La digitalizzazione del servizio civile universale: quali cambiamenti nel “Civic Engagement” dei giovani?

The article addresses the current transformations of the Civil Service for young people promoted by the Italian state. It seeks to understand whether and how the digitalisation processes are changing the forms of civic engagement. The analysis highlights two contrasting trends. At the level of governance of the system, the digital platforms activated have centralized and made procedures more efficient without creating new opportunities for relations and sharing informations between actors. Conversely, at the project level, thanks to ICT, young people have experienced new ways of service and distance learning in the pandemic crisis phase. The experimentation of a form of Digital Civil Service has opened up a new front of commitment linked to the digital facilitation and training of citizenship. The study reveals a cultural change of perspective towards more flexible forms of civic engagement that include digital spaces and open up a new front of intervention concerning the promotion of citizens’ digital rights of access and participation.