satisfied with themselves, and over 50% say they feel stressed and under pressure. It is against this backdrop that Joan’s story reaches its turning point.
Change does not come suddenly, but takes shape slowly, like a door opening little by little. Thanks to an educational project launched in the La Spezia area by ‘Salesiani per il sociale’, Joan meets educators capable of stopping, listening and staying, and it is precisely in their presence that something within him begins to unlock, letting in a new light, made of possibilities and the future.
At first, mistrust prevails, then, day by day, that door truly opens. With the support of the educators, subjects are no longer insurmountable barriers, and even maths, which had always been a stumbling block for him, becomes a challenge he can meet. “I’ve always got a 4, but in the last test I got a 6. For me, it was a huge source of satisfaction.”
It is not just a mark, but a first sign, a tangible glimmer that restores confidence. The journey is enriched by moments of discussion and reflection, through shared activities that help the young people re-examine their own experiences and recognise their vulnerabilities without being overwhelmed by them. A real need, considering that today only 42% of young people report good mental wellbeing, far lower than their perception of their physical health. “I realised that we can all fall, but the important thing is to get back up and keep fighting”.
At the same time, Joan began attending the oratory’s after-school programme, which quickly transformed from a simple study space into a place of belonging, an open door where you don’t have to prove anything to be welcomed, where you can be yourself without fear of judgement, and where relationships become the primary educational tool. “It has become my second home”.
Today, Joan looks to the future with a different outlook – more open and more aware – and attends school with a newfound motivation. “I’ve realised that if you want to change things, you have to commit yourself and not give up”.
His journey, undertaken within the Local Educational Community of La Spezia through the Social Promotion Association “Il Galeone”, is part of the initiatives promoted by Salesians for Social to combat early school leaving and offer young people concrete educational opportunities.
For further information, visit the website: www.salesianiperilsociale.it
