Conference Program

In recent years, international debates on education have increasingly framed schools as community hubs capable of connecting learning, civic participation and local development. Within this perspective, youth participation and the recognition of student voice have emerged as key dimensions for fostering democratic and inclusive educational environments. As Cook-Sather (2006) argues, educational systems cannot be effectively redesigned without listening to the perspectives of the students they are meant to serve.

Recent research in Italy highlights persistent gaps between formal participation structures and students’ perceived agency. A national multi-actor survey conducted by the University of Milano-Bicocca in collaboration with ActionAid, involving over 2,000 upper-secondary students, shows that while formal mechanisms of participation exist, more than one third of students perceive their role in school governance as largely symbolic, and only a minority believe that students’ opinions significantly influence school decisions.

This contribution explores the role of Youth Hubs as community learning ecosystems that expand the educational function of schools by connecting formal education, civic engagement and local spaces. Youth hubs are hybrid environments where formal and informal learning intersect, enabling students, educators, civil society organizations and local communities to collaborate in the co-production of knowledge and social innovation.

The analysis draws on ActionAid Italy’s experience in promoting youth participation and community-based educational initiatives, aimed at strengthening the role of schools and local educational communities in addressing educational inequalities and school disengagement. Through capacity-building activities for young people and educators and the activation of community spaces, these initiatives promote civic competences and youth agency beyond the boundaries of formal schooling.

The paper adopts a practice-based case study approach focusing on the experience of Scaro Community, a social café and cultural hub located in a multicultural neighborhood of Agrigento. The initiative was created by a group of young people who decided to return to their hometown to contribute to its social and cultural development. In a territorial context characterized by limited opportunities for youth participation, fragile civic infrastructures and significant youth out-migration, Scaro functions as a community space that promotes education initiatives in collaboration with schools, social innovation and youth-led projects aimed at strengthening local opportunities and civic engagement.

Within this context, youth hub practices connect schools with the broader community through participatory tools such as community laboratories, participatory needs analysis and educational pacts, allowing students to reflect on their local context, articulate collective needs and interact with local institutions. These processes strengthen young people’s sense of belonging and support confidence in the possibility of collective change.

The contribution situates this experience within broader theoretical frameworks on youth participation and democratic education, including models of participation (Hart, 1992; Lundy, 2007), the concept of the school as a learning organisation (Kools & Stoll, 2016), and research on student voice.

Findings suggest that youth hubs can function as local democratic infrastructures, enabling young people to become active agents shaping their communities, promoting community regeneration.