The Giovani Mediterranei – Dialogue, Creativity and Community programme began on 18 December in Matera with a morning of discussion at the Cinema Teatro Guerrieri, focused on the theme The Mediterranean that Connects.

The event marked an important step in the path towards Matera as Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue 2026, placing dialogue with younger generations—and particularly with the world of education—at the centre of the conversation.

The opening day created a space for direct exchange between institutions, the educational community and students, with the aim of sharing the vision, meaning and collective responsibility of the journey towards 2026. Within the panel dedicated to the role of young people in the Mediterranean Capital project, we contributed by highlighting the active participation of new generations as a structural element of the cultural programme.

In dialogue with students from Matera’s upper secondary schools, the Terre Immerse project was presented not as a destination or an event to be observed from the outside, but as an open process that takes shape within places of learning and through the everyday relationship between schools, the city and cultural pathways. From this perspective, the Mediterranean is not an abstract theme, but a living space of relationships, crossings, returns and new beginnings, to be inhabited together with younger generations.

Engaging schools from the outset means recognising education as a central space for dialogue, critical thinking and the construction of a Euro-Mediterranean citizenship. A place where cultural dialogue is not confined to content, but translated into practices, questions, listening and shared responsibility. It is within this relationship that one of the deepest roots of Matera 2026 can be found: in the choice to invest in young people not as an audience, but as an active and essential part of the project.

Alongside the institutional panel, the morning also featured a second moment of exchange dedicated to stories of returns and arrivals, with testimonies from young people and professionals who have chosen Matera as a place to return to or to settle in. These narratives portray a city shaped by diverse trajectories, capable of welcoming change and transformation, and naturally aligned with the vision of the Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue.

The programme continues in the following days with further events across the city, including informal discussions, creative practices, music and open workshops, leading up to the final day on 28 December. Together, these initiatives frame a clear message: the future of Matera 2026 is being built today, starting from relationships, places of learning and the conscious participation of new generations.