Youthquake II, was born from the desire to follow up on the relationships established during the first edition of the Youthquake strategic volunteer project (2017-2020) by building active and supportive responses to the new social challenges that have also arisen as a result of the emergency caused by the pandemic.
The challenge was the social, economic, physical, and community reconstruction of areas in central Italy affected by the earthquakes between August 2016 and January 2017 by sending and hosting volunteers in some of these areas. The project involved associations, public and private organizations from the regions of Lazio, Umbria, Marche, and Abruzzo as hosts, and European organizations accredited to send volunteers. It is from the evaluation of the results of the Youthquake project that, some of the Partners decided to continue the commitment and presence on the territory of central Italy through an approach based on continuity, accompaniment and the will to implement a structured and long-term impact. In fact, the hosting organizations included in this project work on a daily basis in contact with the users of the territory, and Youthquake II is also configured not as a time-limited intervention, but as part of an integrated system of long-term support that aims to give an international dimension to the ongoing commitment of the individual organizations. A discussion among partners identified the major critical issues on the ground: – lack of knowledge of the opportunities present in the European landscape by young people living in socio-cultural, economic, geographical disadvantage. The young European volunteers will therefore pose as examples of the international experiences that it is possible to carry out in order to trigger a multiplier effect; – some small inland municipalities are characterized by a difficulty of connection with respect to what is happening in the European panorama; the feeling of isolation experienced, especially in young people, as well as the lack of aggregation activities can cause dysfunctional dynamics, processes of marginalization and social exclusion. This condition affects not only young people but also adults and the elderly. Like Youthquake, Youthquake II therefore wants to represent the “shock” that young Europeans can bring to territories first affected by the 2016-2017 earthquake and its social and economic consequences, then aggravated by the health emergency and its economic impact on the territory. The underlying idea is to contribute to the strengthening of solidarity bonds of host associations and local communities in areas characterized by severe isolation through the active contribution of young people from different parts of Europe. The main impact that Youthquake II aims to implement is the creation of supportive and inclusive experiences designed to encourage active participation by young people and the entire local community.
The host associations are Gruca onlus (Macerata), Io non crollo (Camerino), MovimentAzioni, an Arci circle and independent bookstore in Pescara, and the Municipality of Macerata.