Rome, October 22, 2025 – An important national recognition, promoted by the Department for Digital Transformation of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers as part of the Repubblica Digitale program, rewards Next-Level’s commitment to spreading digital culture and skills in Italian schools—encouraging more innovative, inclusive teaching that can respond to future challenges.
The Turin-based third-sector organization—which since 2014 has promoted the right to education through innovative and interdisciplinary teaching methods for primary and secondary schools—won the National Award for Digital Skills in the category “Digital in Education for Schools” with the LV8 – Mission Future project, co-developed and funded by Fastweb + Vodafone.
This educational pathway, based on learning through LV8, the Fastweb + Vodafone learning game, has enabled thousands of students and teachers to develop essential digital and interpersonal skills to face the challenges of the future—especially for those less familiar with STEM subjects or with limited access to digital tools.
Thanks to LV8 – Mission Future, 38,385 students across Italy became active players in the game and, with the support of Next-Level’s facilitators and partners—including 1,658 teachers who became multipliers of educational innovation—enhanced their digital skills by earning a total of 50,951 certified open badges, in line with the European DigComp 2.2 framework.
The project has established 11 institutional partnerships with regional governments and regional education offices. The regions with the highest student participation were Campania, Piedmont, Calabria, and Sicily, with 40% of participants coming from technical institutes. The most outstanding school in Italy (best student/Open Badge ratio) was located in Cerreto di Spoleto.
“We are proud of this recognition, which confirms the value of the path we began three years ago with Fastweb + Vodafone. With Next-Level, we don’t just bring new innovative teaching methods to schools to help young people explore future opportunities—we work to transform digital tools from mere instruments into essential skills for modern work,” said Caterina Corapi, Director of Next-Level.
“Young people who don’t develop basic, critical, and conscious technological skills risk being disadvantaged in their studies and later in their careers. Digital skills are now a key factor for inclusion: if not equitably guaranteed, they can become a powerful multiplier of educational poverty.”
“Today’s recognition demonstrates the value of a project that has achieved extraordinary results and, even more importantly, rewards a solid partnership born to amplify the positive impact that a valuable tool like LV8 can deliver,” said Anna Lo Iacono, Head of Sustainability at Fastweb + Vodafone.
“LV8 – Mission Future was created to help close the digital skills gap that risks becoming not only a barrier to young people entering the job market but also a factor that could affect Italy’s ability to compete globally—and therefore to grow and prosper. That’s why companies, third-sector organizations, and institutions must work together to create a virtuous circle where innovation, training, and collaboration strengthen each other and allow everyone to seize the opportunities of the ongoing digital revolution.”
Italy’s level of digital competence remains among the lowest in Europe: only 58.8% of young people aged 16–19 have adequate digital skills, compared to a European average of 70.7%. Territorial disparities are still significant: schools in central-southern and inland areas have fewer computer labs (one in four) compared to the national average (one in three).
In an increasingly technological society, schools and the broader educational community play a key role in closing these gaps and promoting widespread digital literacy from the earliest years of education. Investing in infrastructure, teacher training, and educational innovation is essential to ensure equal access to digital tools and to support the country’s economic and social development.
How LV8 – Mission Future Works
How do I verify the reliability of my online sources? How do I prepare for a job interview? How do I use Canva, Google Drive, or Excel? How can social media be used to promote a small business? What are the opportunities after graduation?
These are just some of the questions answered through the interactive learning experience offered directly on students’ mobile phones. LV8 – Mission Future is a national educational project—based on the LV8 learning game by Fastweb + Vodafone—which combines various adventures and levels with workshops led by Next-Level facilitators, over 30 local partners, and specially trained teachers.
The project was offered to upper secondary schools in two distinct pathways:
- GreenUs, available to all LV8 players, turns students into young entrepreneurs tasked with launching a three-wheeled café, balancing both economic and environmental sustainability.
- Journey through the Orientaverse immerses students in a fantastic storyline where five graduates pursue different educational paths based on their individual skills and interests.
Completing the levels of both pathways grants access to digital certificates (Open Badges) based on the European DigComp 2.2 framework, which can be added to a CV. The goal of both is to show how digital skills are fundamental for building one’s professional future.
Teaching teamwork, stimulating curiosity and problem-solving, boosting students’ self-esteem, encouraging them to reflect on their future in a new light, and fostering creativity, intuition, and ingenuity to solve puzzles—these are just some of the intrinsic benefits observed by trainers and teachers among participating students, adding relational and social value to the skills acquired through the app.
The Numbers, Regions, and Top-Performing Schools
38,385 students, 244 schools, 1,434 classes, and 50,951 Open Badges—these are the key figures of the LV8 – Mission Future project.
Of all participants, 47% attend schools in the South—where school dropout rates are most critical—32% are in the North, and 21% in Central Italy.
With 6,262 students and 14,391 Open Badges, Campania is the region where the project achieved the greatest success. For this reason, Next-Level and Fastweb + Vodafone were invited by the Region to take part in the closing event of the Orientalife – School Guides for Life program held in Naples last May.
Piedmont follows with 5,168 students and 7,518 Open Badges, then Calabria with 2,242 students and 2,143 Open Badges, and Sicily with 2,130 students and 3,091 Open Badges.
The schools with the highest student participation were located in Agrigento (Istituto Odierna – Palma di Montechiaro), Pozzuoli (Liceo Statale Ettore Majorana), and Cerreto di Spoleto (Istituto Tecnico Agrario S. Anatolia di Narco). Notably, despite the participation of just one class, the Umbrian school achieved the highest number of Open Badges per student.
Among the participating schools, 40% are technical institutes, 19% high schools (licei), 7% vocational schools, and the remaining 34% Vocational Training Centers.