Scampia is a vast working-class neighbourhood located north of Naples. Built in the 1960s and 1970s to address the housing crisis plaguing Naples, the ‘district’ became marginalised and extremely violent within a few years as the Neapolitan mafia, the Camorra, took control of the area.
Even today, nearly 80,000 residents live in this area marked by profound inequalities, but also by numerous educational and community initiatives that are gradually seeking to transform its image into one where living together is possible. It is within this context that the CasArcobaleno school, ‘the house of the rainbow’, was founded.
To understand its origins, it was during the 2003 synod that the bishops of Italy became aware of the alarming statistics on school dropout rates, particularly in three Italian cities: Palermo, Bari and Naples. The prelates then highlighted the educational emergency and the need for a religious presence at the heart of the poorest neighbourhoods. The chapter of the brothers that followed this Roman synod immediately took up the issue. Indeed, families, often facing economic and social difficulties, struggle to believe that education can truly change their future. Despite the commitment of competent teachers in state schools, support for the most vulnerable pupils remains inadequate. In this area dominated by the ‘Vele’ – those imposing blocks of flats that have become a symbol of urban decay and the Camorra’s historical stranglehold – the issue of education therefore appears to be a crucial challenge.
Enrico Muller, a Brother of the Christian Schools from Naples, quickly volunteered to his Superior General and the Brothers of the District to set up a school in Scampia; better still, to settle there with and amongst the poor on the tenth floor of one of the tower blocks in the neighbourhood adjacent to the school. He was soon joined by Brother Raphaëlle Lievore from Bari and the Spanish Brother Martín Salvador, and thus the community was established.
Since 2004, CasArcobaleno, thus, has presented itself as a ‘second-chance school’. Fifteen young people, referred solely by social services, are welcomed there every day from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm. A team now led by Joseph and supported by seven people – including teachers, educators and artists (photographers, designers, etc.) – offers personalised academic support, as well as creative activities aimed at restoring confidence and a love of learning. In the afternoon, the 15 secondary school pupils make way for around 40 local young people who take part in tutoring sessions and art workshops. The centre operates year-round thanks to funding from the Brothers of Italy district and donations; it also regularly welcomes volunteers from around the world through SEMIL (Lasallian Educational Missions Service).
Beyond its practical work, CasArcobaleno embodies the hope of social transformation through education. In Scampia, a neighbourhood often reduced to its difficulties, these initiatives bear witness to a human vitality and a desire for change that are gradually helping to rewrite its history.