The Inter Campus delegation, consisting of managing director Christian Valerio and two coaches, Lorenzo Forneris and Silvio Guareschi, returned to Mexico for a voyage from Mexico City to the autonomous indigenous Zapatista communities in Chiapas.
The arrival in Mexico City was an exciting one. The largest city in the world is one that has developed horizontally; there are no tall buildings or skyscrapers rising upwards, but rather many small houses that make this city so fascinating and magical.
In Mexico City, Silvio and Lorenzo carried out a course with all the coaches and instructors of the Inter Campus projects in Silao, Queretaro and the Mexico City neighbourhoods of Candelaria, Ceylan and Tepito. The activities took place at the Universidad Estatal del Valle de Ecatepec (UNEVE), with whom Inter Campus has launched a steady collaboration. Apart from the usual sport related activities, some university teachers will devote their time to starting projects aimed at the Inter Campus children and their families, as well as education on nutrition and psychological development for children by means of sport.
At the university, Silvio and Lorenzo gave lectures in the classroom every morning to the 20 instructors, while in the afternoon they were on the pitch with the kids for hours of fun and games.
The days that were spent in Mexico City were fantastic and the great strides being made by the instructors were obvious as they continue to use football as an additional educational tool where it is most needed. Fernando, the instructor for the indigenous Triquis children, summed the experience up well: "Our thanks go out to Inter and Inter Campus, because through sport we can provide happiness and a passion for life."
After their time in Mexico City, the Inter Campus staff headed to Chiapas and the autonomous Zapatista communities. The first stop was the Caracol de la Realidad near Las Margaritas. After a 7-hour drive from Tuxtla Gutierrez, in the heart of the Lacandona Jungle, the delegation met for the first time with representatives of this autonomous territory that borders with Guatemala. The objective: to sound out the possibilities of extending the Inter Campus project to this area as well.
Then upon returning to Caracol de Morelia we dropped in to say hello to the local council and were shown our destination: the Primero de Enero middle school (1 January being the date that commemorates the 1994 uprising).
After nearly 2 years of experience in this territory we have adjusted the training sessions to reflect the qualities in the local sport culture: respect for the rules, discipline, a sense of brotherhood and unity (in both victory and defeat), respect for both team-mates and opponents, a mutual sense of sacrifice, and a total absence of selfish individualism. These qualities are found on the pitch as well as in the classroom. A different world, a different sport.
Visita il sito intercampus.inter.it
