Notes from the road: Mexico

MEXICO – The most gratifying part of being an Inter Campus coach, aside from being able to mix passion and profession on a daily basis, is the chance to exchange knowledge and ideas with people who live tens of thousands of miles away from us.

In this sense, Inter Campus Mexico is one of the most fulfilling projects around. Our desire to help is more than matched by the Mexicans’ willingness to get involved, demonstrating enviable tenacity and determination – values at the heart of the Inter Campus philosophy.

Inter Campus Mexico has been running for years now, with the local children benefitting from a comprehensive training programme. The coaches are among the most well trained of any Inter Campus site, thanks to their commitment and our work in the classroom and out on the pitch.

The parents have bought into our ideas and values, sharing their feedback at post-training meetings, while a host of partner organisations have donated facilities and manpower to the cause.

Special tournaments are a regular occurrence, such as the recent event for young girls from the three Mexican sites, Silao, Queretaro and Mexico City.

Perhaps the most glowing verdict on our work in Mexico is that fact that many boys and girls who go through the programme are desperate to stay involved as helpers and – who knows? – perhaps as fully fledged coaches some day.

The most important part of the project remains the children themselves, however. Take Ivan, for example, a 17-year-old lad who lost his right arm and left leg in a serious accident during his childhood. Despite his disabilities, Inter Campus Mexico enables him to live out his dream of playing football – and Ivan even harbours ambitions of becoming a coach himself.

As Inter Campus coaches, we are often faced with difficult situations. Yet through determination, and by drawing on the spirit of the people we meet every day, we find the strength to keep working towards our objective of helping young people to develop through the medium of sport.

Ivan’s motto has always been “intentando, todo se puede” – it means “anything is possible if you try hard enough”.

Looking back at his personal story, you realise he’s right.