Strengthening the active participation of young people in community life, developing their skills in the cultural and creative fields, facilitating their access to the entrepreneurial context, and promoting their involvement in local administrations are among the main commitments undertaken by ANCI Lombardia.
The association has primarily adopted a listening-oriented approach to identify a complex and constantly evolving set of needs expressed by young people. From this, ANCI Lombardia has implemented initiatives aimed at raising awareness among youth and young adults, supporting their education, connecting them with local political representatives and the entrepreneurial and labor sectors, promoting educational pathways, fostering a sense of responsibility toward the common good, and encouraging their active civic participation.
The work carried out has given young people a voice, encouraging their contribution to the legislative process through the law “for and with young people.” It has also supported the renewal of the technical-political governance of local authorities, addressing the needs expressed by municipalities and tackling the challenge of making public administration appealing to new generations.
A crucial element of this effort has been the teamwork developed with a broad network of partners at the regional and national levels. Notably, the collaboration with AnciLab, synergies with the Consulta Giovani Amministratori (Young Administrators’ Council), and the Consulta Informagiovani (Youth Information Council), as well as the activation of the Regional Coordinated System of Youth Information Services starting in 2023, driven by Regional Law 4 of March 31, 2022.
Between 2019 and 2024, 120 educational programs were promoted to align the skills of youth service operators throughout the Lombardy region, offering equal opportunities to the young people living there. New Informagiovani offices were opened, and projects were developed in favor of young people to involve them in local community life and provide opportunities for education and professional growth, promoting youth creativity.
During the same period, 470 major events and initiatives were organized, including the Orientation Fairs and Job Weeks, organized by the Consulta Informagiovani in Lombard municipalities. These were dedicated to educational and professional orientation and reached students and young people in the process of growth and learning about academic and professional opportunities. Within this context, the “Youth General States,” promoted by ANCI Lombardia in 2023 through the Consulta Informagiovani and in collaboration with the Lombardy Region, was held to highlight the perspectives of young people, enabling a real and fruitful exchange with under-30 groups.
The Consulta ANCI Giovani Lombardia, composed of 40 administrators under the age of 35, worked on youth skills, organizing meetings that included the participation of young Lombard entrepreneurs committed to promoting startups focused on environmental and cultural themes. In this way, requests for support for youth entrepreneurship as a lever for local community development were brought to the attention of regional and national legislators.
To coordinate actions for young people in the region, ANCI Lombardia established the “Consulta degli Informagiovani” in 2007, a working group of Lombardy’s Informagiovani services at the provincial level, with a representative for the provinces and one for the private social sector. The Consulta serves as a generative space for dialogue and the sharing of ideas and best practices, supporting municipalities in implementing youth policies regarding education, orientation, communication, and participation.
Over the years, the Consulta has provided resources, models, and tools to strengthen the network of Informagiovani services, through a unified and shared approach, aimed at supporting even the smallest municipality in the new scenarios emerging for young people, both in terms of territorial policies and services to be provided.
From this framework, the developments and results achieved in the evolution of youth policies can be highlighted, thanks to the opportunities promoted for youth involvement. These have enabled the definition of stable and ongoing programs based on the engagement and participation of citizens under 35.
Two legislative actions in favor of younger generations stand out:
- The Regional Council Resolution of March 16, 2021 – No. XI/1818, which approved the inclusion of a generational evaluation clause in Lombardy Region laws.
- Regional Law 4 of March 31, 2022, “Lombardy Belongs to the Young,” which represents the first framework law on youth, a milestone for the development of policies and initiatives aimed at young citizens.
Additionally, there are three key research projects:
- “Policies for and with Young People 2021 – Survey on the Role of Lombard Municipalities,” conducted by ANCI Lombardia and the Lombardy Region, in collaboration with AnciLab and Consulta Informagiovani Lombardia, focusing on municipal youth services as part of regional activities, serving as a precursor to the formulation of the regional framework law.
- “Maybe: Becoming Adults in an Uncertain World,” by spsTREND Lab, Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan, in collaboration with AnciLab. This project involved communication and dissemination efforts aimed at engaging policymakers and promoting the transferability of research results into local policies.
- “Informagiovani Network Project: Relationships, Synergies, and Opportunities for Young People in the Territory,” launched in November 2022. The Lombardy Region assigned PoliS-Lombardia, under a trilateral agreement that also includes ANCI Lombardia, the task of analyzing and mapping the Informagiovani system in Lombardy, identifying its needs and evolving requirements, and defining the professional skills necessary for operators, potentially envisioning a tailored training path.