Inter Campus working in Casablanca outskirts

CASABLANCA – It almost seems too much of a coincidence that the Arabic word for a football is kura, given that it is through the medium of football that Inter Campus strives to cure some of the social problems afflicting millions of children all over the world, including in Morocco – where we recently visited.

Inter Campus has been working in the Casablanca area for around a decade, with much progress made over the years.

In the early days, for example, the local coaches would adopt a fierce tone and raise their voices to control training sessions, methods that have been proven unhelpful for promoting the complete, correct development of children.

It was for this reason that we decided to use our classroom-based theory sessions to focus not only on football, but also on themes such as manners, growth, passion, attention and – perhaps most importantly – the right to play of all youngsters.

By attending these sessions and observing how our own coaches operate on the field of play, the Moroccan trainers were able to learn how football can help to develop a child’s personality in an organic, constructive way.

The willing attitude of these local coaches has meant the project has gone from strength to strength, and it is a source of great satisfaction to see how they now interact with the kids using positive, cheerful language.

The Inter Campus way is being applied across the board, with a girls’ team also now operating. There can be no truer reflection of the change being brought about by Inter Campus in an area where – historically – women have not always enjoyed the rights their male counterparts take for granted.

It is yet more proof that the game of football, when practised the Inter Campus way, is the best medicine for a myriad of social problems.

07.06.2016