We end the year with an article with a slightly provocative title. Why? The reason is simple: first, we do not believe this statement is true; second, being at the end of the year and taking stock of 2023, we found ourselves looking back at the work done this year, including the projects regarding young people and the world of work.

Too often we hear that young people don’t want to work and, for heaven’s sake, no one here excludes the possibility that slackers exist, after all, there have always been. But there is a good portion of the young population who have and would like to do things but find themselves in a much more complex context than a few decades ago. We are also aware that every era has its difficulties, but today’s scenario, especially for some young people, is truly twisted and difficult to deal with.

In short, what we want you to reflect on is the difference in possibilities between people: only some have good opportunities in life.

It is undeniable that some people can choose their future, others must accept what they find in the present hoping to be able to build a future worthy of being called such.

Our projects push in a direction that we hope will be that of the world in the coming years, that is, an inclusive society that gives all human beings the same opportunities.
Only then, perhaps, will we be able to say that young people will not want to roll up their sleeves, but until that day it will be better to build something to help them express themselves.

In a historical period in which technology runs faster and faster, facing every day the issue of artificial intelligence with its pros and cons, we realize that true wealth lies in people and the relationships between them. The individual is a resource for himself, for the community and the entire world, if cultivated with care and love since childhood.

Our projects always deal with people, often those in the greatest difficulty, such as migrants or women who arrive from countries where the condition of freedom is not so obvious. Just as often, however, we work with young people, the future of society and the Earth.
Investing resources in the younger population is equivalent to trying to create (if not guarantee) a brighter future for everyone. In this sense, relationships are fundamental to breaking that invisible barrier which is the digitalisation of everything, which too often leads to individual isolation, especially in young people, who need their social dimension more than anyone.

We do not demonize technology, we work on it every day, but we strongly believe that it cannot and should not replace humanity if we want to hope for a different, more beautiful, respectful, and inclusive future.

In the month of October, there are many events that include meetings with our partners from various projects; since this is a very important aspect of our work, which takes place mainly online, we thought to share our opinion on this topic with you.

In the era of digitalisation and of the utmost importance of doing our daily activities in a fast and practical way (and comfortably from home), we believe it is even more important to establish moments of real meeting, during which we share the same air and the same spaces with other people; moments in which it is really possible to be together, for hours, discussing, and looking at each other, without resorting to the usual one-hour online call.
Social and sociability often step on each other’s toes but we believe that the two things are linked and mutually reinforcing.

Digitalisation and the web are undoubtedly convenient, practical and fundamental tools, especially for jobs like ours, in which it would be practically impossible and extremely expensive to always meet in person, given that we work with partners from all over Europe, but, at the same time, we must not forget that real, direct confrontation and being together are a very powerful tool for keeping the human flame alive.

We are social beings and sociality passes through real presence: online you are still at home or in the office, often alone.
This holds true for both work and private sphere.

We were born and, above all, we grow up in an environment where we are taught a sort of (religious) love for… material wealth.
Whether it is the possession of status symbol objects that represent us on the social scale or goals achieved that are equally valid for the social consideration of each of us, every day, since our school days, we learn that it is not enough to exist, to be, to receive the right amount of respect in the world, but you need to get a certain number of results within the common imagination, to be recognized as valid citizens, or not.
The moral part often doesn’t matter much.

Then, growing up, fortunately, some learn to understand that true wealth is far from the ostentation of owning an expensive car, or the constant and impeccably renovated wardrobes; these people develop a sense of love for people, for what surrounds us, such as trees, animals and all nature in general, including human nature.

The compulsive search for (happy) wealth completely blinds individuals, so much so that they are blind to what enriches us and makes us feel good.
Material wealth too often becomes a cage, a couple of golden chains that hide from our gaze everything that we often have under our noses, but which escapes us.
Knowing how to appreciate and re-evaluate our cultural, natural and human heritage is much more profitable than a new body shop to show off during the weekend.

How important is it to create and maintain strong and, above all, healthy relationships in the workplace? You can do the most beautiful job in the world, but if there is no feeling with colleagues, everyday life can turn into a real nightmare.

Nowadays, many companies organize events and team-building moments to strengthen the team spirit within their teams. Let’s admit that we like to see those situations as a strengthening of our large Glocal Factory family. This is not just a workplace, but a space (not necessarily physical) in which to best express ourselves and be able to develop who we are, contributing to the world, and society.

Before being colleagues or collaborators, we are people, each with their rhythms, strengths, weaknesses, and characteristics and it is good to remember this, in our opinion, every day.
A healthy work environment, in addition to allowing better results and easier achievement of team objectives, allows you to protect the most important aspect: personal well-being.

This is where everything comes from.
Even more so in working contexts such as that of Glocal Factory, where everyone works for the community, including and supporting others.

We are all important.

The projects we are part of are often aimed at the weakest sections of the population and aim primarily at the integration of individuals. The people we support with these projects are often migrants, young people, and women. However, it is in young people that we invest a lot of our energies because they are the subjects who make up the future of civilization and the planet.

Too often they are gratuitously criticized without being given valid opportunities. Those who work hand-in-hand with young people know well that the truth is that if opportunities and the right means are offered to them, they know how to surprise us with the will they put into doing things.

Dedicating ourselves to young people is a real investment in the future and in the formation of aware individuals; it means aiming for a citizenship of tomorrow that is more active and attentive to the problems that anyone can run into, because very often certain comforts are only the result of chance, of a condition in which we find ourselves, determined by the geographical area in which we are born.

We believe that this is a fundamental value to be transmitted in order to aim for a more equitable and just society.

April 25: Italian People’s Liberation Day, but what does it mean to be free? Do we realize this? The echoes of one of the darkest historical periods for our country and for the whole world begin to disperse with the losses of the last survivors of what was a tragedy that unfortunately has not been perceived as such by everyone.

Even today, some regret certain political ideologies, and others hope for dictatorships affirming that we deserve them, but we at Glocal Factory believe that it is a somewhat simplistic vision to regret something that has not been tried and experienced first-hand.

It is true, there are still many steps to take for a more just society; there are still many problems and injustices afflicting the planet and society, but at least in the modest part of the world we live in, we believe that things are not so bad after all.

Freedom is not an easy condition either to conquer or to maintain; being free requires effort and determination, but we believe that none of these efforts can ever be put on a par with the condition of slavery, the real one, the one that takes away all rights from the person, making them a trivial number.

Let’s make sure that flags represent wealth and that they continue to fly in the name of unity between peoples because we can all learn and get rich thanks to differences.

It is often said that today’s young people (as it was said forty years ago) are listless, disinterested, spoiled, etc.
Is this the case or are previous generations sometimes unable to see the changing dynamics to which young people adapt by their nature? Surely there will be listless, and lazy young people, but we don’t think they are all total slackers.
Today’s young people, for example, have found themselves having to experience a situation of considerable discomfort with the pandemic and the lockdowns that have forced them to socially distance themselves in the age groups in which sociality, both at school and in the private sector, is very important.

Young people – especially those belonging to the 18-19 age group – have shown and are still showing to be more participatory in civil rights, pacifism, ecological activism, human rights, and many more activities.

Every era experiences and brings about changes, always different ways of participating, and affirming that “today’s young people are good for nothing” is useless. Above all, the old people of the previous generation have always shouted it.

These young people are perhaps not only orphans of examples but are largely engaged in their battles, actively participating in building their future. The answer, therefore, is: no, they are not disinterested or, at least, not all of them, as has always been the case, in every age.

This article has nothing to do with Valentine’s Day gifts or with being in love (in the strictest sense of the word). We are talking about people who do have someone they love, but in another part of the world, at home. Let’s talk about those people who embark on a journey to seek their fortune abroad. We are (also) talking about those young Italians who take a plane, go to London or other places, work a lot, maybe even make a career, have a very enriching experience, and then, sometimes, come back home satisfied, happy and grown up. But what happens if the protagonists of these adventures come from other countries and arrive in Italy to work and send part of the money to their families in their country of origin? Unfortunately, a feeling of annoyance and rejection is often created towards these people who have someone they love but cannot take care of that love (financially). Isn’t it the same mechanism or a similar principle?

The pursuit of happiness and a better and dignified life is what we all seek, each in our way, each with our possibilities. But not always, unfortunately, this thing is accepted by those who “receive visits”.
It seems that not everyone has the right to love life, or a family.

There are two main approaches to life: fear of the other or openness to differences and following interaction. The first vision is undoubtedly the most limiting and devoid of any cultural or relational usefulness. Closing oneself in a shell certainly cannot lead to the development of a more open and broad-minded society. The second approach is the one that we at Glocal Factory embrace and that we support every day with our projects.

The history of humanity has progressed only and exclusively thanks to interaction, and to questioning some certainties or popular beliefs, to take an alternative direction. To make all this possible it is essential to know how to listen, that is not passively, but actively. Listening is almost always the most difficult thing to do because we often want to be listened to, without doing the same towards others; it is normal: it’s not easy to grow up in an environment where we are taught that something is right and something else is wrong. We need to open up to dialogue and question ourselves. This is probably one of the highest displays of humility and intelligence.

Through our work, which lays the very foundations in interaction and diversity, this theory is confirmed every day: the more you relate to different people, the more you can enrich your baggage. The continuous dialogue between people who share similar opinions and views of life only leads to a stagnant situation that in a short time begins to smell old and obsolete.

Humanity evolves mainly thanks to two aspects: empathy and comparison. If you learn to listen to different voices, the path to a fairer society will be easier than expected.

True wealth is the baggage that we carry within us thanks to the experiences we make along our journey.