A Participatory Assessment of High School Students' Well-Being in a Local Community of Northern Italy

The paper presents the results of an applied research conducted within the framework of a collaboration agreement between the Italian National Institute for the Analysis of Public Policies (INAPP) and Piedmont Region. In this context INAPP developed the MACaD-RCA (Multidimensional Analysis of Capability Deprivation-Rights of Childhood and Adolescence) model aimed at analyzing the well-being of children and adolescents in terms of capabilities observed within a rights-based account. Using a child-centered approach, the model is composed by a questionnaire (which includes INAPP’s Emotional Well-Being scale the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale) and two participatory workshops which promote children’s and adolescents direct expression of their views and perspectives on their rights and wellbeing. MACaD-RCA model measures the degree of children’s and adolescents well-being by observing their position in the space of capabilities determined by the values of a functioning (the 'beings and doings' of a person) and an endowments index, which operationalize the conceptual space defined by the rights of children and adolescents. This model was applied during the 2023-2024 school year, with the aim of planning actions and designing local policies that could improve children’s and adolescents’ well-being. The research involved 1.085 students from Ivrea’s secondary school (high schools, technical institutes and vocational schools), aged between 14 and 18. Main findings highlight student’s critical condition in two dimensions: student’s participation and perception of not being recognized and listened to within their learning environment; high percentage of students with low self-esteem. All findings were shared and discussed with teachers, students and local policy makers in order to start planning actions to improve adolescents wellbeing.