Associazione Scomodo ETS

Scomodo is an independent media outlet founded in Rome in 2016 and run by people under 30. It began as a student magazine and has grown into a national project combining a monthly print publication, a digital platform, and community-run cultural spaces.

Active communities now operate in Rome, Milan, Empoli and Bari. Over the course of its history the project has reached more than 700,000 people, involved around 400 contributors under 35, distributed 500,000 copies and hosted over 4,000 events in its spaces.

Our physical spaces are central to how we work. The Rome newsroom is housed in the Spin Time building and covers more than 2,000 square metres, including a study hall, a library, a co-working area, a theatre, a cinema and an exhibition space. In Milan we bought our first permanent space through a public fundraising campaign, and in Empoli we won a five-year municipal tender to run the former La Perla cinema in the town centre. These are open, public places where young people meet daily, and where our relationship with our community actually happens.
The Parallel Vision

We are not an organisation working for young people. We are an organisation run by young people: editorial choices, project design and organisational decisions are all made by under-30s. Youth participation is not a method we adopt for projects — it is how the organisation already works.

Our editorial work is built on in-depth reporting as a response to superficial and fast-cycle news, and we run workshops in schools, training courses, cultural events and urban regeneration initiatives. We reach young people with fewer opportunities through our local hubs and through free distribution in schools and universities.

We are currently developing a Youth Participation Activities project (KA154) on media literacy and democratic dialogue, and are looking for partner organisations working on the same ground.