A Planned City Without A Plan For Choice
CAC volunteer Savannah Schinto talks about her experiences in Brasilia, Brazil with Futebol Social.
June 16th 2015. To “say” something and to “do” something are two very different statements, this is ever evident in the Brazilian culture. Our first day with the students and coaches at Universidade Catolica was chaotic, 67 eager to learn students, to three coaches was quite far from the expected 30 students. This was our first taste of the difference between saying and doing.
Every 15 seconds a women is assaulted in Brazil.
It is widely know that Marta, a Brazilian Women’s national team player, is considered the best female player in the world, and it has been this way for many years. Although this is true, and the Brazilian Women’s team is recognized as a top team in the world, they aren’t always welcomed as players on the pitch. This is where saying and doing become very different statements.
As of 2012, there are between 530,00 and 660,000 people living with HIV in Brazil.
When talking about HIV, AIDS, and general healthy behavior habits, these students had all of the right information. Here was the second taste of saying over doing. Student’s can recall the facts, and the methods of prevention or treatment, but education alone is not enough to evoke the positive social change needed. These student’s wish to be a positive change in the world, and by recognizing that educating alone is not enough, they now strive to be the first step toward positive social change.
This past week should be considered a success for the year two program in Brasilia. After the first day, coaches were jumping in with ideas of how to adapt games for education, health, and children’s rights. Choice should not be a challenge any longer.
A Tale of Two Brazils
July 28, 2014. Volunteer Tiffany Fonseca (Harvard, ’15) compares her time with CAC in Brazil to her semester abroad in Rio de Janiero. Before I talk more about the final week, I should begin by saying that Brazil was not new to me at the start of the CAC program. I studied abroad in Rio de Janeiro for seven months last year, immersing myself in Brazilian culture and brushing up on my Portuguese. But even though I technically lived here, many aspects of my experience were lived through a tourist’s point of view. I hung out with the international kids. I heeded the university’s advice to stay out of the favelas, with the exception of one or two particularly pacified and gentrified ones. I stayed within the confines of Rio’s wealthy South Zone, home of the Rio postcard pictures, scenic beaches and nice houses- relatively absent of the abject poverty of the north. Even though poverty and wealth exist in such close proximity in this country, I managed to block out the poorer 80%, not because the Brazilian inequality issue didn’t appall me, but because for the time being I wanted to enjoy my quintessential study abroad experience. However, regardless of what I thought I knew, or what white Brazilians told me about how the other (more than) half lived, I was naïve and admittedly a little paranoid when we drove into Diadema on that first day, and needless to say I was seeing a Brazil I was completely unfamiliar with, a Brazil I had been warned against.
A week later that paranoia was out the window. In fact I don’t even think it’s possible to nicely encapsulate right here the wonderful experience that was my four weeks with CAC. Especially in these last two weeks in Diadema and Campo Limpo, I’ve met the most genuine Brazilians I’ve met all year. Their communities may not be perfect but they don’t deserve some of the labels they are given. These people are truly invested in the future of their community. They’re thoughtful, determined, and selfless. They have amazingly positive attitudes. They inspire me to do better.
As I was saying, words can’t do this experience justice. But here goes anyway: Our final week in Brazil went above and beyond expectations. I don’t think I could have asked for a better end to our time here. It was our second week in São Paulo, this time with our partners at Futebol Social in Campo Limpo. After an hour-long drive to the field on the first dreary, cloudy morning, we were greeted with a familiar sight: new faces, some smiling and some timid, many young men and women, and a few older guys as well. It didn’t take long after introductions and Circle of Friends for the skies to clear up. Feeling the sun shine through the clouds and watching everyone open up as they ran around, smiling and laughing like carefree children, I could tell this week would not disappoint.
The level of engagement we received this week was phenomenal. Wanting to tailor to the community’s specific needs, we asked what the biggest social problems were. Overwhelmingly the response was drugs and violence, among other things. As we tackled various issues throughout the week, I experienced some of the most rewarding moments of my CAC experience.
One coach came up to me right after a gender equity game to talk about the boys team and girls team he coached. Unfortunately, though the discouragement of parents due to cultural norms, the girls slowly stopped coming to the point where he didn’t have a team anymore. We had a great conversation along with Brian about the importance of getting the message of equality to parents in order to prevent sexist tradition from keeping girls off the field.
In another instance, after a game of “Can Adebayor see HIV?” one man stepped forward and talked about losing his uncle to AIDS. The dialogue this started was amazing. We stood there and witnessed the coaches educating each other about facts and myths of HIV without having to say a word ourselves.
These moments for me are so encouraging because they prove that the coaches are really taking the issues to heart and see the games as real solutions they can apply in their community. It took me 4 weeks to slowly understand the difference we were making. It’s one thing to know what sport for social impact is. It’s a completely different thing to see it taking hold in the minds of community and youth leaders on the field. That is the real reason the last day was so definitive for me. Not simply because it was the last day, but because I have never received more genuine thank-yous and hugs and handshakes before!
Thank you too, Campo Limpo. Obrigada!
Best GK save since Higuita (1995 – Wembley)!
Futebol Social and Coaches Across Continents celebrating in Campo Limpo!
CAC in Rio de Janiero during the World Cup
July 9, 2014. This blog was written by Alex Torres-Tarver who is on his first trip with Coaches Across Continents. Alex is also closely affiliated with our partner One World Futbol as his parents were the co-founders.
As I prepare to begin my second week of volunteering with CAC, I find myself reflecting on the past week spent in Rio De Janeiro. This city fulfilled every expectation I had of Brazil: the scenery, friendly locals, and of course an unbelievable love of soccer. That passion for the sport—along with the opportunities for learning and development it presents— was the driving force in the small but committed group of local coaches we worked with.
I must say on the first day I felt a tad nervous as the coaches slowly began arriving. Not only was the group small, but as they arrived I became increasingly aware of my complete incompetence in portuguese. Besides Bom Dia (good day) and Obrigado (Thank you), I resorted speaking spanish and hoping they understood (they usually didn’t—fortunately Tiffany was around to bridge that gap when necessary). As the first day progressed those nerves flew out the window. As I watched grown men laugh and play like kids I quickly saw the power these games could have on children. What began as arguing, bickering and frustration in problem solving games, quickly evolved into a much more strategic and coordinated effort as the coaches realized that the challenge of collectively solving a problem is exactly what their kids need. The Adebayor games which address HIV and sexual health held a high pertinence—sex tourism and the spread of HIV are large (and growing) problems in Rio— and the coaches responded to the games with insight of their own with respect to how the games could be applied.
Having spent many years witnessing the development of the One World Futbol, it was impressive to see the how the ball was being used around the world. While the turf fields we were training on weren’t necessarily the most rugged of terrains, the ball was being used for social development—exactly what it was created for. And it was not hard to imagine the hundreds—or thousands— of children who over the next few years would be playing with the 20 balls we gave away in Rio.
The week of training was only complemented by the the city itself. With World Cup games on most days and the myriad of tourist destinations, we found no shortage of activities to occupy our free time. Attending the FIFA Fan Fest on Copacabana beach for the USA-Belgium was inspiring, and the chant “I believe that we will win” still rings in my ears despite the difficult loss. On the 4th of July we decided to wake up early and hike up mount Corcovado to Christ the Redeemer. The 2 hour uphill hike through the foggy urban rainforest was beautiful and topped off by the amazing view when we reached at the summit. After making it back before noon, we barbecued and watched Germany-France game which seemed a fitting way to enjoy the age-old American tradition of grilling and watching sports. Our 4th of July was topped off by venturing to a Brazillian fan fest, an event which did not disappoint in the slightest. After the first goal by Brazil, the crowd erupted into a frenzy of dancing and cheering which of course sent a mixture of beer and caipirinhas raining down on us. The day—and our time in Rio—ended with a Brazilian victory and lots of good vibes.
Rio was exciting and beautiful to say the least, but now we must begin anew in a different city—Sao Paolo.
Coaches converge on their prey in the CAC favorite game Old Trafford Tag
Celebrating a goal in Rio!
CAC coaches being tourists in Santa Theresa (Rio de Janiero)
Bom Dia from Brasilia
July 4, 2014. In one climactic boom the rapturous celebrations of Brasil’s third goal disappeared into a dizzying ring. Every game for the home country is a holiday: a Fourth of July where restaurants are as accommodating as reservations. Unfortunately the drunk-since-lunch lady at the table adjoining lacked either the arm or care to send her quarter sticks of dynamite much beyond touching distance, and we the Portuguese to understand ‘heads up’.
The passion here is infectious and omnipresent, if not explosive. Brasilians are here on this earth to enjoy themselves; an approach to life that manifests itself in even the most fleeting of interactions. Situations where we may get angry and shake a fist or raise a finger to a stranger are smoothed here with a thumb’s up. There is no sense in telling off the idiot driving the wrong way, for that requires letting his actions affect you.
It was amazing to be given a week to engage and make friends in a community and culture where friendship is the understood starting point of every relationship. The language barriers that the game of soccer is able to bridge – to both create and deepen such opportunities – is the coolest gift of participating in a truly global game. To experience this in the football/soccer capital of the world, as my personal introduction to seeing what CAC does around the globe, was a dream.
The week on the field was awesome. Our games, in addition to being expressed in entirely new levels of soccer ability, had their rules adapted and expanded within days of their learning to address both the little problems hampering the enjoyment of their playing, and those of greatest community and societal importance. Our group of 29 held the perfect mix of passion and ideas from the university students preparing to become physical education teachers, and poignant questions and quiet control from the older, established teachers and coaches from the community, to really focus our time and help to maximize the week we had together. From bringing American Football maneuvers into Circle of Friends, to a passionate post-game discussion with Ellen, our Community Impact Coach from ACER in Sao Paulo, about creative strategies and methods of coaching Messi for Health and Wellness, the group was a shining example of the power of self-directed learning.
When the day ended with Falcao for Fun, Mel Baskind formed a team of three with a pair of Brasilian sisters and ran the rest of the group off the field. The next day she found herself instead as a member of my team, and was megged to the point of disbelief and near wobbly ankles by the fifteen-year-old younger of the two. The girls were approached with extreme caution whenever in possession for the rest of the week.
The week in Brasilia was full of highlights:
-The city shut down entirely to host Brasil’s third and final group against Cameroon on Monday.
-Mel, Colton, and I watched Portugal and Ghana battle back and forth to a thrilling and perfect result for we Americans in the national stadium.
-The same twist of the Portuguese language that has given us Ronaldinho’s for our Ronaldo’s allowed Tiffany (our hero and only translator) to provide a true highlight of the week when she announced that we were finished and the team in the pinnies (little soccer shirts) were free to take their condoms off.
We are off to Rio with high expectations, as the standard set in Brasilia will be tough to beat in more ways than one!
