Hi, I’m Barbara. As you can see from the title, the sole purpose of this fundraiser is to enable me to go back to studying. I’m 33, I earn just over €1,300 a month and live with my partner; we manage to make ends meet at the end of the month, but only just, like many in my generation – indeed, like so many people. I was raised by a widowed mother in council housing; she never let me go without anything, and we both did the best we could.

I started working when I was 16, whilst I was at secondary school; later, whilst still working, I tried attending a state university, photocopying my textbooks to save money, and I was more or less managing the costs, but the courses on offer weren’t right for me and my job didn’t leave me much leeway... so I had to stop, hoping that in the future I might have more and be able to resume pursuing my dreams.

When I was a bit younger, I used to tell myself, about all sorts of things, ‘when I’m older and independent, I’ll be able to...’ but it didn’t turn out that way, and it never will. I still didn’t realise that hard work doesn’t always pay off.

Even now, studying what I want is a privilege I cannot afford.

I’m writing this post because I’m unhappy but I’d like to change this situation; I want to turn my life around but I don’t have the means to do so.

I would like to attend the Academy of Fine Arts in San Remo, which has also opened a branch in Milan, specifically the "Graphic Design" course.

The tuition fees amount to €7,400 per year.

Even if I were to ask my mother for help (who, incidentally, is undergoing chemotherapy and, to be honest, I don’t feel comfortable doing so) and my partner (who has always supported me in everything but I don’t want to keep being a burden on him), I wouldn’t even come close to raising half the amount, not to mention the additional costs (travel, as I live in the province of Lodi, materials, equipment, etc.)

I don’t know if this is a valid reason to ask strangers for money; there are probably more urgent causes that deserve attention, and perhaps no one will read my post, or perhaps to those who do, it will seem ridiculous and trivial from an outsider’s perspective. I assure you, however, that for me, who faces a life I do not want every day, settling for less in every respect, it is extremely painful, and I cannot even begin to describe how important the chance to access a potential new life is, without having to fight tooth and nail only to end up with the bare minimum or nothing at all.

If you feel like it, if you think it’s worth giving me a hand, I’m asking for a contribution; and even if you’ve just stopped to listen to what I’ve said, to my story, I thank you – you make me feel a little less alone.