A warning and a proposal. Andrea Ceccherini, president of the Osservatorio Permanente Giovani-Editori, opened the third edition of the “Young Factor” conference with a lucid and passionate speech, laying the foundation for a new alliance between institutions and the new generations. The stated objective of the event, organized in Milan by the Observatory itself, is singular: to find an effective strategy “to keep young people inside the discussions that matter in society. Inside and not outside, ‘in’ and not ‘out’.”

The starting point is an unflinching analysis of reality, based on data that depicts a worrying vacuum of participation. Ceccherini pointed to the critical issue of youth abstentionism, the true democratic emergency of our time.

“Consider that in the last European elections only 36% of young people under the age of 25 took part in the election. This means that 64% of you who had the right to vote stayed out. You stayed out of a decisive moment.”

How can this gap be filled? Young Factor's proposal is structured around two indispensable "travel companions" for every young person who wants to become an active and aware citizen. The first is critical consciousness, defined as the antidote to passivity, especially in the age of artificial intelligence.

“Critical consciousness means learning to see the world with your own eyes and reason with your own mind. It means not being automatons, not being ghosts in the discussions you hear.”

The second tool is economic and financial education, presented not as a subject for specialists, but as a pillar of citizenship. It is the skill that allows one to move from emotional choices to rational decisions, understanding the weight and value of each action.

“Understanding what every choice costs and what that cost is worth is an integral part of the decisions you will have to make. From this point of view, financial education, guys, is not an optional extra, but an absolute must.”

With figures such as former ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet and the governor of the Bank of Portugal, Mário Centeno, present in the audience, Ceccherini finally made a direct appeal to the students, inviting them to be protagonists, to use their irreverence, and not to be afraid to speak their minds. Participation, he concluded, is a lesson to be learned and practiced.

“Being there from the beginning, being there to express oneself, being there to matter. We want a Europe that doesn't remain bogged down where it is, but that knows how to look further ahead.”