I just rolled up the screen, put the photocopies in my backpack, said goodbye and thanked all the students and professors. It’s November 30, the last day of this cycle of Project “Living Digital.” A student comes up to me and whispers: thanks, I think school should change. If all lessons were like this, we would never get enough. I must say he is right. A professor confesses: “We could never have imagined them sitting in a classroom on a Saturday morning for four hours with such a high level of attention and interaction. It’s incredible.” Another said: “Thanks, we have learned a lot, too. I am now realizing how ignorant we are about these subjects.”

Freelance journalist Vito Verrastro brought the Fondazione Mondo Digitale’s Living Digital Programme to Basilicata and Campania and held a dozen lab meetings. He tells us about his experience as a coach directly and sincerely, about the successes and difficulties. He sent the message to Francesca Meini, National Project Coordinator. And, with his agreement, we would like to share it with you. Here is the full text of his letter, Goodbye, Living Digital.

It’s the last lesson of “Living Digital,” as I told the students, trying to transfer to them the notion that they were among the few lucky students to have participated in such a high-level training programme for free. And I told myself so, too, trying to conceal a touch of melancholy.

The programme is organised into 3 modules that last 70 minutes each to be chosen from six possibilities: innovation, social marketing, web presence, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data.

Debate, interaction, games, healthy competition, fun and reflection … These lessons really have it all in just four hours. And you are never sure who has learnt more: them or you.

You are trying to free the students’ minds from the influence of recurrent paradigms such as “there is no work” or “you have to move away.”

In the meantime, they all participate, collaborate, open up and are not afraid of making an error.

So, as they learn about innovation, web marketing, artificial intelligence, big data and cybersecurity, the students practice the skills that are sought after on the job market: collaboration, problem solving, creativity, public speaking, critical thought. And I learn about a model that I will bring with me and present elsewhere, too.

What can I say, Francesca, if not thank you so much! Thank you, the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, Freeformers, Facebook and Lara, who started this adventure with me. I will cherish this entire experience, but especially the desire to continue learning and studying about innovation.

During the course of the year, the Fondazione Mondo Digitale has involved 8500 students in educational programmes, especially young men in women in their last year of high school and at university. The objective was achieved thanks to the commitment and passion of a team of over 30 coaches.