The Sanità area, where the JPC centre is located, does not offer any kind of sporting activity for the children and young people who live there; even school gyms are not available. JPC represents the only place where it is possible to play sport in a place not controlled by the Camorra crime organisation.
The area suffers from abuse towards minors from problem families and there is a widespread lack of sufficient services for children. The area has the highest number of school drop-outs in Italy: in 2019 the figure reached 50% in the first two years of high school. Mothers in the area are often very young. Sometimes they have their first child when they are minors. There is a need to rediscover basic parenting skills.
Sport has become a means to combat early school drop-out, and the JPC centre offers the possibility of giving young people a safe space where they can discover and develop their full potential. Among the sport and activities used are karate, gymnastics, table tennis, padel, zumba and samba.
Sport is the key element of a local network that starts from an alliance between all the community educational partners, like schools and social services. Other partners promote homework support and music activities. The children and young adults who attend Jucà pe Cagnà can become part of a community and can get back on to educational paths.
The centre is promoted by La Locomotiva and is now becoming a strong educational milestone for the city. It is a model that is also being used in other cities. La Locomotiva has a very strong social identity and it works effectively as a partner with Laureus in this challenging area.
