Happy. Becoming Capable: A Project for Adolescents and the Educational Community
“Happy. Becoming Capable” is a project promoted by Minotauro, Spazio Aperto Servizi, CSV Monza–Lecco–Sondrio and Le Comunità della Salute, with the support of the Fondazione Guido Venosta.
Launched in 2024, it is inspired by the WHO/Europe principle “Nothing about us, without us”, placing at the center the needs and voices of adolescents (13–19) in the Milan metropolitan area and the province of Monza and Brianza.
In a global context in which suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people aged 15–29 (source: World Health Organization, 2021), Happy was created as a concrete response to a growing demand for listening, support and prevention.
The aim is to strengthen young people’s relational, emotional and social skills, while also engaging parents, teachers and local associations to build a true educational community.
Active in Milan, Seregno and Sovico, the program involves 350 adolescents, together with 60 parents, 60 teachers and 30 local associations, through creative workshops, psychological listening spaces, training sessions and active citizenship activities.
The Foundation’s vision
Giuseppe Caprotti highlights the deeper meaning of the initiative:
“With this project we want to generate trust and enhance every adolescent’s talents, offering listening, tools and opportunities that help them face today’s challenges with greater autonomy, serenity and the ability to navigate their own path of growth.”
The psychological approach
For Alessia Lanzi, project leader and psychotherapist at Minotauro:
“Adolescents live through a time of fragility, transformation and social pressures. Happy was created precisely to offer safe spaces for expression and listening, where they can discover and strengthen their emotional and relational resources.”
The educational network
From Spazio Aperto Servizi, President Maria Grazia Campese emphasizes the role of the educational community:
“We believe school is the first place where the educational community takes shape. Through Happy’s workshops we enter schools to foster dialogue, awareness and mutual trust among adolescents, teachers and families. It is in these shared spaces that the possibility to ‘become capable’ is built—together.”
The value of volunteering and the local community
Finally, Filippo Viganò, President of CSV Monza–Lecco–Sondrio, underscores the community dimension:
“Happy is also a model of co-design: it activates local networks and creates synergies between schools and associations, giving life to educational experiences that truly put young people at the center.”
An investment in the future
Podcast, sport, street art and calligraphy workshops; programs to manage school-related stress; individual counseling sessions; meetings for families and online help desks for teachers. These are just some of the activities already underway, representing a concrete investment in the human capital of the new generations.
On 22 November in Seregno, at Liceo Parini (10:00–11:30), a conference will be held to present the project, with a specific focus on adolescents: “From Fragility to Capability: ‘Happy,’ a New Perspective for Adolescents.” The event will explore the fragilities that characterize new generations—such as anxiety and loneliness—alongside their resources, including creativity, a desire for the future and relational skills. The meeting will be an opportunity to reflect on the role of adults, the importance of accompanying young people, and building an educational community capable of listening and dialogue, strengthening support for families and schools.
Speakers will include Alessia Lanzi, psychotherapist and project leader of Happy. Becoming Capable, and Giuseppe Caprotti, President of the Fondazione Guido Venosta, which supports and promotes the project.
