The obstacle is evident in the education system and daily life. While the network of Slovenian schools ensures bilingualism in the small Italian border municipalities, the problem is particularly pronounced in large urban centres like Trieste, where the Italian majority does not learn the Slovenian language.

My experience confirms this: despite attending primary, middle, and high school in Trieste, I never learned Slovenian. I must be honest, I never even thought about it until I moved abroad and understood the importance of learning neighbours’ languages. Slovenia, one of my favorite countries that I visit often, remained linguistically distant.

This disparity creates a social communication gap, aggravated by the lack of structured events and opportunities for cultural integration (as emerged from interviews with my peers). As another Youth4Cooperation Ambassador highlighted, even attending high school close to the Slovenian border, there was no exchange with Slovenian students.