Chance: a school offering a second chance

Abstract

This article describes the Chance project, a school offering a second chance for learners who have dropped out of the official system, based in the suburbs of Naples. It highlights the potential, the resources, the rewards and difficulties told through a series of interviews with the people who live the day to day reality of this “school” combined with observations from the researcher-authors of the paper who made a series of visits between 2009 and 2010. It does not set out to be give an exhaustive record of the complex reality of Chance but rather presents a series of reflections regarding “best practices” and schooling in contexts of hardship, violence, illegality. It considers the professionalism of the teachers, social workers, “social mothers” and the importance of attempting to make a mark upon the local community in which the project operates.