Milano: The Officina 2025 project is underway, an innovation laboratory to bring the ideas and energy of young people into the Public Administration

It took place on 18st January a Milano, At the ANCI Lombardia headquarters, the launch event of the second edition of the Officina project, a laboratory designed to involve the young people under 30 ininnovation of public policies and Public Administration (PA). The project is promoted by the association Workshops Italyin collaboration with the Municipalities of Brescia, Cinisello Balsamo, Monza and Rho, and with the support from the Lombardy Region.

During the event, the new edition of the program, officially launched on Monday, was presented. 20st January, with the two weeks of training bootcamp hosted at the University of Bergamo and the Talent Garden spaces.

The meeting was also an opportunity to promote an intergenerational dialogue between young people, local administrations and all the project partners, with the aim of creating a Vision Card for Workshop, in which ideas and proposals for the development and innovation of the project were collected.

The contribution of young people for a PA capable of changing the trajectory of the country system

The first part of the event saw the participation of some special guests, including the Minister for Public Administration Paolo Zangrillo, who held a keynote speech on young people as a lever for innovation in the PA.

"True virtue is understanding the context in which you operate and using the experience gained to do things differently.“, declared the Minister, adding: “Young people, with their energy, their critical eye and their ideas, are our best allies in bringing change and innovation to public administration.".

Following this, the event hosted the interventions of representatives of institutional partners, including James John Ghilardi, Vice President of ANCI Lombardia and Mayor of Cinisello Balsamo, Laura Castelletti, Mayor of Brescia, and Sergio Cavalieri, Rector of the University of Bergamo.

"This project offers us the opportunity to reformulate our approach to the management of public affairs, to transform local administrations into laboratories of participatory democracy and open innovation”, declared the Mayor Castelletti, adding: “It is an example of how we can, and must, prepare the ground for future generations.".

Il Rector Knights highlighted the importance of training for the Public Administration, demonstrated by the University's commitment to training future PA professionals thanks to the expansion of the offer of courses for professionals in the public sector and in the public management field, and said: “Hosting the training Bootcamp in our University is an extraordinary opportunity for us to contribute to creating a space for discussion and growth, where new generations can work together with local administrations and partners to imagine and build a more innovative and inclusive future.".

During the panel dedicated to the strategic role of local administrations and young people for the future of the country, Mark Baccaglioni, General Manager of the Municipality of Brescia, Mario Conti, Head of the Mandate and Organization Program Area of ​​the Municipality of Cinisello Balsamo, Michael Bertola, General Manager of the Municipality of Monza, and Emanuela Marcoccia, Director of General Affairs, Personnel and Organization Area of ​​the Municipality of Rho, they talked about the important steps forward that the four Partner Municipalities of the Workshop are making for the development and implementation of innovative policies, from the field of digitalisation to that of social inclusion.

The Officina project will help to carry forward this path of change, giving space to the direct contribution of young people.

The second part of the event was dedicated to the co-creation of the Vision Charter, through the active participation of the young people selected for the program, of the representatives of the Municipalities and of all the Partners involved.

The participants had the opportunity to discuss in five intergenerational working tables on issues crucial as urban regeneration, environmental sustainability, social inclusion, civic entrepreneurship e digitization, under the guidance of some “topic champions” with particular experience and expertise on the topics under discussion.

Among others, the following spoke:

• Davide Agazzi, co-Founder of FROM, for urban regeneration;
• Andrea Pesce, Co-Founder of ZeroCO2, and Alice Cangemi, Sustainability Division of Edison, for environmental sustainability;
• Paul Simi, Trustee CONI Milano, and Sofia Lo Mascolo, coordinator of Education Around, for social inclusion and educational poverty;
• Lorenzo Sacchini, Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Milano and member of the coordination group of Inequalities and Diversity Forum, and Luca Miggiano, Initiative Manager Future Ecosystem – ASviS, for civic entrepreneurship;
• Marcello Cup, Co-Founder of .feel, Together with Joseph MayerCEO Talent Garden Italy, for digitalisation and innovation.

Officina 2025 represents an extraordinary opportunity for young people to become protagonists of change in local administrations, working side by side with institutions.

Partners and collaborators

The program includes numerous training sessions, in collaboration with:

• academic and institutional partners, such as the University of Bergamo, the University of Brescia and the National School of Administration;
• private actors, including Edison, COIMA, ZeroCO2, Talent Garden, Dikton, FROM, .feel;
• cultural, ISPI, Holden School, Will Media;
• aunt third sector reality, including Andigel, Inequalities and Diversity Forum, Urban Interactions, Giacomo Brodolini Foundation, Young Women Network, Save the Children Youth Movement, Rena Project, Education Around, Global Shapers Community Milan, Young Ambassador Society and many others.

The Officina project is sponsored from ANCI Lombardia, Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development, ARAN, ANCILAB, Ifel, CONI Lombardia and Giovani delle Acli.

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