Inter Campus Mexico, a long and travelling mission

MEXICO CITY - The delegation landed in Mexico’s capital in the evening, entering into the endless mass of buildings without any sign of urban planning to be seen. The airport’s landing strip is totally surrounded by the city, which extends as far as the eye can see. The arrival by plane comes with a view of the enormous Mexican Plateau, home to 5000-metre high dormant volcanoes and majestic lakes which have been drained for years, a sight which never fails to impress.

Inter Campus has been operating in Mexico since 2003. In the last ten years, projects have been implemented in different areas of the Republic, each with particular social objectives that often hold great similarities. Violence, machismo, crime and drug trafficking all fuel terror amongst the population and lead to a constant flow of emigrants heading for the United States and Canada.  The statistics are disconcerting, and our work in the country has a common denominator in the fact that our staff’s technical-pedagogical training of local coaches and the use of the game of football possess the aim of contributing to the training of the individual from all perspectives.

Our second visit of the season began in the capital, the cradle of the Mayan civilisation, built on the central plateau at about 2000 metres above sea level. Here the Italian delegation monitored the status of the various ongoing projects and carried out practical demonstrations on the pitch, under the watchful eyes of local coaches.

Walking just a few hundred metres from the baroque cathedral built by the Spanish Conquistadors with the remains of the temple ruins in the Constitution Square, also known as Zocalo, the heart of the city, we reached the infamous Tepito district where the Fundaciòn Renacimiento is located. The area is known by all for the danger present and the ease with which you can get anything you want... The 30 or so children of the project are in very serious social situations and their stories are all especially tragic. The Foundation offers them assistance in attending school and vocational training through computer labs, music, gastronomy and much more.

For these children, the game of football is a valid alternative to the temptations of the "barrio". Inter Campus acts in this extreme context by promoting a path aimed at the recovery of individuals, social reintegration and inclusion.