“In his shoes” (“Nei suoi panni” in Italian) was born as an educational project dedicated to second year students of Italian high schools. It is an innovative and dynamic tool based on the web and social networks and was designed to talk to young students about the theme of poverty.

A video describes the story of Marco, a teenager from a wealthy Italian family who, suddenly, due to the loss of his father’s job, finds himself living in poverty. Because of this, his parents will have to sell the house and Marco will have to face a whole series of difficulties and unexpected events.

The video is interactive and each chapter ends with two choices: young people can decide, from time to time, how Marco will behave. And all this is useful to identify oneself in the life of those who experience discomfort and to realize that the gap that separates a comfortable life from one of hardship is really very thin.

All the students’ decisions are then discussed in class and shared on social networks, in order to reach more people, even outside the school environment. The project “In his shoes” also has a section dedicated to the promotion of volunteering: six young people tell their experiences in six videos and involve the viewer, motivating them to become a volunteer.

The language used in these messages is young and immediate, with some slang idioms, just like teens are used to talking to each other. This fact is of great help in trying to break the barrier of the generation gap and address a message directly to young men and women.

Anyone, on social networks and on the platform “In his shoes” can vote on the comments and messages written by the students who follow the project. The three messages that have obtained the most votes will allow the respective schools to earn a cash prize which, in turn, can be used for a good social cause. It will be the students themselves who decide which solidarity intervention to propose.

In his shoes it is a really nice tool that allows us to involve the youngest in solidarity and to make the society of San Vincenzo De Paoli known to families and students.

Our President General has stated: “Empathy is fundamental to the practice of charity, since our actions become stronger and heartfelt. Empathy is what people need in this selfish and materialistic world. Hence, the Italian Project is an example of empathy that is able to be practiced in everyday life, which prompts young students to engage in a volunteering experience towards a just and more equitable society. Congratulations to the Italian National Council for such a meritorious, creative and jovial initiative”.

The website is: https://www.neisuoipanni.it/

Source: https://www.ssvpglobal.org/