Student projects at the General Assembly on Birth Rates
The Fondazione Mondo Digitale brought the voices and creativity of young people directly to the centre of the national debate at the fifth edition of Gli Stati generali della natalità (The General Assembly on Birth Rates), held in Rome on 27 and 28 November. With the project Desire for the future, developed in collaboration with the Fondazione per la Natalità (Birth Foundation) and in synergy with the Fondazione Roma (Rome Foundation), Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics) and the Società di ginecologia e ostetricia (Sigo) (Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics), the Fondazione Mondo Digitale promoted the empowerment of young people, making them protagonists in addressing the social and demographic challenges facing the country.
The challenge of the new narrative
The project had two objectives: to raise awareness among students about possible scenarios (also thanks to data and policy proposals) and to stimulate their desire to shape the future. During the school year, students from different schools (from hotel management to IT and scientific high schools) participated in in-depth sessions and workshops with professionals from various fields, including Istat experts on demographic data and Sigo experts on well-being, reproductive health and fertility.
The students were challenged to find a new language to address the issue of declining birth rates, creating choral, group or class videos, guided by trainers from the Fondazione Mondo Digitale. The focus of the communication had to be on messages of impact, proactivity and hope to build their own future with awareness. Over 50 works were collected from higher education institutions, all developed in response to the creative contest “Nuove narrazioni” (New Narratives) (part of the “Voglia di Futuro” (Desire for the Future) project).
The message from young people
A jury of experts selected the 10 works that stood out most for their use of fresh, youthful language. The selected works highlighted a strong sense of belonging and a desire not to leave the country: “When asked ‘Change country or change the country?’, everyone responded loudly that Italy is a wonderful place and that none of them would leave it unless they were forced to do so for mainly economic and work-related reasons,” says Claudia Belella, who coordinated the project. Despite this attachment, the young people clearly expressed their concerns, pointing out that the problem must necessarily begin to alarm the country and its institutions. For example, they pointed out that raising a child to the age of 18 requires an estimated average expenditure of €300,000 per parent. They also criticised the fact that Italy offers low salaries and the cost of living is much higher, and that young people are often seen ‘as a cost rather than an investment’.
The award ceremony at the States General of Birth
All 10 selected teams had a moment of visibility during the States General of Birth. The meeting and discussion with the students took place on the afternoon of 27 November, and the award ceremony for the “Voglia di futuro” contest was held on the evening of the same day.
The three winning teams were announced, each winning a voucher that can be spent on educational and cultural activities:
- First place: 1964 vs 2024 from class 4 A SIA of the Pirelli Institute in Rome
- Second place (tie): Dream Team (classes 4ALS, 5 AFM, 3 BLS) and Le L.A.I.F. (class 4ALS) from Giordano di Venafro
- Third place: Team 3 from class 4 A SIA at the Maserati Institute in Voghera
The work presented by the students not only offered a more effective and accessible narrative on the theme of birth rates, but also confirmed the importance of involving the wider educational community and families in an intergenerational dialogue on the value of generativity.
The playlist of the ten finalists
"The desire for answers to questions about the future is something we all have in common, especially us young people, who often live with a sense of precariousness transmitted by the current socio-economic and political context. This is why I was very impressed by the sincerity and vitality brought to the stage by the young people, whose questions stirred the conscience of the audience and the speakers present," says Caterina Scotto Di Uccio, 27, at her first public event as a member of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale staff. ‘The sense of unity perceived in their exuberance is the most precious treasure to be cherished in the process of growth and personal fulfilment, because I believe that a sense of belonging is the basis of personal motivation. Being present at this event prompted me to reflect on the path I am taking in life, the milestones I have already reached and the choices I want to make in the future.’
The event was attended by over 2,000 students from the following schools
- Leopoldo Pirelli in Rome
- Domizia Lucilla in Rome
- G. Sulpicio in Veroli (Frosinone)
- Leonardo Da Vinci in Maccarese (Rome)
- Einstein-Bachelet in Rome
- Giordano in Venafro (Isernia)
- Maserati in Voghera (Pavia)
- Tommaso Salvini in Rome
- Via Silvestri 301 in Rome
- Pio XI in Rome
- Federico Caffè in Rome
- San'Apollinare in Rome
- Majorana Maitani in Orvieto (Terni)
- Via Roma 298 in Guidonia (Rome)
- Croce Aleramo in Rome
- CmFP in Cave (Rome)
- Einaudi in Rome
- IIS in Ceccano (Frosinone)
- Liceo di Ceccano (Frosinone)
- Piaget-Diaz in Rome
- Emanuela Loi in Nettuno (Rome)
- Ciofs in Rome
- Enzo Ferrari in Rome
- Gelasio Caetani in Rome
- Piazza della Resistenza in Monterotondo (Rome)
- Dante Alighieri in Rome
- Amerigo Vespucci in Rome
