Turning Mafia lands into social and agricultural cooperatives
In South Italy, the social cooperative “Al di là dei sogni” (“Beyond Dreams”) was founded on land confiscated from the powerful Camorra Mafia. People now work the land, grow fruits and vegetables for the cooperative’s restaurants and live here. @vdnews_ita met Simmaco Perillo and Sergio Lazzaro, two members of the cooperative who are trying to […]
In Italy, the woman that used to promote Amazon now protests against it
In 2022, Marisandra Lizzi wrote a letter to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. She decided to stop the collaboration deal with Amazon; her PR agency had helped the company gain ground in Italy. The pandemic influenced her decision, by opening Lizzi’s eyes to Amazon’s negative impact on the world. In an interview with @vdnews_ita journalists, she […]
In Orbán’s Hungary, students continue to protect their rights
Otilia is a young students of Rajk College for Advanced Studies in Budapest. She is also part of The Tanítanék Movement (I would like to teach), founded in 2016 as a result of an open letter on the crisis of public education published by the board of the Herman Ottó High School in Miskolc. Since […]
Students build a community in Catalonia with human towers
At the University of Lleida, in Catalonia, Ivan accompanies VD journalist Sara Del Dot on a journey through the local tradition of human towers and explains why building human towers promotes trust, solidarity, friendships and is fundamental to building a community. This is the fourth video in the @vdnews_ita series on student initiatives in Europe. […]
The story of Laura: reimagining motherhood after a hysterectomy
Laura is a radiant 36-year old woman living in the Marche region of Italy. A few years ago, she had to undergo a hysterectomy to remove a cervical tumour. That surgery forever changed her life, making it impossible for her to have children. This experience pushed Laura to rethink the concept of motherhood and what […]
Student poverty: in France, students help each other by distributing food and other products
Being a student is a struggle in itself. Add to that rising rents, unaffordable groceries, sanitary products, isolation, and the situation becomes unbearable. In France, volunteer networks set up during the Covid-19 pandemic are trying to find a solution: distributing food and hygiene products while building social ties. Journalist Samuele Maccolini travelled to Orsay, near […]
Meet two students from Athens determined to make university a place of collaborative action
In 2024, students across Greece occupied over 150 faculties, protesting against government cuts in the higher education sector. The protests increased after the Greek centre-right government incentivised the opening of private universities, instead of supporting free, state institutions. @vdnews_ita reporter Sara Del Dot went to Athens to meet El and Evelina, two student activists that […]
In Warsaw, students fight for the right to study, through occupation
Many students in Poland cannot afford rent and canteen fees, and many are forced to work and study at the same time. This, the students explain, has major repercussions on their mental health. Their goal is to make occupation a normal and accepted form of protest and to get the authorities to pay attention to […]
In Italy, a historical anti-fascist association saves the mountains through sustainable tourism
The Proletarian Hiking Association (APE) is a historic organisation with roots going back to the years before the rise of fascism, a time when hiking was tied to a popular, grassroots vision. APE went underground during the fascist regime and later supported the partisan resistance. Today, it continues to thrive, promoting a distinct idea of […]
Accompanying the end of life: Who are spiritual assistants and what do they do?
Ilaria Di Liso is a spiritual assistant, she works at the Hospice Bouganville at the Pescara Hospital. She provides emotional and spiritual support to patients with severe and terminal illnesses, as well as their families, accompanying them through illness and the end-of-life process. In an interview with@vdnews_ita ‘s Davide Traglia she explains why having a […]
