Grandi Speranze Project
The Grandi Speranze project was created to prevent early school leaving and promote social inclusion in the Bologna area and in the municipalities of the Terre d’Acqua Union. It is built on strong collaboration between schools, families, public institutions and third-sector organizations, creating a shared network that supports children, teenagers, young people and adults who are facing difficult situations.
The project addresses some of the key challenges of today’s society in an integrated way, such as educational poverty, the inclusion of people with a migrant background, personal development, and support in approaching the world of work.
Its main goal is to guarantee equal opportunities and reduce social exclusion, making sure that children and young people do not feel alone when dealing with school-related, personal or social difficulties.
Activities take place in different educational, social and community settings. These include tutoring and homework support, after-school activities, summer camps and street education. Alongside these, the project offers creative, digital and professional workshops, inclusion initiatives for foreign students, and the management of centres for unaccompanied foreign minors.
A key focus of Grandi Speranze is recognising and valuing individual talents, strengthening self-confidence and encouraging active citizenship and youth participation. Reducing discomfort also means giving young people real chances to try themselves out, through volunteering experiences, internships and both local and international projects; at the same time, the project works to support employability and future job opportunities.
The role of volunteers depends on the specific location, which can be in the city of Bologna or in other municipalities within the metropolitan area.
In all cases, young participants are actively involved in educational, social and community-based activities, working alongside professionals and educators from the host organizations.
Francesca's experience during civil service
I highly recommend doing Civil Service: it’s an opportunity to get closer to the world of work without being immediately catapulted into heavy responsibilities. For me, it was a valuable experience, allowing me to gain experience in different areas, develop new skills, better understand my inclinations, and become more independent.
Keep in mind that you can do it anywhere, both in Italy and abroad (with international social service), so you can decide whatever you want!
One of the best aspects is the social dimension: you come into contact with people who have similar goals, you build a group, and meaningful relationships are formed.
You meet the whole work team (everyone here in Younet is nice!) and during training you also meet other young people who have made the same choice, and you realize that you are not alone: you can make friends, share good times, and exchange ideas.
The training is not just theory, but gives you the knowledge you need to carry out the activities and, over time, becomes a way to consolidate skills, clarify doubts, and deepen your understanding of educational methodologies. (Then they give you a document proving that you have been trained: one more thing to put on your resume ;D )
You don’t need a degree or strict prerequisites to do civil service, just the desire to try!
People of different ages can apply, and you can even choose a sector that is far from your field of study, so you can see if you are really interested in that area.
Don’t know what to do after school? Civil service. After university? Same. Don’t know what to do with your life? Same x3!
(Is it compatible with university? Of course, but it requires organization. It’s doable and worth trying. I’m trying it and so far it’s going well.)
For me, rather than a commitment, Civil Service is a springboard: it allows you to try out a job. But I like it because it’s a ‘light’ job: fewer hours than employees, less responsibility, so the environment is more relaxed.
It’s like entering the world of work in smooth mode.
(Of course you have some responsibility, because it’s a job; but I’m more relaxed when confronted with the other job I tried. I’m more confident because I can learn to work without anyone hating me for my mistakes. With the civil service I have a year to learn what it means to work.)
I discovered YouNet a few months ago and since then I’ve had experiences that have greatly enriched my journey.
The first activity they had us do was orientation on local and international opportunities: thanks to the meetings, I discovered mobility and training programs that I didn’t know about, and now I know that after Civil Service, I want to try some of them. (If Civil Service doesn’t inspire you, take a look at the YouNet website: there are many other possibilities.)
Right after that, they sent me to a meeting in schools and third sector centers, where I did activities in English. It was stimulating but difficult for me because I’m not very good at interacting with kids, but getting out of your comfort zone is useful: you discover that you are capable of things that used to scare you.
I also helped organize internal meetings at YouNet, which helped me improve my skills and feel part of the team!
Since I love computers and technology, they had me make websites, edit videos, add subtitles, use Canva to create covers, and more.
I have this interest, so they gave me lots of tasks in this area. (If you don’t like it or aren’t good at it, don’t worry! They will definitely give you tasks that are more suited to you).
During all the activities, I always found people willing to accompany me. No one is left behind, and they really support you a lot. I was also afraid at first to go to a new place, but I recommend you come here: they are kind, patient, and supportive.
If you make a mistake, they don’t judge you, they help you understand and encourage you to try again. Whenever I had a doubt or a difficulty, I found someone ready to listen to me and give me a hand.
It’s nice to know that you’re never alone, that there’s always someone encouraging you, and even in the most challenging moments, there’s always a smile or a joke to lighten the day.
It’s an environment where you learn, have fun, and feel part of a group that cares about you!
I think I’ve said everything I wanted to say – Good luck to everyone if you decide to do civil service