Impact assessment mentoring programme for cultural welfare projects in Trentino

The provincial strategy for youth policy, which promotes cross-sectoral integration and recognises culture as a driver of wellbeing and development, has given rise to CulturAttiva: a training programme organised by the Agency for Social Cohesion of the Autonomous Province of Trento – Office for Youth Policy, in collaboration with TSM – Trentino School of Management.

The programme, running from May to November 2025, involves practitioners from the social, health and cultural sectors who work with and for young people – museums, libraries, youth schemes, youth centres, and cultural and socio-educational organisations – with the aim of building a cultural welfare community of practice to promote the wellbeing of young people aged 16 to 25.

Three local pilot projects – Bassa Valsugana–Tesino, Val di Sole and Lavis–Piana Rotaliana – have been launched within the framework of CulturAttiva, exploring innovation forms of relationships between culture, young people, families and local communities.

CulturAttiva’s three pilot projects are at very different stages and in very different contexts, but they share a key objective: to make the changes brought about by their cultural welfare initiatives clear and communicable. Some are developing a form of cultural mentoring, others are working on peer-to-peer exchanges through poetry and cultural venues, whilst others are involving museums and students in participatory walking tours. TSM has identified the need for dedicated support to help local areas identify clear objectives and construct sustainable social and cultural impact models, thereby giving continuity to the pilot projects and enabling them to be carried forward into 2026.

BAM! is supporting the three CulturAttiva areas with a tailored mentoring programme, based on active listening, facilitation and impact-oriented planning. The remit includes dedicated sessions to discuss each project and a cross-cutting review, with the aim of helping them define a shared vision of the expected outcomes and develop a sustainable approach to social and cultural impact assessment.

Using audience analysis tools, the Theory of Change and lightweight monitoring models, we are helping the project networks to identify objectives, indicators and data collection methods suited to their specific contexts, thereby strengthening local capacity to assess and capitalise on the impact of welfare initiatives.

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