Technologies for the economic and social empowerment of young people

The project is aimed at young people living in poverty and social vulnerability who will be involved in a process focused on the conscious use of technology as a tool for empowerment and on increasing digital skills. At the same time, a research will be carried out in order to highlight risks and opportunities in the use of technologies among young people, paying particular attention to gender differences, in order to map some of the causes of the gender gap in technology.

Italy has one of the highest percentages in Europe of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET). During the Covid-19 pandemic, these young people were the most penalised and least protected by support measures, in particular employment support; the use of technology can be a means to intercept those in difficulty and meet their needs through empowerment. However, technology can sometimes have critical aspects, especially from a gender, geographical and socio-economic perspective. From a gender perspective, specifically, one of the major obstacles is the well-founded fear of being subjected to gender-based violence online.