ROMA – The so-called “brain drain”, that is, the exit from the national borders of young human and professional resources, who prefer to imagine their future in a country that is not Italy, is a very serious problem that intersects with several unresolved issues, both social and economic, of our country. It intersects, first of all, with the issue of the labor market, which offers salaries and wages among the lowest in Europe and, on average, few opportunities for professional growth; not to mention the very frequent fixed-term or part-time work contracts.
Brain waste and the PhD who works as a cashier. The topic of “brain drain” also intersects with another much more complex and serious issue: that of brain waste. That is, the loss of the contribution produced by qualified professions caused by the diversion towards jobs other than the skills acquired in years of study by young workers. In other words: if a graduate in physics, a research doctor, ends up working as a cashier in a supermarket, or at most ends up in the marketing office of a cosmetics company, he will certainly be able to say that he has found a job, but he will have certainly thrown away the skills learned at his own expense, but also at the expense of the national school system. However, it should be remembered that – net of the fact that, at a national level, the number of young graduates (and not only) who are thinking of leaving Italy is not decreasing – it should be said that in July 2024 employment appears to be increasing (+0.2%) and the unemployment rate falls to 6.5%.
This is how “La Tornanza” was born. But when the so-called expat they come back and decide to start a business, the project is born “The Return”: the cultural movement that wants to revive Italian villages. And a book, a podcast, a festival, a hub and an academy are also born. This is the project by Antonio Prota and Flavio Albano, which challenges the depopulation of countries by focusing on origin, travel and innovation.
The meaning of the operation. The invitation is to “Read the brain drain as a phenomenon that is not only negative and irreversible, but as a potential force of a circulatory motion that includes a return flow after a personal redemption”. Here it is, then “the Return”: a rebirth of the territories that starts from the grafting between those who, after having traveled, decide to return to their country of origin and put their knowledge to good use.
The book. It all starts with a book: “La Tornanza – returns and grafts oriented towards the future” – the essay by Antonio Prota and Flavio R. Albano (Laterza editions), two experts in tourism and territorial and digital marketing – which is actually the manifesto of the movement itself. It is here, in fact, that there are all the founding concepts of the project that are then put into practice: the importance of returning after the trip and choosing to re-establish oneself in the country of origin, bringing with oneself a background new, a transformation that can be grafted onto the knowledge of the rest to actively participate in the development of the territory. “The book – says Prota – is the cultural manifesto of a much larger project that unfolds through a podcast and festivals, communication media to make the project known, but also the hubs and the academy, physical and tangible elements in which to build communities.”.
The podcast. That is to say: tell the return from the living voice of those who return. This is the reason for the traveling video-podcast, a series of narrations to tell the stories of those who have decided to return home. From Puglia, to Basilicata, from Campania to Calabria and beyond: once a week, a returnee tells his story, where he started from and therefore where, after a long journey, he decided to return, but also the reason for this choice and the project he is trying to carry forward in his homeland, strong in the experience gained during his absence. “These are stories that leave their mark – says Albano – and the numbers prove it: almost 1 million views on social platforms.
The Festival. Own in the name of collaboration and sharing, the Return It is also a series of live events, the Returning Festival, a sort of Tedx to tell each other about your experiences, but above all your ideas, so that they can be an inspiration. The first was last June 28, in Padula, Campania, and soon there will be others, some in collaboration with the university. On September 17th in Potenza, then on September 20th in Matera.
L’Academy. A true expression of the founding concepts of the Tornanza – Origin, Journey and Innovation – the Academy is the space dedicated to training those who return and those who want to become one. “The academy should be able to build a training path of self-entrepreneurship to encourage new grafts in the communities of every South of the world”, comment the founders of the project. The first course will start in Bari in the fall.
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– 2024-09-02 22:19:52
