Goal for Equality Project

Gol de Letra´s Project entitled Gol Pela Igualdade (Goal for Equality) was chosen by “Citizens Giving Program” (from Manchester City Football Club),among five other global competitors, to receive their support regarding social actions that use football as a transformation tool.

 Therefore, since 2016 this Project has the important mission of promoting gender equality via football, giving incentive to girls and young women to practice this sports modality. The activities are performed by participants of Jogo Aberto SP Program, together with Vila Albertina Community and some regional representatives.

Besides the activities and discussions focused on the theme at the football court, the Project includes workshops and training dedicated to instruct Gol de Letra´s monitors and professionals concerning the daily battle for gender equality, and to prepare the girls to perform every field of their social life.

One of the projects´ objectives is using the youth´s performance and mobilizing capacity to back up the cause in question. Based on it, Manchester City Football Club promotes, in England, a meeting focused on young leaders´ empowerment, with the participation of representatives of every project supported by City Football Foundation.

In June, two young men of Gol de Letra travelled to Manchester, to take part in the Young Leaders´ Global Summit. Thirty young persons from several countries took part in activities at City Football Academy concerning capacitation, training, integration and other practices. The meeting´s objective was the development of skills, self-confidence, and relationship networks to transform the local communities.

The young people interacted with peers from organizations in the USA, Australia, South Africa, Malasya, Colombia and India, besides the team of professionals and the main women´s team of Manchester City.

After their return to Brazil the referred participants had the mission to plan, organize and execute an activity in their community for the International Youth Day, on August 12. They chose presenting to Vila Albertina´s boys and girls a workshop focused on Football 3, a modality in which the players negotiate and define their own rules and play without a referee.

However, the project´s highlight was the Goal for Equality Festival, a women´s futsal championship done with regional teams. It took place in September and gathered around 480 persons and 20 women´s teams of this sports modality.  Taking advantage of the acquired knowledge and juvenile enthusiasm, the mobilization of the teams and the planning of the event were taken care by Fundação´s young monitors.

Besides the football tournament several sports and cultural activities,

 the program included capoeira, dance, table tennis, table soccer, graffiti, cinema round table, theatre performance, photography and video presentation with statements about “the woman´s place”.

“Everybody enjoyed it a lot. We had theoretical workshop and practical training, to learn how to lead and act as a leader. Our group was hands on, it made things happen, taking risks, proposing ideas, trying new possibilities, sharing experiences with other countries. A detail: the grass there is blue (main colour of the team).”

Josiane Espinosa, sports educator of Fundação Gol de Letra SP

“It was incredible, it changed my way of seeing everything. Being in touch with people that speak another language and are from other cultures really impressed me. In the beginning, we were a bit insecure, due to the cultural differences, but, after some time we got aware of our potential and received incentive from other people. From there on, it really was fun, everybody spoke to us, demanding our opinion and helping us to communicate”.

Letícia Mattos, young monitor of Jogo Aberto SP Program.