How do you empower and encourage young people from the southernmost Italian island - a destination for tourists and for migrants rescued at sea - to shape the future of their community? Through their peers from the rest of the country!
Thanks to a non-formal education initiative, Lampedusans aged 13 to 17 experience community leadership, acquire advocacy tools and learn how to share them, to inform local aspirations and plans for the future, to the benefit of the entire Island.

The project will take place in Lampedusa Island, in Southern Italy

Despite the challenges, Lampedusans are hard workers in fisheries and tourism. They are not afraid to voice concerns when they are isolated for days or when they struggle to receive supplies. Yet, they only seem to be able to attract attention around migration issues. Many feel discouraged in approaching policymakers and institutions as they rarely see results. This led to an overall sense of mistrust and resignation. Youths often feel that moving away is the only way they would overcome these challenges, as it seems difficult to improve things on the island. If youths did not have to leave, but meet their peers and discover more about how civic engagement may bring about societal change, they may want to start the change they want to see, and involve their families and communities.

Direct targets
-60 Youth aged 13-17 from Lampedusa, the rest of Italy and Refugee Peers
- 60 Families
-5 Policymakers: Local, and national policymakers are informed about the initiative and/or are actively engaged discussing with youths about the future of the island, including 1 MEP from Lampedusa
- 5.800 inhabitants of Lampedusa
-50.000 EU CITIZENS: Citizens are reached via the “Hopespot” public campaign.
Indirect targets
-250x Local Youth and Refugee Peers
- 250x Families
-15x Policymakers
-200.000 EU CITIZENS: reached via the Civic Europe’s support

Activities: youth training and capacity-building in community development, participation and empowerment, to support advocacy skills. Venue: The Museum of Trust and Dialogue, located on the main square.
Timeline: Nov. 2021- Oct.2022
Month 1-2: Mapping and involving Inclusive facilitators at local, regional, national level
M3: Engagement of local youth and of Italian high-school students actively participating in the network of “Seeds of Lampedusa” project ;
M4: Preparation of communication package
M 5: Launch of the initiative;
M 6-7-8: Day-by-day schedule of the Hopespot camp, preparation of programme, and continuous contacts with the participants;
M 9: Hopespot experience and final event at the Museum co-organized with the participants;
M 10-12: Follow up;
M 12: Local youths actively participate in the organisation of the the National Day of Remembrance and Reception on 3rd October 2022

Methods
Youth facilitators will guide and inform the work of experts from design to implementation.
Non formal education and learning by doing will be guiding principles, with the end product resulting from collective experience. Techniques include: debates, brainstormings, role plays...

Approach:
bottom up approach: community leaders will be involved in approaching the community. Human-rights centered approach, valuing respect, cooperation and mult

1. Local youths (aged 13-17) have participated in innovative activities for civic engagement;
2. Local youths are empowered to actively engage within their communities and with political authorities and institutions;
3. Local views and aspirations for the future are now clearly mapped and communicated to the community of Lampedusa;
4. An effort has been made to merge potential convergences and persisting divergences;
5. The roadmap to the rebuilding trust is chartered;
6. Cultural activities at the Museum of Trust and Dialogue have been tailored on the community entertainment;
7. The citizens of Lampedusa are more actively engaged in taking action for building trust in the local society.

Community members face many challenges, yet the debate on local priorities is highly polarized. Activities will focus on youths as future leaders of the community.
Youth mobilization activities will: (i) equip them with the skills to be facilitators in the local debate (from information on processes, to mock debates); (ii) provide the advocacy tools required to build their own narrative about the Island; (iii) support them in believing that civic engagement is a driver for change; (iv) provide them with the opportunity to exchange experiences with their peers coming from other regions of Italy, thus amplifying their network of skills and exposure to positive role models.

Our president arrived in Lampedusa as a refugee; he has lived and worked there for years as a cultural mediator for SAR operations. He knows the islanders personally and maintains excellent relations with local authorities. He believes the community has long been overlooked.
As regular activists in Lampedusa since 2014, we have always tried to give the island as much visibility as possible and we believe that our technical skills are useless without the willingness to pass it on to the locals. We stand respectful for Lampedusa to advocate for itself, therefore we make sure that, when we organise the National Day of Remembrance on 3 October, students discover the island and meet with local authorities, students and activists, including fishermen who rescue migrants at sea.

Trainers and facilitators: 12,000€
Project management and administration: 7,000€
Travel and accommodation: 7,000€
Communication and dissemination: 6,000€
Events/Workshops (logistics): 3,450€
Overhead: 2.500

Inputs on good practices to enhance the engagement of the youth’s families who are often recalcitrant to let their children be involved in shared activities with young migrants and refugees, and, in general to be involved in open meetings and civic activities.