“30 Senza Lode”: Como 1907 and Agorà 97 Together for Young People’s Mental Health

“Pressure can either crush you or push you to improve, it depends on the space for listening and support that surrounds those who experience it. Young people’s fragility should not be hidden, it should be accompanied. That’s where their true potential is born.” With these words, Mattia Belluzzi, psychologist of the Como 1907 youth sector, reflects on the role of sport as a tool for listening and growth, speaking about “30 Without Honors”, the mental health project conceived by Agorà 97 and supported by Fondazione Como ETS.

The initiative stems from the desire to give voice to what often remains unspoken, drawing inspiration from the unsent letters of patients from the former San Martino psychiatric hospital in Como, silent testimonies of a time when mental health was not truly addressed. From this shared memory began the reflection of Agorà 97, a social cooperative founded in 1997 in Albiolo (CO), which for over twenty-five years has worked across the Como area in support of people living in vulnerable conditions.

The cooperative manages five Social and Health Care Communities and bases its work on an approach that places the individual and their overall well-being at the center: not only clinical, but also relational, social and emotional. Agorà 97’s facilities are not conceived as simple care services, but as real “homes”: places where a protected, family-like atmosphere can be found, grounded in listening, mutual respect and attention to the practical and emotional needs of each resident.

Casa 4 Venti, a medium-intensity residential mental health care community, represents one of the symbolic places of this approach and is where the project itself took shape. On the occasion of the community’s thirtieth anniversary, Agorà 97 chose to transform the milestone into an initiative consistent with its history and values, with clear objectives: placing people at the center, along with their fragilities and the resources each individual brings.

From this experience, listening points were created throughout the territory in youth centers, schools, libraries, cafés, and community spaces, designed as safe environments where young people could freely express themselves. From these spaces, 160 anonymous stories from young people in the Como area were collected. Accounts of anxiety, loneliness and fear of judgment intertwine with stories of renewal, hope and dreams. “I write because I don’t want to feel invisible anymore” is one of the phrases that emerged, encapsulating the project’s deeper purpose: giving a voice to those who often go unheard.

The stories were then entrusted to 30 local artists, each of whom selected the letter closest to them and transformed it into a work of art, under the artistic direction of Gabriele Casati. The process generated moments of dialogue and reflection, demonstrating how art, listening and sport can come together to support young people’s emotional growth.

The final exhibition, held at the Centro Congressi Medioevo in Olgiate Comasco in November 2025, marked the culmination of the project. The related events created meaningful opportunities for listening and dialogue, highlighting the importance of addressing mental health and emotional fragility among young people.