Art and Youth
Building Possible Futures
Younger generations are increasingly distressed, and it’s no longer possible to interpret their suffering as merely individual. Young people are struggling to reach their full potential due to feelings of inadequacy, lack of trust in the future, and constant pressure to perform.
Those entering the workforce are asked to decide who they want to become in a fast-moving society that offers neither clear direction nor adequate space. Unstable career paths, lack of recognition, widespread precarity, and a state of ongoing crisis—these factors make it unsurprising that many young people feel exhausted before they even begin.
Companies often seek flexibility, a willingness to learn, and initiative in young people. However, to cultivate these qualities, they must first create environments in which individuals feel valued, respected, and free to express their potential. Compensation alone, while still important, is no longer sufficient. Restoring meaning to work also requires offering clear career paths, safe environments, accessible training, and genuine opportunities for both professional and personal growth.
In Professional Link, people come first, their needs and aspirations being put ahead of any infrastructure. Our goal is, therefore, to contribute to the improvement of the current situation in our own way.
Engagement with schools
Professional Link has chosen to step beyond its own spaces to meet students directly, opening up opportunities for dialogue and exchange.
We do this several times a year with high school and technical institute students through initiatives focused on possible futures, the value of art, and the role of culture within organizations. Each interaction with younger generations offers a snapshot that is at times concerning, marked by uncertainty and lack of trust, but also characterized by a strong desire to find meaning in what they do.
These initiatives are not designed to direct or influence career choices, but rather to listen. Moments of exchange with students are consistently rich and stimulating, confirming how essential the dialogue between education and business has become in shaping shared visions for the future.
We often ask young people what they fear most about the future. Their answers—failure, job insecurity, loss of humanity, highlight the urgency of creating workplaces where individuals feel valued and heard, where work can once again become a source of meaning and dignity.
At Professional Link, we interpret this as the core mission of our approach to business: promoting culture, art, and beauty as essential elements in building creative, engaging, and socially sustainable work environments.
“Reti: Connections and Boundaries Between Human and Digital” Contest
Through the artistic contest “Reti: Connections and Boundaries Between Human and Digital,” PLINK opened its headquarters in Cermenate (CO) to the public, transforming it into a space for exhibitions, dialogue, and cultural production.
The initiative, aimed at artists under 35 from the Como area, provided an opportunity to explore one of the most central concepts of our time: the network. At PLINK, we understand the network not only as a technological infrastructure, but also as a fabric of relationships, opportunities, and connections, while also recognizing its boundaries. A network can unite, but it can also exclude; it represents both opportunity and limitation.
Young artists were therefore invited to create works that offered diverse perspectives on this theme, highlighting the complexity of the relationship between the human and the digital. Hosting these reflections within a corporate environment meant recognizing art as an active contributor to organizational thinking. At PLINK, art is not a decorative element; it is a driver that enables us to redefine our way of engaging with the world.
The project concluded with a collective exhibition and the inclusion of the two winning artworks in our corporate collection.