The FSP psychologist and psychotherapist, Pierre Kahn, invites us not to generalize an extended category such as that of young people. He has no doubts about the fact that Covid has affected their health. «I can say that those who needed greater socialization felt“ castrated ”by new rules created by the authorities, which were added to those already imposed within the family system. Other teenagers who struggled to relate to peers breathed a sigh of relief. Some were already using social media and felt entitled to socialize with these tools. Globally, the pandemic has made things worse, especially if I think of the university sector ". And he continues: "I have noticed transient depressive states and anxious states, with anxieties, fears, panic attacks, fear of death for close people, in particular family members, illness for hypochondriacs, but also states of relational suffering that were never before it emerged that they were brought to the surface by talking to a specialist ».
According to Fabrizio Sirica, co-president of the Socialist Party and active sports educator, «it is a precarious society that influences the behavior of young people, not only in terms of work and professional prospects, but also uncertain from many points of view. Today, compared to the past, it is much more difficult to imagine the future and have certainties ».
That there are problems is undeniable. For some, in addition to Covid, social and family changes certainly also contribute. For the Head of the Security and Urban Spaces Department of Lugano, Karin Valenzano Rossi, we are slipping into a society with only rights and no duties: if once families first respected authority and institutions, recognizing their legitimacy, today they are priori in discussion: "I think of those who come to school with the lawyer even to contest a vote." The Lugano operator Guido Sassi agrees with her. “In my day parents cared much more about their children. Now from what I see much less happens, even if obviously it cannot be said that it applies to everyone. But young people are still our future ».
But Kahn warns against blaming families. "Young people had problems yesterday, they have them today and they will have them tomorrow, regardless of the family system", which has changed over the years. For his part, the psychologist is convinced that there is a relationship, as there always has been, between suffering and aggression.
And here opens the large chapter dedicated first to the gatherings and also to the events linked to the Molino. In both cases, all the interlocutors wished to specify that not only young people were involved.
However, did the eviction and the demolition of part of the former slaughterhouse, which were followed by violent demonstrations, affect the relationship between youth categories and authorities? According to the mayor of Lugano, Marco Borradori, in the short term, probably yes, if we think about the outcome of the protest demonstration on 5 June. «But then everything will settle down. I know many galaxies of young people, certainly not all of them recognize themselves in the self-management of the CSOA, each one has its values, its goals, its paths ".
Gerri Beretta Piccoli, of AIDA (Associazione Idea Autogestione) has clear ideas about who the young people are in Lugano: «The two groups that move Lugano on a cultural level are those of Morel and those of Molino, which organize several activities. Other people follow them because the proposals are to listen to music and be able to be together without controls ». In his opinion, society is too repressive towards youth. “There is this presence on the part of the authorities to show that society is protected but it bothers young people. They need to do and not to be blocked by the police every two by three, they must not be told that they make noise. There is a reactionary part that believes that anything done by young people is not good, they hate them, they want them respectful, almost like altar boys ".
Having spaces to make music and be able to meet is the greatest need of the younger generations: many support it, including Fabrizio Sirica. Il Molino could be one of these. But the Municipality of Lugano is more than willing to provide them with a new place to congregate, underline the Municipal. «One of the first acts after the slaughterhouse evening was to re-propose the site identified on the La Stampa floor, far from the houses, therefore with the possibility of making music without disturbing, served by public transport. Available for all young people who recognize themselves in self-management in one way or another, not just those of the CSOA. For now there has been no reaction », Borradori points out. And Valenzano Rossi: «We understand that there are those who need to have different activities, moments of leisure and meeting spaces different from those of the city offer. It is legitimate and the city must be able to respond to this need, I am certainly in favor of doing so and also the Town Hall. It is different to be refractory to the rules and to civil and respectful coexistence, to expect things that the institution cannot grant: this is the drama of the Molino, to expect things that the City could not give, being above the rules ».
The City of Lugano would therefore be open to dialogue. But the problems with the so-called molinari for the Municipal are the lack of confrontation, not knowing who you are talking to and having people who do not recognize the authorities as such.
Does Kahn agree on the last point? “Whether it is in the family or in wider contexts, there are young people who struggle to recognize the established authority, which has always been. The danger of a context such as the Molino (whose visitors are more profiled at an ideal society level than other peers) or other similar ones, is represented by the possible creation of gray areas used by certain individuals to go beyond the limits, of which sports fans are another example of this ».
A rebellion against the authorities which, according to the Commander of the Lugano Police, Roberto Torrente, does not necessarily always have to be viewed negatively. «The path of growth and confrontation of every young person often also passes through a healthy critique of the 'system' which often results in a kind of rebellion and criticism of both the adult and the authority. However, this does not mean that every excess must be justified or tolerated ». In his opinion, dialogue is fundamental, listening in order to be heard. "Wherever it is realized that the uniform determines an obstacle to such proactive work, because in some way it is seen by the young person as an element of his challenge, even then we do not give up on our intent and therefore we rely on external partners such as street and neighborhood operators ". Finally, Comandante Torrente launches an appeal: "I believe in the enormous potential of young people and in their tireless enthusiasm and dynamism in search of those values that often those arriving in adulthood have unfortunately had to sacrifice for others, with less 'ideal' contents. . However, it is necessary that both parties can and know how to meet and discuss as 'equals', so as to combine in an effective and profitable way for the future of our society so much that enormous energy potential of young people, as well as experience, knowledge and the maturity of those who have already lived this life. In this difficult exercise, however, it will be the adult who, as mentioned, will have to get closer to young people, listening and talking, perhaps placing himself on a more dynamic and non-conformist level ».
Agents are often confronted with young people who abuse drugs, alcohol and sometimes psychotropic drugs, a certainly sensitive issue. For Kahn, it has increased over the past decade, mostly for recreational use. And in this context, the Association Together against the recreational use of drugs is active, created by the Marini family in honor of their son who died due to drug abuse. «The purpose of the association is to first of all inform people, regardless of their age, of the phenomenon of drug abuse and its danger, and to do prevention, through projects that we are drawing up and aimed at raising awareness both among young people and adults. We inform, the choice is up to the person », explains Gioele Marini, vice president. The goal is to bring information in a more informal context than institutions and therapeutic supports.
Among those who vent anger and impulses, there are also those who are really sick on a psychic level: a reality that is rarely talked about. We have collected the testimony of Samuel Iembo, active in the Communist Youth, who has always talked about his psychological problems. “We live in an era that is still very closed on the subject. Although a considerable part of the population routinely takes anxiolytics or antidepressants, no one says it simply for fear of stigma, of not being understood and because part of the difficult mental health conditions still makes the person sensitive. There is a tendency for some doctors to easily give drugs, I think benzodiazepines, too easily. It does not apply to all doctors and I have met psychiatrists and nurses for whom I have deep respect ». Samuel Iembo denotes very little help from the world of work, and beyond, towards those in difficulty. For Beretta Piccoli, many young people who are going through difficult times would just like to be listened to and not "managed" solely on a financial level.
Borradori and Valenzano Rossi are convinced that a lot is being done in the city for the young, but both are of the idea that there is always room for improvement, even if, as the mayor notes, "you can't help those who don't want a hand, it continually takes away from dialogue and confrontation ".
We conclude with the opinion of the community workers who collaborate with the youth centers of Viganello and Breganzona: is enough done? "The city of Lugano has always shown great sensitivity towards young people, historically with the introduction of a youth office already in 1992 and subsequently investing - the first municipality in Ticino - in a proximity service aimed at them which, together with the youth centers , forms the municipal sector of youth policies. With the emergence of the pandemic and the consequent restrictions that had heavy effects on young people, the Municipality first supported the creation of a Reflection Group within the UCCL coordination unit in response to the increase in episodes of hardship and youth violence. The Authority subsequently approved the implementation of the human resources of the support and care services for young people and provided for targeted contributions to support youth employment ”. Therefore, the city promoted, but not for “Together against the recreational use of drugs”, which it believes there is still a lot of work to be done.
