In this episode, we talk with Vincenzo Giannone, a youth worker and founder of Associazione Attiva-Mente in Sicily, about his journey through youth work, burnout, difficult relationships, and rebuilding his organisation and himself.
Vincenzo shares how he started Associazione Attiva-Mente from the ground up, learned to develop projects, and built international partnerships through frequent travel. At the same time, he struggled to balance the demands of youth work with his personal relationships and felt increasingly overwhelmed by project deadlines, organisational responsibilities, and unequal levels of commitment.
He openly discusses experiences of manipulation and exploitation within the organisation, as well as loneliness, guilt, and the realisation that some relationships were unhealthy. Eventually, emotional exhaustion led him to step away from the organisation he had founded.
After a particularly difficult period, during which he experienced suicidal thoughts, Vincenzo sought professional support through therapy. This helped him rebuild his self-esteem, recognise unhealthy patterns, establish boundaries, and eventually regain his organisation.
He also reflects on meeting his future life partner, moving abroad, starting a new organisation together, and the challenges of balancing two NGOs, full-time employment, and private life.
Ultimately, his story is one of resilience, showing the importance of self-care, professional support, healthy relationships, and the courage to rebuild.

Trigger warning: suicide

The podcast is a part of the Erasmus+ KA2 strategic partnership project. The official website of the project can be found here: https://eycb.eu/mind/

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

The jingle of this podcast is based on "Graceful" by Yigit Atilla, released in Creative Commons under CC BY-ND license. Download the original track at https://www.jamendo.com/track/1940942/graceful