How is it possible to survive the distress caused by extreme forms of social exclusion, the isolation that often accompanies disability and psychological vulnerability? In the face of the suffering caused by disease, how can the glimmer of resistance and vitality that remains present in the youngest people be recognised and allowed to breathe and develop?

Through their careful and committed work to alleviate the hardship and suffering of young people, albeit in profoundly different social and cultural contexts, many of the professionals and organisations supported by AMI in Italy and abroad provide an answer: art.

Art helps find the strength to react to situations of extreme hardship; it makes it possible to tap into what remains of vitality, desire, beauty, freedom, and give them form and space. Art allows experiences that are difficult to put into words to be expressed and communicated, opening up a channel of communication and exchange with other people that in some situations is strongly compromised.

The Foundation operates in environments characterised by forms of extreme hardship, where the prospects of children or young people might be annihilated by privation or suffering, and where art offers an opportunity to withstand marginalisation, brings respite and channels inner resources, providing an escape route from pain and oppression, geared as it is towards life and the future.

Furthermore, artistic performance gives those living ‘on the margins’ the visibility that is often denied; it allows them to be applauded and seen in a positive and creative role, in one not of crime or violence, disability or shortcoming, but of beauty and dignity.