The Remid@ project, which helps citizens use technology, was presented in Milan
Eleven digital facilitation centres, spread throughout the city of Milan, to accompany citizens in the conscious and autonomous use of digital and new technologies.
The project, called REMID@ - Making Milan Inclusive and Digital, was presented last Friday at a press conference at Palazzo Marino. It is promoted by the Municipality of Milan in collaboration with the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS and MigliorAttivaMente APS, with the contribution of the Fondazione di Comunità Milano. Through targeted engagement, meetings and information campaigns in neighbourhoods, the project aims to promote social inclusion and provide an integrated response to the issue of the digital divide.
With the REMID@ project, the city of Milan is investing in a free digital training and awareness programme that takes citizens by the hand, particularly those in conditions of economic and social fragility, the elderly, foreigners or job seekers. Through specific and personalised interventions, the programme aims to support different segments of the population, ensuring them fair and easy access to digital services and the opportunities offered by technological progress.
The learning model developed is intergenerational: young people, who are more accustomed to using technology, will be able to share their knowledge with older people in a mutual learning environment, thus promoting digital inclusion, but also strengthening community ties, fostering a sense of belonging and solidarity. In this way, the over-65s will have easier access to municipal services, improving their independence and participation in city life.
The various activities include personalised training for different target groups (older people, foreigners, unemployed people and people with disabilities), tailored to the specific needs of each group; support for obtaining SPID (digital identity) and using the Cie (electronic identity card); facilitation and literacy training in relation to digital services offered by both public and private entities. There are also plans to collect used technological devices, such as computers, tablets and smartphones, which will then be repaired and distributed to citizens in vulnerable situations.
All activities take place at the Neighbourhood Centres:
Municipality 1: Via Dogana 2
Municipality 2: Viale Zara 100
Municipality 2: Via Trasimeno, 41
Municipality 4: Via Don Carlo Sammartino 10
Municipality 4: Via Oglio 18
Municipality 6: Via Legioni Romane 54
Municipality 6: Via San Paolino 18
Municipality 7: Via Anselmo da Baggio 54
Municipality 8: Via Lessona 20
Municipality 8: Via Jacopino da Tradate 9
Municipality 9: Via Brivio, 4
The services provided at the help desk and the training activities are organised by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale in collaboration with the non-profit organisation MigliorAttivaMente APS. The project currently has twenty-two trainers and aims to involve around 1,000 citizens by February 2026.
‘With this very concrete project,’ explain councillors Gaia Romani (Civic Services) and Lamberto Bertolé (Welfare and Health), and the coordinator of the Board for Technological Innovation and Digital Transformation Layla Pavone, "the Administration, supported by the third sector, is helping citizens to access online services. We know how, unfortunately, the digital divide can become a factor of marginalisation and real social exclusion, which is why providing citizens with digital facilitation centres, where those in need can also receive reconditioned technological devices, represents an opportunity to participate fully in the life of the city. It is no coincidence that the helpdesks are located within the Neighbourhood Centres, which were created with the aim of offering opportunities for intergenerational exchange, which are essential for combating loneliness and promoting a sense of community."
‘With REMID@, we are making digital inclusion a local service: in neighbourhood centres, with facilitators and tailor-made courses. Together with our city and regional partners, we are helping people to use digital services safely and participate fully in city life. The aim is to transform digital technology into a valuable resource, into human capital,’ explains Mirta Michilli, Director General of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale. ‘The name of the project is inspired by the mythical King Midas, whom we wanted to reinterpret in a social and inclusive way: a digital world capable of generating value and wealth for all.’
‘There are about 180,000 people aged 75 and over living in Milan, accounting for 13% of the population. There are 115,000 young people aged between 5 and 14, or 8% of the population of Milan. In short, the mature Milanese are about to outnumber the younger generation,’ explains Filippo Petrolati, director of Fondazione di Comunità Milano. ‘Since 2024, our philanthropic activity addressing the needs of the silver age has intensified, and digital inclusion is one of the key aspects for the coming years. The REMID@ project is moving in this direction, and Fondazione di Comunità Milano is supporting its promoters.’
For information and to join the initiative, please write to facilitazionedigitale@mondodigitale.org or visit your nearest Casa di Quartiere.
