Centralissimi - Dai voce alle tue idee. Prendi parte al cambiamento.
Centralissimi is a service that links the public and private sector. It offers an entertainment and education format to involve teenagers in the policy-making cycle, helping them address their needs, concerns and proposals to institutions, through discussions with experts and the use of multimedia languages. Encouraging the learning by doing, it leverages the use of already existing local resources, such as bars and co-working areas in Centrale district, fostering the local sense of belonging.
Local
Italy
Municipality of Milan, City Hall 2 (Comune di Milano, Municipio 2)
Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
As individual(s) in partnership with organisation(s)
First name: Susanna Last name: Arioli Gender: Female Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: The project is developed in partnership with a social cooperative, called ABCittà, and the youth policy councilors of City Hall 2 of the City of Milan.
ABCittà is formed by an interdisciplinary group of professionals, experts in participatory approaches and social design. They use expertise regarding humanities and social sciences, social communication, sustainable development, organization and management of complex systems, urban planning and design, intercultural pedagogy, accessibility and museum mediation, and developmental psychology. Age: 23 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Italy Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Filippo Turati 29 Town: Arconate Postal code: 20020 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 331 859 1643 E-mail:susanna.arioli@mail.polimi.it Website:https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanna-arioli-985b82261/
First name: Andrea Last name: Camurani Gender: Other Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: The project is developed in partnership with a social cooperative, called ABCittà, and the youth policy councilors of City Hall 2 of the City of Milan.
ABCittà is formed by an interdisciplinary group of professionals, experts in participatory approaches and social design. They use expertise regarding humanities and social sciences, social communication, sustainable development, organization and management of complex systems, urban planning and design, intercultural pedagogy, accessibility and museum mediation, and developmental psychology. Age: 24 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Italy Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Madonna di Corticella, 1/01 Town: Reggio Emilia Postal code: 42122 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 366 304 9060 E-mail:camurani.a@gmail.com Website:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-camurani-1532a1230/
First name: Rachele Last name: Picone Gender: Female Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: The project is developed in partnership with a social cooperative, called ABCittà, and the youth policy councilors of City Hall 2 of the City of Milan.
ABCittà is formed by an interdisciplinary group of professionals, experts in participatory approaches and social design. They use expertise regarding humanities and social sciences, social communication, sustainable development, organization and management of complex systems, urban planning and design, intercultural pedagogy, accessibility and museum mediation, and developmental psychology. Age: 23 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Italy Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Giovanni Pascoli 8 Town: San Martino Buon Albergo Postal code: 37036 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 377 994 3421 E-mail:rachele.picone@mail.polimi.it Website:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachele-picone-30976b213/
First name: Daniela Last name: Montenegro Gómez Gender: Female Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: The project is developed in partnership with a social cooperative, called ABCittà, and the youth policy councilors of City Hall 2 of the City of Milan.
ABCittà is formed by an interdisciplinary group of professionals, experts in participatory approaches and social design. They use expertise regarding humanities and social sciences, social communication, sustainable development, organization and management of complex systems, urban planning and design, intercultural pedagogy, accessibility and museum mediation, and developmental psychology. Age: 28 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Colombia Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Monte San Genesio 2 Town: Milano Postal code: 20158 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 351 784 6836 E-mail:daniela.montenegro@mail.polimi.it Website:https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielamontenegro/
URL:https://www.instagram.com/centralissimi/ Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): Active citizenship, participatory approach, policy making, teenagers, municipality
Centralissimi is a service provided by ABCittà that links the public and private sectors.
It was developed first for the Centrale neighborhood in Milan. The target is young people aged 13 to 19 years old, and it was born in collaboration with experts in topics that involve current cultural and social matters, multimedia professionals, and local resources.
The main problems it solves are the lack of entertainment spaces for teenagers, the absence of participation and communication between the community and official entities in the policy-making cycle, and the disconnection between teenagers and the territory.
It offers an entertainment and education format composed of cycles of six meetings each, to involve the teen community in the policy-making process. In particular, they are about topic deepening, multimedia knowledge, material recording, post-production, work finalization, and work presentation to the community. Group discussions and the use of multimedia languages help address their needs, concerns, and proposals to institutions.
Teenagers are not alone in this process as they are followed by topic and multimedia experts who know the situation more in depth and how to translate the teenagers thoughts into accessible material. Hence, thanks to learning by doing, they can improve their hard and soft skills.
These meetings are held in already existing local resources (bars, restaurants, and hostels) that are connected in a network of facilities available for teens. Each meeting is assigned to a specific type of location depending on its size and resources.
Centralissimi also has two additional goals: the first one is to permit teens to know the territory better and set their reference points, to then be able to grow in that context. The second one is to give them the skills to let their voices finally be heard by officials, be active citizens by participating in political life, and to be recognized as an important part of the community.
Teenagers engagement
Policy making
Multimedia language
Active citizenship
Social innovation
One of the key objectives of sustainability are the principles of equity and inclusivity. As a starting point, the service is aimed at high school students of the zone but would be extended to a wider group of people by involving associations that deal with teens coming from low-middle income, fragile and marginalized contexts.
Another key aspect is the use of already existing resources, in terms of places within the neighborhood (bars, hostels and co-working areas), and multimedia content producing devices already owned by the participants (smartphones). This way, those touchpoints take on new values, in a process of resignification through their use. By the creation of a connection between these local resources, teens will be comfortable moving through it and feel that finally there is a space for them. On the other hand, bars and shop owners can enlarge their clientele and have a larger recognition by the municipality as reference points in the territory and resonance in the zone thanks to the constant presence of teens.
Economical sustainability is also reflected in the devices that will be used by the teens. As they are asked to use their own device for creating multimedia content (video, documentary reportage, and podcast).
It is estimated that in 2050, 66% of the world population will live in urban contexts. Currently, 80% of greenhouse gas emissions and 50% of global waste are generated in cities, therefore cities become a crucial context to accompany a sustainable, inclusive, and technologically advanced development. In this scenario, Centralissimi plays an active impactful role, enhancing the world of youth, fostering active participation, citizenship, democratic and social engagement in adolescents, by providing tools to approach future developments, and make them active drivers of change for a meaningful impact within the society. For this reason, the topics covered in each cycle of meetings are related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Centralissimi focuses on communicating in a tone of voice that is familiar for teenagers by using a light but respectful way to connect with them. Then, as trends are considered to build strategies of engaging, the use of social networks to spread the information is one of the pillars that helps to create a constant link between the service and them. During the field research, some insights were gotten about the sensation of being treated as younger kids, underrating their capabilities and ways of thinking, that’s why the graphic design in the social media and the whole communication in general reflect a formal, but genuine format, that way they can feel what they do is really taken in consideration as important as it is.
Some data collected were about the fact that there are no places in the zone made specifically for them. The experience starts when they become the protagonists, which means no judgements and a safe environment where to express themselves. It would take place in bars, restaurants, hostels and co-working areas. These are informal spaces that teens frequent the most and feel identified with, become spaces of free and creative expression. But also, places that may not be used by them because of its current function but are willing to become a reference point of discussion, entertainment and learning by doing for the community. In this latter, the references are hostels and co-workings; those count with a fresh and contemporary like-looking for what concerns visuals, design and aesthetics. The exchange with experts and peer-to-peer activities is supported through the use of designed tools.
The fact of involving multimedia languages in the translation of the discussions is a way to merge their interests with something that could become valuable for the society, so they can feel more willing to participate actively. Furthermore, new meaning is given to smartphones, which become powerful media for conveying important social and political messages.
This product-service system aims to achieve accessibility in different ways. 1) Keeping the firsthand information and reports collected from teenagers available for the whole community, by using existing local resources of the zone as physical touchpoints to obtain them. 2) Providing teenagers with the opportunity to learn how to use multimedia tools and the ability to communicate their ideas and proposals for free. 3) Leveraging the participation of experts that can touch sensible topics concerning teenagers’ lives in an intersectional way, such as diversity in terms of race, sexuality, economical capabilities, or quality of life. Hence, allowing the teenagers that belong to those realities to be protagonists in the discussion and then giving it outside exposure. 4) Providing institutions with access to this firsthand information that can assist in making proposals real, that are currently struggling to find strategies in building trust with this demographic due to generational misunderstandings.
Centralissimi itself works as a tool to avoid common bias in the current policy making process that tends to determine the voice of adults as a unique, better way to make decisions that concern the whole population. Through the inclusion of those directly involved in the different contexts (in this case, teenagers), this process may reduce the discrepancy between personal viewpoints of one’s reality and the way it is perceived from the outside. This serves as a starting point for proposals that could truly guarantee a positive influence for the constant improvement of such realities. This dynamic also enhances communication and the creation of bonds between generations, therefore reducing prejudice created by social preset mindsets.
It stands out when doing an articulation between entertainment and learning by doing; it becomes a modality to keep growing and enjoying at the same time, confirming that those two latter terms are not necessarily exclusive from one another.
Centralissimi cares about both the individual and community growth. Its values focus on the importance of creating genuine and empowering environments for teens where they can express and exchange their ideas freely, believing in their power as agents of change.
The Centrale neighborhood will become the reference point for teens to express their voice and be at the center of the public policy making process in the Municipality of Milan. This dialogue has been sought out for many years from institutions, because they know the value of this age range, but not the way to engage them. Thanks to Centralissimi, the municipality can have direct contact with teens, easily accessing their point of view, and making them active citizens and finally feeling like protagonists of their community. This bond allows a sub-connection to grow, which is the one between teens and the community in general. Thanks to the proactivity of young people and the recognition of their value from institutions, the community can acknowledge the importance of adolescents as genuine drivers of change, and not as problems anymore.
Through this, the Centrale district is transformed in a process of re-inhabiting, thus solving the safety problem of that area. Indeed, if a place is constantly frequented and actively lived in by citizens, it subsequently becomes safer. In addition, the project aims to involve teenagers when the possibilities of the municipality clash with bureaucratic constraints. Through an online organizing platform called Trello, the community can see which issues need to be addressed in the neighborhood and which of them can be solved directly by citizens, as well as which ones need support from the municipality, in a process of active citizenship and participation.
Centralissimi is offering a direct communication network with teenagers to web radios, in order to identify those that are potentially interested and involve them through internships.
Public and private stakeholders were involved in various phases of the process, such as research, concept generation, co-design, testing and finalization.
The first is the City Hall 2 of the Municipality of Milan. Two youth policy counselors explained the dynamics behind public interventions, how to request money and how to include the City Hall in the project. The second is ABCittà, which already collaborates with the Municipality of Milan with the initiative “ConsigliaMI”, which fostering communication between the institution and young citizens (9-13 years old). They are a model, since their dynamics are very similar to those of Centralissimi. The team received ideas on how to manage projects with minors, how to keep communication with actors involved, and which kind of economic livelihood to search. The third is the social cooperative Codici Ricerca e Intervento. They create guidelines for public administrations starting from field research. Their contribution during the co-design phase was really helpful in knowing the policy making process and how this initiative can affect it. These stakeholders supported in building the organization of Centralissimi, and in figuring out the limits of how far the voice of teenagers can go.
The private actors are part of the operational side, that are the cycles of meetings. Topic experts helped to figure out how to structure their intervention in time and form, to make it catchy for teens. Multimedia experts from local webradios were precious in building the meetings by declaring tools, time and people needed. Finally, local resources owners gave insights on how to combine meetings with their activities, defining time availability and needed resources (space, food, multimedia supports). Therefore, by involving them in all steps of the process, the team better understood the current situation of the neighborhood, and how to introduce this new initiative by being conscious of organizational limitations.
The project starts from the brief about “transforming cities”, which support a sustainable development model that puts citizens at the center of the process, considering local communities and actors as co-creators of urban development. The project reflected the principles of participation, co-design, and co-creation as approaches to forms of growth capable of combining local needs with the stimuli or threats on the global scale. In this sense, principles and practices of design thinking and design strategy to service design were utilized, starting from a deep analysis that was carrying out both a desk and a field research (exploring scenarios, case studies, gray literature review, focus groups, interviews, ethnographies) that allowed the team to get insightful information about the context. Co-design and prototyping sessions were held in different phases of evolution of the project, with direct users and stakeholders (teenagers, bar and restaurant owners, multimedia experts, counselors and policy makers).
After that, multimedia experts that were creating content both with and for teenagers, were willing to take part in the project sharing an environment of collaboration with teens. With them, the team developed the sequence of the meetings that should have been built to help the creation and learning process. There’s a gap for the age range 13-19, and the team recognised the difficulty in reaching this target and implementing actions that are thought and useful for them.
Policy makers explained how they were managing the engagement for other ages, and developing tools that support the users from an informal approach to a more technical one. The added value of this process was obtaining immediate and direct feedback about real and concrete users’ and experts’ needs and opinions. Moreover, exposing the concept to several design iterations made it more solid.
Centralissimi’s innovation is based on three pillars: protagonism, personal growth, and a supportive environment.
The project permits teenagers to finally be considered powerful community resources, by being active players in the activities, without losing the idea of “ownership”. Thanks to topic and multimedia experts, they can improve hard and soft skills, and gain useful knowledge for their future in a proactive way.
All this growth can happen only if there is a supportive environment behind it, and it is represented by a network between local resources of the neighborhood, made of welcoming places and people.
The three pillars comprise the unfair advantage of Centralissimi: the exchange of trust between the service actors and teens, to let them express themselves and be responsible for the performance of the activity.
It is important to specify one element: Centralissimi is thought to be free for participants, becoming accessible and permitting all to have the same possibilities to grow and let their voices be heard.
In order to amortize expenses and reach this goal, some decisions have been put in place. Firstly, the use of existing resources of the territory allows to have welcoming and supplied environments without additional work. Secondly, to use the space of the territory, a minimum consumption is required by teenagers, so it is an affordable solution for teens, owners, and the service itself. Thirdly, the tools used for creating multimedia content are already owned by participants (their smartphones).
There are other expenses that can’t be cut, and they are thought to be sustained by participating in public and private calls, crowdfunding, and municipality contribution.
In any case, Centralissimi is an affordable possibility for teens to become conscious and capable citizens of the world, and for stakeholders to enlarge their clientele and spread their knowledge, making the service to be sustained in a healthy and trusting environment.
The concept was developed with a strong connection to the territory and its actors. This approach is properly the one that could be replicated in other places, both other neighborhoods and cities, through a continuous dialogue with stakeholders with the same roles and competences involved in this project. Another fundamental aspect of it was in fact the application of Co-design methods.
One of the strongest points of this project is its flexible and light structure, which is designed to adapt to using the less exploited spaces and times of commercial activities in favor of a target with fewer possibilities, providing a win-win situation; because of this, different contexts can take advantage of such a way to spread knowledge, skills and awareness.
The use of multimedia as a channel of expression also lowers the threshold for access to even complex topics for new generations, and can also be used as a tool of intergenerational connections and exchanges.
One key aspect the team cares about is the name of the project. It was born because of the zone where it’s placed, but also because it was chosen thanks to its reference about the sense of having teenagers at the center of the initiative, being the owners of the ideas and proposals.
Since the aim of the project is to provide tools to approach future developments to emergent generations, the awareness is raised to make them active drivers of change and able resources for a meaningful impact within the society. The topics covered in the meetings are related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that form the core of the 2030 Agenda, a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet in a global partnership between countries. They balance the economic, social and ecological dimensions of sustainable development, and place the fight against poverty and development on the same agenda. For this reason, experienced activists representing the topic, are invited to bring their perspective and build a fruitful conversation and exchange with the teenagers.
The topics are the result of the combination of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and those of the municipality. During each cycle, the editorial team finds a common objective that can link global and local goals. The experts represent one of these, and during the meeting they bring their own specific professional experience in the field, stimulating the active participation of the teenagers. There is also a Q&A to give space for doubts, and a brainstorming phase to find local answers to tackle global problems. The project encourages active participation, leveraging the critical issues of the area, developing the sense of belonging of teens as citizens integrated in a social context. During the prototyping phase, it was possible to test a meeting with Roberta Bonacossa, expert of environmental sustainability and founder of “Change For Planet''. It included a brief introduction on macro themes of environmental sustainability and in particular, the impact that global warming has on the lives of citizens of Milan, their quality of life from an intersectional perspective, and the contribution that each person can have and what local administration and institutions can do.
