After the Dreamlab application for research against Covid-19 and cancer, and Bright Sky to combat violence against women, the Vodafone Italia Foundation launches LV8 (Level8), a new app to involve young people in digital training courses who do not study and do not work, the so-called Neet (Not in Education, Employment or Training). In Italy, the first country in Europe by incidence, the phenomenon affected over 2 million young people in 2020 with an impact on GDP that exceeds one percentage point and is closely linked to early school leaving and the difficulty of finding a job. A phenomenon that has a greater impact in the South (32.6%) than in the Center (19.9%) and Northern Italy (16.8%). The incidence is higher among girls (25.4%) than boys (21.4%).
LV8 is a "learning game" that allows you to acquire basic digital knowledge through the videogame experience. With the overcoming of 8 levels of increasing difficulty and challenges of various kinds, it provides for the release of 3 Open Badges, digital certifications on the blockchain of the skills acquired to be enhanced in one's curriculum vitae. The realization of LV8 was possible thanks to the direct involvement of about 400 girls and boys from Northern (Turin) and Southern Italy (Catania, Cagliari), called to express their opinion on the definition of the concept and to test the game. LV8 is available for free on the App Store and Google Play and on www.lv8.eu.
"Early school leaving has affected Italy much more than other European countries for many years - says Marinella Soldi, President of the Vodafone Italia Foundation - LV8 is an accessible, concrete, practical and digital opportunity to get back into the game and regain future, immediately ".