Inter Campus in Rome alongside NPO YOLK

ROME – We got to Rome on a muggy Sunday, the scorching summer heat beating down on us for the week that we spent with almost 70 pupils from the Carlo Pisacane School in Torpignattara, a district on the outskirts of the Italian capital. It is a multicultural area, where the work on social inclusion done by teachers – and by Inter Campus in recent days – is vital.

The warmth of the sun was equal to the warmth of the welcome from the children and the volunteers from YOLK, who greeted us with open arms and smiles; curious they were to find out what we’d do on the pitch.

Footballing faith and religious symbols mingled during the games and small matches. Turbans and hijabs met with traditional football kits and Roma caps, but the ball, along with the Nerazzurri jerseys, united them all. Everyone is equal on the pitch and the right to play must be extended to anybody and everybody, with no exceptions.

In Rome, as it was at the “Giardino di Palermo” a few years ago, thanks to the presence and oversight of YOLK, Inter Campus have managed to get kids from vastly disparate backgrounds to accept others and have fun at the same time, all through the game of football.

May this be the start of a long journey together!