Art and youth
Building possible futures with art and youth
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.
“About the contest “Reti: connections and boundaries between Human and Digital”
In PLINK, we believe that art enhances relationships, stimulates critical thinking, and generates new opportunities for growth. From this belief, “Reti: Connections and Boundaries between Human and Digital” was born, an artistic contest through which we promote dialogue between new generations, schools, and businesses.
The Contest was conceived to transform the company into a place open to the community, where people with different skills can meet and build value together. The project’s title recalls telecommunications, the heart of PLINK’s business, but it takes on a broader meaning: networks are also human relationships, exchanges of ideas, and shared paths.
A contest that connects people, ideas, and the community
“Reti” took shape through a public call for artists under 35, invited to explore the concept of “network” in its many meanings. The nine finalist works were then included in a temporary exhibition set up in the PLINK spaces and open to the public as part of the Bellezze Interiori Festival. Thus, the company’s headquarters became a cultural space, inviting artists, students, and citizens, showing how businesses can contribute to the local art scene.
As a result of the contest, schools, cultural professionals, social cooperatives and institutions are collaborating, creating a network of relationships that will continue to serve as a means of generating value long after the contest ends.
Change-makers under 35
One of the most significant aspects of the “Reti” Contest was the role assigned to young people, who were the protagonists of the entire process.
In addition to the artists selected through the call, the project involved students from local high schools in a program dedicated to discovering cultural professions. Through meetings with project managers, museum guides, and industry professionals, the students explored topics related to event organization, the valorizing of artistic heritage, and cultural tourism.
Afterwards, the students accompanied residents on guided tours of the PLINK art collection, contributing to the exhibition layout and the production of supporting materials. Their communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills were tested in a real-world context with responsibility and participation.
Shared value for participants, the company, and the community
There were tangible benefits for all involved in the Reti Contest.
- It provided young people with an opportunity to express themselves creatively and gain work experience
- In the local community, it fostered new collaborations between businesses, schools, and non-profit organizations, valuing artistic heritage and creating opportunities for participation
- The project is PLINK’s interpretation of corporate social responsibility, confirming the belief that technology creates connections when it serves people.