Inter Campus Venezuela, building friendships on the pitch

CARACAS – Football pitches are often seen as safe havens, particularly in regions where crime and violence are commonplace. The Inter Campus coaches do all they can to protect this refuge, championed by adults in the community. As a result and regardless of age, friendship is the common denominator, from the youngest members to the teenage girls’ team.

Despite living in the same district, not all the children attend the same school, so many of them had never met before picking up the sport. Located in the municipality of San Isidro, Petare is a neighbourhood near Caracas where the houses are so close together you can shake hands from one window to the next. The Inter Campus pitch is perhaps the only open and protected space where boys and girls can come together.

Prevention also encompasses the notion of building lasting relationships that mature over time through specific exercises. In order to achieve a better future, built on the social foundations of education and respect, it is important to provide boys and girls with an environment in which they can to get to know each other, celebrate their differences and choose life-long friendship.