Among the most distinctive features characterising the relationship between young people and politics today, as revealed by recent research, are the widespread distrust towards its institutions, the weak presence in forms of participation linked to them, and the distance from its traditional conceptual categories. However, research also highlights that many young people are attentive to political processes and events, and even involved in some form of participation, although not of a political nature, or at least not connected with institutional politics. Faced with this complex framework, different representations and interpretations of the youth world confront each other. Some voices thus describe young people as apathetic and uninterested, either because they are disillusioned, focussed on the private sphere, or because they are ultimately satisfied with the status quo. Other voices describe them as selectively active, absent or present in different modes of action depending on the opportunities these offer. The research presented in this volume focusses on young activists of radical-left groups in Italy, hypothesising that it is precisely in this sector that the tension between ideological references, values, and political goals, trust and distrust in institutions, and meanings of personal activation, is particularly evident.