Núcleo de Ensino da Unidade de Internação de Santa Maria

Harnessing rap for resilience and transformation in juvenile detention

The Teaching Center of the Santa Maria Internment Unit, a government
school in Brasilia, Brazil, serves as a pioneering educational institution within a juvenile
detention environment, using rap music as a transformative tool for personal and educational
development. Established in 2015, this school educates 150 boys, employing innovative
pedagogical approaches to address their unique socio-economic challenges and intellectual needs.

The RAP project, an acronym for Resocialisation, Autonomy, and
Protagonism, is central to the school’s mission. Integrating rhythm and poetry into the
curriculum, the initiative promotes human rights, diversity, and non-violent communication,
profoundly impacting students' engagement and reducing recidivism. Since its inception, the
project has touched the lives of approximately 1,500 boys, with a significant decrease in
re-offence rates post-release.

Leadership at the Teaching Center fosters a culture that embodies
respect and teamwork, crucial in navigating the complex dynamics of a correctional education
setting.

Additional activities include poetry slams, cinema debates, and
music festivals, further embedding the values of hip hop culture within the school's ethos.
These initiatives have notably improved literacy rates and social interactions among students,
demonstrating the power of culturally relevant education.

Should the Teaching Center win the World's Best School Prize for
Overcoming Adversity, the prize money will expand the RAP project’s scope, enhancing
resocialisation efforts and preventive initiatives to support at-risk youth, ensuring the
programme’s sustainability and broader impact.