Inter Campus Poland: travelling with us

The rain couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the children in Krakow. Christian Valerio’s story

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

22.04.2012