Social Projects in Mexico

Fundación Real Madrid changes the lives of vulnerable minors through sports

130 young people and their families take part in this Social Sports School program

130 young people and their families take part in this Social Sports School program

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Completed Project

The Fundación Real Madrid, the Asociación Crecemos and CESAL have developed a social sports school in Oaxaca, in Mexico. Since 2,009 Fundación MAPFRE has been supporting this project which seeks to help improve the living conditions of people at risk of exclusion in the Pintores community.

This school, called “We Grow”, is attended by 170 young people and runs its activities in the sports facilities of the Pintores community. Children and young people who take part in the social sports school have very few options for personal development, low academic aspirations and are at high risk of abandonment.

In order to solve this problem, the school has created a comprehensive sports program based on 4 fundamental components:

  • Sports practice: football and basketball training
  • Social and educational intervention: school and training support strategies
  • Health Promotion: with a focus on nutrition and encouraging healthy eating habits
  • Family and/or community: bolstering family and community participation

The method is based on recuperating values inherent in sports (teamwork, respect, responsibility, trust), treating people holistically, taking into account their experiences, ideas and emotions so that they can understand the importance of each one of these values, learning to understand themselves and their ways of interacting with the world.

The Fundación Real Madrid works to preserve and maintain the historical heritage of the club, to foster the values inherent in sport as its main asset, to encourage comprehensive education for children and young people and bring about the social inclusion of the most vulnerable populations. Since the first school was created in Argentina in 2003, the work of this foundation has grown considerably and there are currently 261 schools in more than 72 countries on five continents.