INTER CAMPUS POLAND: TRAVELLING WITH US

KRAKOW – Inter Campus has been active for ten years in Krakow, a wonderful city that will host matches in the 2012 European Championship. In recent years Inter Campus has been busy promoting sporting activity against alcoholism and juvenile delinquency, and the integration of children at risk of marginalisation.

The arrival of our delegation, consisting of myself and two coaches, Roberto Picardi and Sergio Maraia, opened the second seasonal visit to the country. Roberto and Sergio conducted numerous training sessions with great sensitivity and technical competence. The sessions were marked by heavy rain – which accompanied us throughout the duration of the visit – and lots of fun. It also boasted maximum participation of children and interest from local coaches.

This return to Polish soil was particularly full of expectations, because of our desire to see all the children of Inter Campus again at the parish of Saint Hedwig, as well as those of the two new centres that were activated during the previous visit: the Dom Dziecka orphanage (http://www.ddziecka.pl/) in the Jewish neighbourhood of Kazimierz and the juvenile reformatory of Pogotowie Opieku_Cze (http://www.pokrakow.org/).

The aim of the visit was to consolidate sporting activity within these institutions, making it consistent through training sessions structured according to different requirements, thanks to the commitment and coaching expertise that have been reached over the years by the project’s instructors. After our departure it will be up to them to manage the sporting activities, assisted by the institutions’ operators, who will receive the necessary training to become instructors themselves.

During this visit another nucleus was also started up in Sieborowice, 20 kilometres from Krakow, in an institution for minors (http://www.domdzieckasieborowice.pl/). The structure takes shape as a community with family dimensions, with educational and rehabilitation goals, designed to accommodate children from birth through the age of 18. After an intense training session, we were invited inside the house where the boys and girls prepared a typical Polish lunch before everyone headed out to the pitch together and where our representative, Olek Kawiorski, organised a day of celebration. This day was an exception, with brilliant spring sunshine. The 60 children of the new projects were welcomed by approximately 250 children in the city neighbourhood of Saint Hedwig and, all together on their pitch, a mini recreational tournament was held.

The week passed quickly and we returned to Italy full of emotion and joy that come from the enthusiasm of our children and this rewarding work.

Christian Valerio

20.04.2012