Le sfide dell’educazione non formale: crisi, dilemmi concettuali e trasformazioni digitali

This essay explores the historical origins and evolving significance of non formal education, demonstrating its enduring role in educational processes and its resurgence during times of crisis. It analyses how the ‘second modernity’, characterised by fragmented life stories and greater personal autonomy, shifts the focus from education to learning. This raises questions about the roles of institutions, individual responsibility and inequality. Non-formal education is presented as a vital intermediary space that reconnects structured education and personal learning paths. Finally, the essay explores digital youth work as a field that addresses new participatory opportunities, digital inequalities, and the requirement for critical thinking skills. In doing so, it positions non-formal education as being essential for comprehending and transforming contemporary education.