Flamengo promotes joint football session for young people from underprivileged communities
The event was held in Gávea in partnership with the NGO Generation Amazing and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
By Communication - Flamengo - in
In partnership with the NGO Generation Amazing and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Flamengo hosted a joint soccer session for young people from Rio de Janeiro's communities, in parallel with Qatar's participation in the Copa América in Brazil. Together with the Flamengo Sports School,to the girls and boys of the communities of Vidigal, Cidade de Deus and Miécimo da Silva Sports Center (Campo Grande) were accompanied during the sessions by idols Andrade and Evaristo de Macedo. The event also featured Gustavo Fernandes, vice president of Fla-Gávea, CEO Reinaldo Belotti, legendary coach Bora Milutinovic, and Mushtaq Al Waeli, head of General Amazing and the 2022 World Cup Organizing Committee, as well as other representatives from the NGO and UNODC.
The event with the United Nations served to reach an important milestone for Generation Amazing, as 500 beneficiaries were reached through the program worldwide.
"We are proud to announce that Generation Amazing has reached half a million beneficiaries in this significant activation with UNODC, including direct and indirect beneficiaries across all our programs, along with strategic partner organizations. This milestone of reaching 500 young people is an important step in our journey to empower and educate the next generations through the inspirational impact of football," said Mushtaq Al Waeli, Senior Advisor to the Secretary-General and Chief Executive of Generation Amazing.
"We are a UN agency and work on various issues related to combating violence. Since 2015, with funding from the Qatari government, we have been promoting the "Vamos Nessa" program, which aims to promote prevention through sports and playful games, from which young people learn lessons and learn from these activities. They created this program, "Generation Amazing," with the goal of transforming the lives of these young people through soccer and these methodologies. It is a great pleasure to be at Brazil's biggest club," says Nivio Nascimento, UNODC's crime prevention and public security coordinator.
Multiple soccer champion Evaristo de Macedo, a Mengão idol, was present at the event. The former coach also made history in Qatar when he coached the national team in the 90s.
"We planted this seed in Qatar, and today it's an extraordinary country. The entire relationship between clubs and sports organizations is fantastic. Flamengo, as one of Brazil's great clubs, needs to have this relationship with this wonderful country. Hosting an event like this is very important," he says.
An idol of Mais Querido, Andrade also highlighted the importance of the event and the inclusion of young people from underprivileged communities in the football environment.
"I learned about this event today and I'm very happy, because it targets underprivileged children in our state's communities. Congratulations to Flamengo for hosting such a morning to raise awareness among children. This project is very important," says Andrade, a Flamengo idol.
Professor Abdul Azeez Sulaiman is from Ghana and currently works as a coach and ambassador for the Generation Amazing project. In Gávea, he had the opportunity to learn about the club's structure and learn more about Brazilian culture.
"I'm from Ghana and have visited many countries, such as Russia and Qatar, through the NGO Generation Amazing. The goal of the project is to demonstrate the importance of soccer in the growth of communities, changing the realities of these places that need support, bringing people from different backgrounds together. We instill leadership and confidence in the children. I'm very happy to be in Brazil. It's an incredible country, with a great atmosphere and wonderful people," he highlights.
This activation contributed to Generation Amazing's goal of positively impacting 1 million lives through football to achieve better development and education by 2022. Generation Amazing has already reached more than 28 communities that have been positively impacted by the football program for development and the construction or remodeling of football fields in underserved communities.
Launched in 2010 during Qatar's successful bid for the 2022 World Cup, Generation Amazing is a human and social legacy program that uses the power of sport to positively impact the lives of people living in underserved communities and seeks to create sustainable social development in these locations.