01/09
Vincenza Boccia, 18, was born and raised in the Spanish Quarters, a working-class neighborhood in the center of Naples. She was attending a vocational fashion school but had to leave when the school moved to another district.
“I wanted to continue,” says Vincenza, “but my mother thought it was too dangerous for me to go so far from home.”
For many young people from Naples' most disadvantaged neighborhoods, it's not common to leave their own area, and they often grow up without much contact with the outside world.
“But I don’t really like my neighborhood. I feel like the people here are too different from me,” she says.
After a year of inactivity, thanks to the Beyond the Pandemic project, she started an internship at a café in Piazza Dante, just a few hundred meters from her home, but technically outside the Spanish Quarters.
“My friends make fun of me. They say I’m working abroad. But honestly, I even had to learn a few words of Spanish for the tourists,” she laughs.
“I wanted to continue,” says Vincenza, “but my mother thought it was too dangerous for me to go so far from home.”
For many young people from Naples' most disadvantaged neighborhoods, it's not common to leave their own area, and they often grow up without much contact with the outside world.
“But I don’t really like my neighborhood. I feel like the people here are too different from me,” she says.
After a year of inactivity, thanks to the Beyond the Pandemic project, she started an internship at a café in Piazza Dante, just a few hundred meters from her home, but technically outside the Spanish Quarters.
“My friends make fun of me. They say I’m working abroad. But honestly, I even had to learn a few words of Spanish for the tourists,” she laughs.
The “Beyond the Pandemic” Project
The “Beyond the Pandemic” project, supported by the Charitable Fund and Social and Cultural Initiatives of Intesa Sanpaolo and by Fondazione CON IL SUD, was implemented by AVSI Foundation in collaboration with other local organizations in the cities of Naples, Palermo, and Catania to address the issue of NEETs—that is, young people aged 16 to 34 who are not in school, not working, and not seeking employment.
The project gave 170 young people the opportunity to go back to school or follow training and career paths.
With the support of AVSI and its partners, they are regaining confidence, developing skills, and finding their place in the job market.
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