Chapter 6: A School as a Common: How Community Participation Can Improve a Public Service and Transform It Into a Common

Commons can be understood as an organisational model based on relationships and social entanglements. These bonds primarily stem from the simultaneous actions of creating and governing the commons. Therefore, some scholars suggest using the term ‘commoning’ instead of ‘commons’. This chapter presents the case of the Associazione Genitori Scuola ‘Di Donato’, established at the Di Donato Elementary School, a public school located in the Esquilino neighbourhood in Rome. Unlike other cases presented in this book, this experience began with the initiative of the school director, who, in 2003, decided to offer some unused spaces for activities organised by parents after school hours. Currently, the association offers a variety of activities and sports on a daily basis, and the building is open for meetings and gatherings after school and on weekends. This became a good practice that is disseminated through mutual learning in a network with other parents’ associations in Rome and across Italy. The relationships with the neighbourhood grew stronger when the street in front of the school was pedestrianised. The parents’ association knew that for the pedestrianisation to be successful, it was essential to fill the space with furniture and activities. For this reason, they reached out to other local associations (primarily those they were already familiar with) and began organising collective initiatives. This case aims to demonstrate how collective activities can enhance publicness and strengthen social bonds.