The youngest is eleven year old Gennaro Dragone, who in San Giovanni a Tenduccio, in Naples, has managed to create the first "energy community of Central Southern" Italy. The most creative Federica Mauro, an autistic girl from Arezzo, whose work was chosen by the Dante society of London as the poster for the international competition 'Dante 700' and by the Accademia della Crusca as the cover of the volume 'Dante l'italiano'.

But the 'common thread' that binds the new standard bearers of the Republic, thirty in all, awarded by Sergio Mattarella is above all the extraordinary commitment shown by the young people to overcome the pandemic, also thanks to their spontaneous skills in the use of technological tools and social media.

In the months of antiCovid restrictions, several have helped relatives, peers or younger with difficulties in Dad, as Esmeralda Serrano Rovato in Brescia, Daniele De Angelis Marano of Naples and Alessio Manfredi Selvaggi Campobasso. Or supported the vaccination campaign as Giulia Galieti of Rome, and helped seniors to book vaccines as Lorenzo Cerruti of Milan or in home delivery of necessities and medicines, as Giovanni Buttafava in  Gossolengo, Piacenza, or Tommaso Capuano in Cambiago, Milan, or Francesco Tortora in Roccapiemonte, Salerno, and brothers Matteo and Simone Mrissa in Pianezza, Turin.

Among the new bishops, there are also those who have brilliantly dealt with illness and disability, achieving personal successes such as Maria Ester Contrera from Palermo; Andrea Pigato, a juggling talent, who entered the Guinness World Record in 2020 as 'The most juggling catches with three basketbalss in one minute"; and Giorgia Greco who, from the Niguarda district of Milan, despite invasive surgery for a bone tumor, made it to the finals of 'Italy's Got Talent' last year.

But among the new standard bearers there are also stories of integration such as those of Miriam El Ouazani, from Salerno, an operator specialized in foster care; of Betsalot Dereje Negatu from Bari, who wanted to share the scholarship received with her best friend Ididdia, also of Ethiopian origin; and of Aya Jedidi, who, in Maracalagonis, in the province of Cagliari, helped a classmate from Morocco who did not know the Italian language. In addition to cases of pure heroism as the Genoese Luca Ragosa, who saved his partner from suicide.

Also recognized were the volunteer efforts of Andrea Centonze from Lecce, Pamela Di Carlo from Savona, Rebecca Lucchesi from Bagni di Lucca and Michelangelo Melchiorri from Macerata; the environmental efforts of Alessio Cozzolino from Terralba, Oristano; and Francesco D'Antonangelo's friendship with Davide Pietricola from Latina, a classmate with communication disabilities who became his deputy in the school newspaper.

Among the honorees were also the young writers Aurora Vannucci of Parma and Chiara Vecchi of Monteveglio, in the province of Bologna; and Silvia Pomella of Bolzano, who fought depression with tenacity and made her battle public, and Benedetta Petrongari of Greccio, Rieti, for the friendship with which she helped a classmate suffering from behavior disorders.