The emergency prompted us to develop reflections and formulate proposals rooted in youth involvement and culture. No rhetoric, just our point of view on the ‘aftermath’. Here are some excerpts from the open letter:
“The difficult moment that our country, and with it the whole world, is experiencing drives us all to think about the ‘aftermath’. Many are asking themselves about the future of the economy, the development model, the environment, healthcare and education. Yet it is a debate from which the youth question seems to have vanished from the radar.
We must choose: the ‘aftermath’ requires support for the productive, economic and social sectors, but this must happen without leaving young people behind, starting with a greater youth presence at the technical tables where the exit strategy from the emergency is being drawn up.
And it must happen without leaving the world of culture behind. This is why we are putting forward two concrete proposals, which, as young Italians working in the name of UNESCO, cannot but start precisely from culture.
The first: let us come out of the crisis through the greatest injection of resources into Italy’s cultural heritage: young people.
The second: free access to all state museums and cultural sites for young people under 35. Free admission, innovation, experimentation and sustainability can be the antidote to the virus of cultural and educational inequalities in all phases of the post-emergency period.
Today more than ever, the public dimension must be rebuilt to prevent inequalities from growing and to encourage the private sector too to make its contribution in the same direction. We believe in it.”
Antonio Libonati
President of the Italian Youth Association for UNESCO