CBF and UNESCO join forces for the ‘Gol do Brasil’ project

By India Education Diary Bureau Admin On May 15, 2020

Implemented just over a year ago by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), the ‘Gol do Brasil’ project is a social action focused on supporting children and adolescents from 6 to 17 years in a vulnerable situation. Now, the project has the support of UNESCO in Brazil as the two institutions signed a cooperation agreement last Monday (12), during a meeting held by videoconference.

The objective of this partnership is to rely on the expertise of UNESCO and measure the social impact of ‘Gol do Brasil’s’ actions on the life and community supported by the project – from children to instructors, as well as from the participants’ families. There will be 18 months of joint work that will help in the development of new processes, improvements, and enhancement of the CBF Social Methodology.

“We are very happy with this partnership, which will bring ‘Gol do Brasil’ structural consistency. There are several very important social projects in the country, and we hope to raise the level of our initiatives with the participation of UNESCO”, commented the CBF secretary-general, Walter Feldman.

‘Gol do Brasil’s’ mission is to promote citizenship and education through football. For archive that, the ‘ten core life skill’ established by the World Health Organization (WHO) are being followed, which are: self-awareness, interpersonal relationships, critical thinking, creative thinking, empathy, problem-solving, decision making, coping with emotions, coping with stress and effective communication.

The methodology for the development of this social project can be implemented with training in the field, indoor, beach, or society football. In addition to sports, students also have psychological counseling and social assistance to assist in teaching life skills. All units also provide participants with uniforms, sports equipment, and food.

“UNESCO – the UN specialized agency in Education, Science, and Culture – has an important mission linked to the construction of a culture of peace since its creation in 1945. In this sense, nothing better than sports as an inducer of education for values and peaceful resolution of conflicts. We are very happy with this partnership that is starting. We believe that it will be a unique opportunity to assess the social impact of a program as important as ‘Gol do Brasil’, which has unique characteristics and promotes social inclusion”, highlighted the Director and Representative of UNESCO in Brazil, Marlova Noleto.

Besides serving children and adolescents, ‘Gol do Brasil’ also aims at training qualified teachers to work with youth groups. In 2019, through a partnership with the CBF Academy, 119 professionals obtained the S License, aimed precisely at social projects. All instructors are residents of the cities where the classes take place.

‘Gol do Brasil’ is financed by the Brazil 2014 World Cup Legacy, by CBF and by municipal administrations, and is already fully operational in the cities of Belém (PA), Recife (PE), São Paulo (SP), Ribeirão Pires (SP) and Teresópolis (RJ). The planning is to reach all 26 States of Brazil and the Federal District.