The relationship between young people and democracy was the focus of the 29th edition of Möbius, held in Lugano from October 2 to 4. Conferences, meetings, and exchanges of ideas compared data and practices to understand how (and if) democracy can speak to young people: not as recipients, but as protagonists, in contexts where older voices are often privileged.

As has been the case for several years now, the theme of Möbius has become a competition in collaboration between the foundation of the same name and the Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication at SUPSI. First-year students were asked to make a video on the relationship between the younger generation and democracy and politics. Among the projects proposed by the students, the jury awarded the prize to Riccardo Vosti and Lorenzo Hess's video “I giovani e il voto” (Young People and Voting).

We met with the two students and asked them about the idea behind the video.
"In light of our experiences, including personal ones, we noticed that people often skip voting out of laziness, because they don't feel like posting their ballot, or because of the slightest inconvenience, as in the case of our video. Riccardo happened to tear the ballot envelope badly, and that minor accident made him give up on voting. We recounted this anecdote, accompanying it with the metaphor of voting as a rock that can change the course of a river."

What were the reactions in the room?
"Generally amused, especially during the scene where the envelope tears with Riccardo's exaggerated expression. We also noticed interested looks, because, for better or worse, who hasn't failed to vote for some reason or other? We believe people can easily relate to this video."

How did this project fit into your training?
"The project was carried out as part of a five-day seminar in which we worked on other videos, each one more complex than the last. We found out about the project on the last day, so we had a very tight deadline to complete it. It was a great challenge for everyone, because it's not an easy topic to deal with and, above all, it's not easy to attract the attention of young people, who are used to scrolling and watching videos that last only a few seconds. It was challenging to make a video about democracy for a young audience that would capture their attention. Also because ‘young people’ is not really a category; we are very different and it's not easy to find a key that represents us all."

Beyond the video, what is your relationship with politics?
Riccardo: "I participate, I was even a candidate for the City Council and the Grand Council as soon as I turned 18. I'm interested in politics, I regret that the results of the polls often don't correspond to my vote, but I also regret that there are many people who don't vote and therefore automatically give responsibility and greater decision-making power to those who always vote, thus diluting the idea of democracy."

Lorenzo: “I'm the exact opposite. I vote once in a blue moon. Making the video was fun because, after all, I'm part of the target audience it's aimed at.”