The first Listening Festival arrives today and tomorrow in Rome, a two-day event dedicated to young people and the value of listening as a tool for growth, participation, and inclusion. The initiative coincides with the second National Day of Listening to Minors and is promoted by the Ministry of Labor, at the urging of Deputy Minister Maria Teresa Bellucci, in collaboration with INPS, UNICEF, and the Italian Youth Agency. The INPS Academy will host the event, where 500 students are expected to enliven panels, workshops, and immersive experiences designed to highlight the voice of the new generations.
The first day will open with speeches from the President of UNICEF Italy, Nicola Graziano, and a panel dedicated to volunteering as a privileged dimension of listening and active citizenship. This will be followed by testimonies from the entertainment world with actress Ludovica Nasti and the book “Listening to Understand, Listening to Grow”. The afternoon will be dedicated to workshops and experiential moments, with the screening of the film Out of my Mind, to foster discussion on themes of diversity, empathy, and unconventional forms of communication.
Tomorrow’s day will focus on youth protagonism. The thematic tables will allow girls and boys to discuss issues such as gender violence, the use of digital technology and artificial intelligence, school, and safety. During the morning, an institutional session is scheduled with speeches from Minister Marina Calderone, Deputy Minister Bellucci, Minister for the Family Eugenia Maria Roccella, President of the Chamber Labor Commission Walter Rizzetto, and the Authority for the Protection of Childhood and Adolescence Marina Terragni. Monica Setta will moderate. The Festival will conclude with testimonies from two young protagonists of the digital and musical scene, Valentina Pano and Dile, emphasizing listening across different languages and generations.
“The Festival is part of the path initiated by the Government with the National Day of Listening to Minors. It is not a slogan, but a concrete commitment, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Adolescents. In an era marked by loneliness, disorientation, and relational fragility, putting listening back at the center means strengthening the community and providing real answers to discomfort,” says Deputy Minister Bellucci. The right to be heard is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Adolescents, and promoting public policies capable of starting from the needs of the youngest, recognizing them as active citizens and fundamental interlocutors of the present.
