The Agevolando association is an Italian volunteer organisation which brings together minors and young adults who spent a part of or their entire childhood in care and have to leave the system to live independently. As this transition is far from easy, Agevolando created a project which won them the 2022 Civil Society in the category on youth – the Care Leavers Network (CLN). Its aim is to create a space for care leavers to come up with their own proposals and solutions and to become key players in creating a care system that truly meets their needs as well as making the journey towards adulthood as smooth as possible for everyone in their situation.  We spoke to the president and project manager of Care Leavers' Network, Federico Zullo and Cecilia Dante.

EESC info: What prompted you to launch this initiative?

The CLN (Care Leavers Network) was created after it became clear that "care leavers" actively involved in the Agevolando association needed to have a space dedicated to them, so that they could "compare notes" with each other and collectively come up with proposals for improvements to the care system and subsequent transition to adulthood in Italy and Europe. Agevolando chose to promote the advocacy of care leavers by carrying out this project, which, since 2013, has enabled them to play a leading role in putting forward proposals and engaging in discussions with institutions and professionals, which is bringing about a real change in the system of care for children and "leaving care" in Italy.

How has your project been received? Have you obtained any feedback from the people you helped? If so, could you give us an example?
The project has been very well received by the institutions dedicated to children in our country, both at local and national level. In 2015, the Garante Nazionale per l’Infanzia e l’Adolescenza (Italian Ombudsman for Children and Adolescents) wished to support the expansion of the CLN to be a national body – it previously existed only in Emilia Romagna – and since then it has involved care leavers in many regions, and every year there are requests to extend it into others, demonstrating recognition of the value of the project. The young people involved in the CLN greatly appreciate its objectives and results, both in terms of the influence that their recommendations have had on legislation and the professional culture, as well as with regard to the relationships that have developed between them, with a view to mutual support, and with the contact persons, the adults involved who follow their progress and facilitate the various processes. Many young people involved in the project have been able to benefit from other internal projects and opportunities provided by the association (with the project "Se avessi" for example, they have also been financially supported in terms of psychological, housing, study and work support).

How will you use this specific funding to provide further help in the community? Are you already planning any new projects?
The funds will be used to ensure the continuity of the project and its sustainability over time. In Italy, it is difficult to find funding and resources to support youth participation and advocacy projects, which are not widespread enough. This difficulty does not call into question the importance and validity of the project and the need to carry it forward over time in a systematic manner, so that all of the around 6 000 care leavers who leave the care system every year in Italy when they reach the age of 18 can choose to join the CLN.

What advice would you give to other organisations in terms of achieving results with such activities and programmes?
We would recommend facilitating pathways for the active involvement and leadership of young people – whether care leavers or other young people with difficulties – so that they can organise themselves as associations and build advocacy and mutual self-help paths together, promoting actions to involve other young people in close cooperation with organisations that express the views of professionals and adults, at local, national and European level.

Do you think the EU is doing enough to help disadvantaged youth? Would you have any advice or recommendations for specific actions?
The EU is demonstrating a more significant and practical focus on young people living in disadvantaged conditions than it did in the past, but there is still much to be done in terms of promoting universal rights and opportunities for their full inclusion. We propose that there should be considerable investment in the participation of young people in every area of activity and life, thus promoting their empowerment and facilitating empowerment processes that can foster powerful and constructive participation in society. We believe that it could make a crucial difference if EU Member States were instructed to put in place mechanisms, including institutional ones, to guarantee such fully fledged participatory measures, with a targeted and appropriate allocation of resources.