Articles

Young people are unwilling to work!

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.

True wealth? People

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.

Online and offline: complementary aspects of modern life

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.

Wealth around us

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.

The Importance of Bonds in the Workplace

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 Importance of Investing in Young People

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: what does liberation mean?

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.

Are young people really disinterested?

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.

Does everyone have the right to love?

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.

Interaction among people is the real wealth

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.

You don’t just learn at school

Given that we are convinced supporters of education (understood in its most “classic” version of school) and that we firmly believe that it should be everyone’s right, we are equally convinced that thinking that you learn only at school is limiting. In the sense that, in addition to the more canonical subjects for which the institutional approach is necessary, it is very important to continue to spread culture and knowledge even outside the educational institutions. The expression “lifelong learning” embodies an educational concept that goes beyond school age or specialist studies; what should be promoted is informal learning, even though it is not in compliance with the most classic educational approaches, but may be very useful for instilling awareness to create a world populated by citizens who are aware of “matters” such as empathy, integration, environmental sustainability, human rights, etc. Daily time should be dedicated to the personal and continuing promotion of civic education, so as not to make adults lose sight of those values that we learned when we were children. As we grow up, we are always more, overburdened with obligations and duties, and tend to forget some elementary aspects of good coexistence with other beings, be they animals, humans, or plants. The carrying out of good actions, participation, and contribution to a renewed and more sensitive community is a set of simple but effective practices that help us learn from the people around us.

Young people: what prospects for the future?

We often hear about NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training): they are young, perhaps a little bewildered by scenarios that are not too encouraging. Boys and girls are not living in a particularly flourishing historical period; nevertheless, it is from the shadiest historical moments that projects, perspectives, and new horizons are born… But these destabilizing moments must be first overcome! The youngest generations are often criticized for not being engaged in studies, employment or training as if it were (necessarily) a fault – or a choice. Looking at our country, it is on the agenda, in this last period, to hear entrepreneurs complaining about the lack of personnel despite the proposals for interesting and worthy salaries, but is that really so? We come from a generation that has reasoned with its head down and worked hard at all costs, a generation that today, in many cases, is at the head of small companies that have asked young generations to accept any working condition, because work ennobles, according to them. But does this expression still make sense? Are young generations really lazy or are they unwilling to accept non-existent contracts, ridiculous wages, non-existent rest periods, as well as many other rights that have been taken away from us without any opposition? One thing is certain for us: these young people are looking to a future that some adults no longer look to. We want to listen to these “lazy” people, play in their team, and help them build a life path, which leads them somewhere. They have the right to lead a pleasant life and to fulfill their wishes, not just at those of a society bent on duty at any cost.

Traveling: can we all do it?

How much do we like to travel? Packing our suitcases or backpacks, taking a train, a flight, a bus, or a caravan, and exploring new worlds is something everyone loves. The travel experience is fundamental for the human being, who is born nomad and periodically returns in search of this condition. Whether it is to switch off and rest or to venture into an experience, it is undeniable that traveling offers very strong emotions. Some people, however, unfortunately, seem not to have this right or find themselves forced to travel, to survive, or to make their family survive because they no longer have a welcoming “home”. The two-year period 2020-2022 (should have) taught us that being able to move from our home or our country is a right that we all felt denied. Now we want to propose a little reflection: why, when travel turns into migration, ergo necessity (and not pleasure), is considered something wrong and hardly acceptable? We tend to judge this kind of traveler negatively, without thinking about the reasons for his choice, defining him as a profiteer, forgetting that the purposes of traveling can be several. Even more so, those who pack a suitcase to seek “luck” or simply the dignity of a healthy life, must be respected and protected even more than those who, like all of us, travel whenever they have the occasion. Since the travel experience enriches everyone, it must be considered a right and not a luxury. A right to be protected even for those who travel not by choice, but by survival.

Covid and human relations

How much has the global pandemic affected human relations? We are not just talking about pleasant meetings and dinners with friends or the lack of social opportunities in which to live and cultivate friendships, a prospect that fortunately seems to be getting better and better. We are now going to talk about the living conditions of the weakest population groups in the early post-pandemic era: those groups include people who live on the margins of society, migrants with precarious jobs, or young men and women looking for a job; if until recently they were shunned for a sort of public and social modesty, in these two years they were also pointed out as responsible and carriers of diseases. It was not uncommon to hear phrases about restrictions and the impossibility of organizing moments of conviviality and dinners with friends, accompanied by comments regarding migratory flows and entries, according to some, unregulated and uncontrolled, as if the migrants were not victims as much as we are (if not even more than us, since they don’t even have a house in which to isolate themselves) and were more disease-carriers than us. Despite a growing desire for aggregation and human relationships to cultivate has appeared, a feeling of distrust has increased at the same time. This common feeling is addressed to the usual people who, as if they had faults or responsibilities, must face another kind of isolation, not within the house walls, but within a society that seems increasingly frightened by the wrong “monsters”. We sincerely hope that this sad period, also accompanied by a new, useless war, comes quickly to an end, maybe replaced by the arrival of a good general dose of empathy, the cure for the greatest evils. Here’s our Glossary of Covid-19

Building according to nature

Do you believe that the possibility of building and developing architecture and technology according to the canons of nature and animals already exists? Now you have to believe it, it is called biomimicry and is exactly the union of biology, architecture and new technologies. The goal is to develop engineering works, both giant and tiny, inspired by the logic of the evolution of various living organisms. Forms, structures, materials and functions are plagiarized from Mother Nature to try, finally, to imitate the more intelligent life. A life that develops on ecosystems by geological growth and evolution and not, as expected, devoted to the violent consumption of resources and planned obsolescence which are not based on the respect for nature and living beings. Biomimicry is the answer to some of our problems, a set of solutions, that some attentive and far-sighted human beings have found by observing those organisms which are part of nature and that we consider different from us. Biomimicry exploits the interdependence between the elements: solar energy, hydrophobia, resistance to atmospheric agents, environmental exposure and a whole series of behaviors common to nature, where “waste” is not contemplated. In short, a giant leap forward, looking at the simpler things that still have engineering lessons to give us. We at Glocal Factory are happily involved in a project that deals with the dissemination of this new approach and we are learning more and more about this new topic thanks to the whole partnership and, above all, to the scientific contribution of the Biomimetic Science Institute.

The right means for inclusion

These are sad times in which the word “war” has unfortunately returned as the protagonist of the news. With these episodes, terms like “welcome”, “brotherhood” and “inclusion” have also found ample space. We at Glocal Factory firmly believe that it is appropriate to always remember these three words and have them well engraved in our minds and hearts. These are not words that should be limited to riding a media wave. Unfortunately, there are many wars and, of course, none excludes others, but it is good to remember that the people who experience these tragedies are in constant search of happiness, well-being and tranquility, like all of us, after all. Inclusion, the real one, provides for paths that allow these people to be able to get involved, to re-build a life that is worthy of being defined as such and not of feeling a burden for other people. This pushes us every day to create training courses and projects aimed at doing justice and offering new opportunities to anyone. For inclusion to work, it is important to create the right circumstances and to provide the means for collaboration and the establishment of new collective projects or the placement of people in already existing realities. Let us not forget that behind certain collective names there are people and life stories, dreams, desires, and needs.

Redeveloping is better than breaking down and rebuilding

The lands around us are full of history, and a great deal of this history is embodied by the old buildings. The term “history” means not only epic battles to be told, armies, fortresses and monuments. There is a humbler history behind them, that is the simple and genuine history of the common folk, which still lives thanks to the walls of the houses that hosted people in the past. These simple examples of cultural heritage are too often left to rot by the roadsides and in the middle of our countryside, just because their redevelopment is considered economically inconvenient. In the meantime, those great monsters of iron and steel that we call bulldozers and cranes keep on binging on our green areas. Immense chasms open up and entire fields become new, clean pours of concrete on which new living hives, often of dubious taste, are built. Restoring and recovering old buildings has a double value and gain: in the first place we do not further disfigure the landscape stealing land from the Earth, and secondly, we keep our tradition alive. Redeveloping is better than breaking down and rebuilding. The voracity with which thousands of hectares of land disappear under the hunger for new buildings is frightening, especially in places and times in which buildings are not lacking and, indeed, they watch us as they yield under the weight of the owners’ carelessness.

Seeing with our own eyes the “homes” of some people

Last December we visited a refugee camp, one of those places that we hear from the daily news but it is hard to give them an identity: what is shown leads us to consider those places as anonymous. But those sites are called “home” by many people (even though it is hard to define them as such). Sure, associating the word “home” to such places is a paradox, their real home is different! We thought it before visiting the camp and now we believe it even more: seeing with our own eyes can surely contribute to shaping our ideas and thoughts. Unfortunately, we are constantly bombarded with definitions, names, numbers and information. We perceive a substitute for information that is passive and words like migrants, refugees or refugee camps slide down into our stomachs in between bites, just before the football championship news. Sure, we are convinced that it is neither easy nor possible for everyone to visit those sites to form a personal idea about the matter. But what we are sure about is that such experiences could at least serve as a deterrent in order not to launch completely unfounded reasoning or debates and to remind us that “refugee camp” are not two words, we are referring to people who, like us, open their eyes every morning and are looking for, if not happiness, at least that wellness from which we all should draw. Choosing to reject passivity is good both for us and for the others

Can we really be inclusive?

We often talk about inclusion when it comes to matters like migrants and/or refugees, but…Are we actually inclusive? Saying and doing are two very different things, and also social issues like inclusion are difficult to be applied. Words play a fundamental role in the spreading of an idea, or a message, but they are not enough: concrete actions are needed to make real changes. Inclusion is important in every context, the most unimaginable, and even towards people we would never deal with. Including means mutually enriching, it implies letting those people who belong to a completely different social reality discover our everyday life; and in turn, we become guests of the everyday life of other people. The more we are different from each other, the more potential for mutual enrichment settles down. Including: adding new elements. Including does not take anything off anyone. Including is both giving and taking. It is the only way to approach our present society fairly. The rest is just fears dictated by non-knowledge. We need to approach what is new and different to break down the wall of fear. If we only approach matters and people reflecting us, there will not be any personal and social enrichment. It would be a continuous dead-end agreeing with ourselves.