“Give me the opportunity to do the things i know how to do”. Second chance schools as spaces for the dignifying of the youth

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyse the role of Second Chance Schools as spaces of protection, dignification and amplification of youth opportunities. The article is based on a case study of the School of New Opportunities El Llindar, and based on a qualitative methodology including interviews and focus groups with teachers and students, highlights three main elements featuring the educational model of this particular school: a type of educational supply based on diversity, flexibility and professionalization; a profile of the teacher conceived as youth‟s guide, giving crucial relevance to emotional and affective bonding; and a model of teaching and learning articulated through the subjectification and the subjectivities of the youth. The analysis demonstrates that these three elements are very dissimilar from the regular Catalan and Spanish educational system and, in turn, explain the impact of El Llindar in the amplification of the opportunities for youth‟s educational success.