Develhope brings AI to schools: 4,000 students in the two-year Stemvolution project

According to the most recent Eurostat data on the 'Digital economy and society' area, published in December 2025, in Italia basic digital skills are growing and reach 54.2%, reducing the gap with the EU average (60%). However, a significant gap remains in the adoption of generative Artificial Intelligence: only 22% of Italian Internet users use these solutions, against a European average of 35%. Moreover, as the Eurobarometer 2025 Report also highlights, inequalities are accentuated in inland, rural areas and in Southern Italy, where infrastructures, educational offerings and access to digital services are more fragile. An overall picture that confirms how the digital divide in our country is not only technological, but also educational and territorial, making a structured investment in STEM skills and Artificial Intelligence literacy from the school benches urgent.

It is against this backdrop that Stemvolution, the two-year programme promoted by the Italian tech school Develhope to bring Artificial Intelligence into Italian schools and train students and teachers in the conscious, creative and applied use of AI, has officially kicked off.
In collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo and with the contribution of the Digital Republic Fund and Amazon, the project will involve 4,000 secondary school students and 50 teachers over two years, with national coverage and a priority focus on regions and provinces characterised by less digitalisation or underserved socio-economic contexts. At least 60% of the participants will in fact be resident in these areas. The first training activities are already underway and have seen the participation of around 1,000 students throughout the country, with the aim of reducing the digital divide and strengthening STEM skills among young people.

The core of Stemvolution is represented by online hands-on workshops, each aimed at groups of around 20 students and structured in a short format (2 hours in an afternoon), to offer a concrete and interactive experience with generative AI. During the meetings, participants have the opportunity to build customised virtual assistants, experiment with the creation of creative content using AI tools and understand the operating principles and training logic of generative models.
The objective is not only to transfer basic technical skills, but also to develop critical thinking, creativity and awareness in the use of technologies that are redefining the educational and professional landscape.

In addition to the courses for students, the programme includes a structured training cycle for 50 secondary school teachers. The course, lasting a total of 6 hours divided into three online meetings of 2 hours each, provides practical tools for integrating AI into everyday teaching. Teachers will delve into creative prompting techniques applicable to both humanities and science disciplines and learn how to use AI integrated in tools such as Office and Google to design and manage classroom activities. The course also includes operational guidelines for independently replicating and adapting the workshops proposed to the students.
The intention is to make teachers active protagonists of innovation, offering immediately transferable skills and promoting a structured, conscious and responsible approach to Artificial Intelligence in schools.

"With Stemvolution we want to make a concrete contribution to the construction of a more aware and inclusive digital citizenship, reducing territorial inequalities in access to advanced technological skills. - comments Alessandro Balsamo, Co-Founder of Develhope - At a time when Artificial Intelligence is firmly entering the educational and professional processes, investing in students and teachers means strengthening the foundations for a more equitable, innovative and competitive education system."