The project is active in Camerino, in the Marche region’s earthquake zone, and in Naples, in the Rione Sanità neighborhood, adapting the ABF Voices of approach to the specific characteristics of each area and strengthening skills, relationships, and a sense of belonging.

In Camerino , the project is based in an area affected by the 2016 earthquake, where reconstruction involves not only buildings but also social ties, educational opportunities, and the daily lives of young people.

In Naples, in the Rione Sanità neighborhood, the project operates in an urban context characterized by educational poverty, early school leaving, and a lack of safe and consistent educational spaces.

In both cases, music serves as an accessible educational tool to provide stability, continuity, and opportunities for growth. 

Context – The Need, the Problem

In Italy, there are areas where children and young people grow up in contexts marked by profound vulnerabilities that directly impact their educational and relational opportunities. In Camerino, the earthquake disrupted daily routines, community gathering spaces, and social ties; in Naples, in neighborhoods like the Rione Sanità, social marginalization and educational deprivation limit access to quality educational experiences. In both contexts, the educational need centers on rebuilding stability, trust, and a sense of belonging.

The lack of ongoing and inclusive educational spaces has a direct impact on the emotional well-being of young people. When safe places to meet, express themselves, and collaborate are no longer available, the risk of isolation, disengagement, and difficulty in building positive relationships increases. The problem is not only access to formal education, but the absence of educational experiences capable of fostering social-emotional skills and motivation.

In contexts as diverse yet equally fragile as these, music serves as a common language capable of forging bonds and building communities. Choral singing offers an educational experience rooted in listening, cooperation, and shared responsibility, allowing children to experience the group as a resource. The choir becomes a safe space in which to develop relationships, trust, and the ability to be together.

The need, therefore, is to offer young people in Camerino and Naples a stable, recognizable, and high-quality educational experience capable of supporting their growth over time. ABF Voices of Italy addresses this need by creating local educational hubs that strengthen the bond between children, families, and communities, contributing to the social regeneration of these areas through a shared journey.

ABF’s Intervention

ABF operates in Italy through a national project that uses choral practice as an educational tool for developing cross-curricular skills, considered essential for the personal and social growth of children and adolescents. In Camerino ( ) and Naples, the choir is not merely a musical activity but an experiential learning environment where participants practice listening, cooperation, responsibility, emotional regulation, and the ability to function within a group on a daily basis.

In Camerino, the project helps restore educational and relational continuity following the disruption caused by the earthquake, offering young people a stable space where they can rediscover routine, trust, and a sense of belonging. In Naples, in the Rione Sanità neighborhood, the choir serves as an educational alternative to life on the streets, capable of addressing the emotional and relational needs of young people in a complex urban context.

In both areas, ABF intentionally focuses on soft skills because they are what enable young people to navigate fragile situations, build positive relationships, manage conflicts, and envision their own futures. Music thus becomes a concrete tool for making these skills visible, actionable, and enduring, thereby strengthening the educational community over time and solidifying the project’s role as a recognized point of reference.

Why

  • A limited supply of alternative educational activities and social fragmentation, which restrict children’s and young people’s access to inclusive and continuous educational experiences
  • A lack of safe, neutral, and shared educational spaces where young people from diverse backgrounds can meet and grow together
  • The need to strengthen social-emotional and relational skills (such as collaboration, emotion regulation, and communication), especially in contexts marked by trauma or marginalization
  • The importance of safe and recognized educational environments where young people can feel welcomed, heard, and an active part of a shared journey
  • The need for concrete educational tools capable of transforming participation into learning and experiences into skills that can be applied over time

The Project

A) Partner
In Camerino, the project is promoted directly by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation through the ABF “Franco Corelli” Music Academy, in collaboration with the local community and institutions.

In Naples, the partner is the San Gennaro Community Foundation, an organization deeply rooted in the Rione Sanità neighborhood and committed to combating educational poverty and fostering the social regeneration of the neighborhood.

B) Actions

  • Establishment and management of two local choirs, one in Camerino and one in Naples, as part of a unified national project but specifically designed to address the educational needs of their respective communities;
  • In Camerino, development of the choir as a space for educational continuity following the earthquake, with structured weekly meetings that restore routine, stability, and a recognizable gathering place for children after the loss or transformation of community spaces;
  • In Naples—Rione Sanità—the choir serves as a community-based educational hub, offering young people a concrete alternative to life on the streets while transforming neighborhood spaces into venues for self-expression, social interaction, and cultural participation;
  • In both contexts, the intentional integration of choral practice with educational activities aimed at developing cross-curricular skills, such as listening, collaboration, managing emotions, following rules, and individual responsibility within the group;
  • Progressive involvement of families, educators, and local communities, so that the choir is not merely an activity for participants but an experience recognized and supported by the local community, capable of strengthening the educational community over time

C) Objectives

  • To offer children and young people in Camerino and Naples a continuous educational program capable of becoming a stable point of reference over time within their respective communities
  • In Camerino, to contribute to post-earthquake educational and relational recovery by supporting a return to positive routines, trust within the group, and a sense of belonging
  • In Naples—Rione Sanità—to create a community-based educational hub that strengthens young people’s motivation, self-esteem, and ability to envision positive alternatives to life on the streets
  • To develop transversal skills (active listening, cooperation, emotional regulation, respect for rules, and individual responsibility) as practical tools for navigating complex situations
  • Strengthen the bond between children, families, and the educational community, so that the choir is recognized as a shared space for growth and not merely as an extracurricular activity

D) Impact on the Community

The impact of ABF Voices of Italy on the community manifests itself in different yet complementary ways in the two areas. In Camerino, the project helps restore educational and relational continuity in a context that has experienced a long disruption of community spaces and routines: the choir becomes a stable, recognizable place where children can rediscover trust, regularity, and a sense of belonging. In Naples , in the Rione Sanità neighborhood, the impact takes the form of an alternative and credible educational space, recognized by the community as a concrete opportunity for young people and as a positive point of reference for families.

In both contexts, the gradual involvement of parents and primary caregivers reinforces the project’s impact beyond the individual participants. The choir becomes part of local life, builds trust, and helps strengthen the educational community by fostering stronger relationships, active participation, and a culture of shared growth grounded in continuity and long-term presence.

E) Project Phases

  • 2021: Launch of the project in Camerino, in the aftermath of the earthquake, with the establishment of the choir as a stable educational space and a response to the loss of gathering places and continuity for children and youth
  • 2021–2022: Consolidation of the initiative in Camerino, strengthening educational routines and the choir’s role as a recognizable anchor for the community and families
  • 2023: Expansion of the project to Naples—Rione Sanità—with the launch of a second choir and the adaptation of the ABF Voices of approach to the urban context and the educational needs of the neighborhood
  • 2023–2024: Stabilization of the program in Naples as a community-based educational space and parallel development of the two local choirs within a single national project
  • 2025–2026: Strengthening of educational programs in both contexts, promotion of the transversal skills developed by participants, and recognition of the project as a stable educational model at the local and national levels