From July 27 to August 3, 2022, two AC Milan technicians, in collaboration with the Fondazione Milan, traveled to Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, to provide a week of technical training and activities for the coaches of two Fondazione Milan partners: the Joao Paulo II Educational Center and the Betania Foundation. Both organizations have been operating in the outskirts of the capital of Bahia since the early 2000s, aiming to offer a protected and educational environment for local children and adolescents who are often exposed to the risks of street life due to the absence of parental guidance and extracurricular activities in the neighborhood. In both centers, sports activities play a central role in bringing young people together, with various sports such as soccer, basketball, handball, karate, and dance being practiced.
The goal of the visit by the two technicians, Fabio and Giuseppe, was to conduct an intensive week of training for the coaches of the two organizations and teach them new techniques for the sports practiced while maintaining a focus on relational and core values. Indeed, Fondazione Milan aims to promote the educational and social values of sports, allowing everyone, especially the youth, to find a form of social redemption in highly complex contexts.
The AC Milan technicians conducted classroom training exclusively for the 10 coaches from partner organizations, as well as on-field activities with boys and girls aged 6 to 12 who participate in sports activities in the two centers every day. This approach allowed them to immediately apply what they learned during the lesson hours, covering various topics ranging from technical aspects related to the fundamental basics of football and principles of play to organizational matters such as training preparation and communication between coach and students. Social aspects such as gender differences in the world of sports and sports as an educational and inclusive tool were also addressed.
In addition to the planned activities, the initiative provided an opportunity to get to know the reality of Brazilian outskirts, characterized by high rates of child mortality and malnutrition, lack of infrastructure, absence of schools, and gathering places for children. At the same time, issues such as adult unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse are widespread, along with frequent episodes of violence in the neighborhoods.
According to the testimonies of the two technicians and the representatives of the two centers, it became evident that the training was mutual, as they had the opportunity to learn about a reality very different from the Italian one, enriching their cultural background. Both emphasized how the impact with the young people they met allowed them to go beyond the usual training, spending more time getting to know their stories and desires, dedicating time and attention to all 60 children and teenagers involved.
Indeed, there were many moments of fun, sharing, and non-sporting activities such as visits to Salvador and some communities. It was, therefore, a first experience of an educational mission that Fondazione Milan aims to repeat in other parts of the world to better understand all partner realities and promote its sports values.
