Futbol con Corazon

‘Scoring goals of peace and coexistence.’

Futbol con Corazon

We build safe andpeaceful communitiesby working with boys

and girls andimplementing the‘soccer for peace’

methodology.

Futbol con Corazon uses soccer as a tool to helpbuild safe neighborhoods and promote social

inclusion and gender equality.

PROJECT: “Futbol para Paz y Convivencia” 2007 - 2014(Peace and Coexistence Through Soccer”)

BENEFICIARIES: 30.000 boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 14 and their parents.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:• Promote gender equality, participation and integration between boys and girls in

Barranquilla’s poorest neighborhoods through the use of the “Fútbol por la Paz”methodology.

• Prevent boys and girls from situations of violence, drugs, gangs and excess leisuremoments.

• Promote social cohesion, tolerance and peaceful conflict resolution within thecommunity by inviting the community to gather around educational activities fortheir children.

• Recover and improve public spaces by building 100 soccer fields and recoveringsmall neighborhood fields.

This project uses a specific methodology called “Soccer forPeace”, incorporates nutrition as a key success factor andinvolves parents and the community in playing a leadership

role.

PROJECT COMPONENTS

• The Soccer for Peace methodology focuses on four corevalues:

- tolerance - respect - cooperation - solidarity

• Children receive a nutrition component provided inalliance with NUTRIR Barranquilla, a leading expert inrelieving malnutrition among vulnerable groups.

• Children and their parents attend workshops on gendermisconceptions and barriers, social skills, family values andproper guidance for girls entering their adolescent period.

• Parents participate on business entrepreneurship trainingworkshops provided in Alliance with SENA (The NationalLearning Center)

• Families gather weekly to play soccer. There is no refereesince children are expected to find ways of peacefullysolving their differences and their conflicts on the field.

The Soccer for Peace methodology focuses on setting gamerules that promote values and peace.

“SOCCER FOR PEACE” – RULES OF THE GAME:

• A minimum of two girls and two boys must be in each team.• There is no referee: differences must be settled between the

players.• The first goal of each team must be scored by a girl.• Stop the game in case someone is hurt and assist him.• If one team is missing a girl to continue the game, the other team

must provide one from its group in order to play on equal terms.• If there is a conflict during the game it must be resolved quickly

and without aggression to respect their other peers desire tocontinue playing.

• All participants from both teams are expected to play the sameamount of time.

• Group members from each team who are not playing during agame must support the game by providing water, picking up theball, and throwing away garbage.

• The winner is measured not only in terms of the goals scored butin terms of the good actions made (for each goal and good actiona team is awarded a “heart” and the winner is the team with thegreatest number of hearts).

• At the end of the game each player must complete an evaluationform that measures their behavior in the game in terms of howthey embraced tolerance, respect, cooperation and solidarity.

Futbol con Corazon believes that working together andinviting other organizations to participate will contribute to the

project’s success.

• There is a need in the city ofBarranquilla to replicate this project inmany other less privileged communities.

• The project’s impact is twofold; childrenwho participate in the program for theirphysical and psychological developmentare also required to attend school. Theproject works closely with local schoolsto address children’s problems.

• Futbol con Corazon requires funding toreach its goal of working with 30.000children and their families before 2014.

• The project is already generatingalliances with local authorities to impactyouth at the policy level.

Futbol con Corazón

www.futbolconcorazon.orgCarrera 59 No. 74‐51

Teléfono: (57‐5) 3692273 Fax: (57‐5) 3536349Barranquilla  ‐ Colombia

María Alejandra Uribe - Executive Directormuribe@futbolconcorazon.org