Improvements in health, learning, social development and the promotion of peace in communities are just some of the sports benefits. For this reason, the United Nations created the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, celebrated in April, highlighting the importance of access to sport for people of all ages, worldwide.
Here, the Construindo o Futuro Project, carried out with the sponsorship of Petrobras, offers eight modalities for children and adolescents from the Imbiruçu, Petrovale and Colônia Santa Isabel neighborhoods.
Learn more about the role of physical activities for development and peace and the main sports benefits practiced by students of Construindo o Futuro.
There are many sports benefits to those who practice it. In the case of children, it favors the learning of skills, such as discipline, confidence and leadership, for example. In addition, it teaches fundamental principles such as tolerance, cooperation and respect. As well as showing the value of effort and how to deal with victory and defeat.
In addition, there are several sports benefits for physical and mental health. According to experts, physical activity is one of the best forms of preventive medicine, and can drastically reduce health and medication expenses.
From the body’s point of view, the practice of sport improves well-being, increases life expectancy and reduces the risk of developing various diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular problems, depression and even concentration disorders.
Sport also educates people about their own bodies, increasing the level of awareness and respect for themselves and others, promoting healthy living and preventing infectious diseases such as STIs and even covid-19.
Physically active people also tend to improve their diet, consume less alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. In other words, sport is an effective method of preventing diseases triggered by these habits.
In education, sport helps in the development of logical reasoning, due to the rapid decision-making and definition of strategies. In this way, children and adolescents who play sports find it easier to assimilate the content of the school, providing better learning.
Likewise, the practice of outdoor sports increases awareness and respect for the environment, teaching people about the importance of a clean, healthy and preserved landscape
Therefore, the UN considers sport as fundamental for the development of a child. In addition to teaching values such as cooperation and respect, it improves health, reduces the likelihood of illness and is an economic force that generates employment and contributes to local development. In addition, it brings together individuals and communities, serving as a bridge across cultural and ethnic differences.
By encouraging the practice of sports, social integration and tolerance are also promoted, helping to reduce tension and generate dialogue. Furthermore, the organizing and meeting power of sport makes it a very effective tool for communication, awareness and conflict resolution.
Thus, many of the values inherent in sport are also the principles necessary for individual and collective development and for peace. This is the case of fair play, cooperation, sharing and respect, for example.
Sport is also a healthy alternative for leisure, reducing the chances of involvement with drugs or crime and the perpetuation of violence. At the same time, sport helps to improve employability, especially among young people. This is because it is a way of teaching important skills for working life, such as teamwork, leadership, discipline and the value of effort.
Furthermore, practice is a key component of social life, directly involving communities. This is because it brings people together in a fun and participatory way.
That is, these skills that are learned through sport help to empower individuals, leading to an increase in psycho-social well-being, self-esteem and relationships with other people.
These benefits of sport reach people of all ages, but they are even more important in the healthy development of children.
Sport provides young people with a space of their own, both physically and emotionally, which is especially important for girls. Through sport, these children and adolescents have the chance to be leaders and improve their self-confidence and self-esteem. When girls start playing sports, they also gain new interpersonal relationships and access to new opportunities, allowing them to become more involved in school and community life.
Construindo o Futuro Project is developed by Ramacrisna Institute, sponsored by Petrobras. The activities are free and carried out in the Imbiruçu, Colônia Santa Isabel and Petrovale neighborhoods, neighboring REGAP, in Betim-MG.
In all, the project will directly benefit 3,240 people and another 16,200 indirectly, including family members and participants in events and tournaments.
The objective of Construindo o Futuro is to promote professional qualification actions, workshops for integral promotion and human formation and sports, cultural and environmental awareness activities, aimed at children, young people and adults in situations of social vulnerability, aged between 3 and 40 years.
Thus, the activities work as a form of social inclusion and protagonism of the population, contributing to a socio-educational process that transforms the individual and society as a whole, in addition to promoting the sustainable development of the community where they are inserted.
Vocational courses have already been held. In this new stage of the project, the focus is on sports and cultural experiences. The target audience of the actions are children, adolescents and young people, primarily those who are behind in school – age/school year.
During sports practice, the recreational method is used, which promotes greater interaction between participants and, between them, with the instructor. This is because it aims at a playful approach to activities and provides students with pleasure, creativity, motivation, reducing the level of anxiety and stress, promoting better learning and interest in sport.
In total, there are eight sports activities:
The activities are divided into three cores. At the Petrovale nucleus, there are places for field soccer, futsal and volleyball, with children and young people aged between 6 and 17 being able to participate. At Núcleo Colônia Santa Isabel, activities will be basketball, futsal, ballet and zumba, also aimed at children from 6 to 17 years old.
To participate, you must register in person or by phone: 3596-3588 (Petrovale) and 3531-5585 (Colônia Santa Isabel).
At Núcleo Imbiruçu, activities take place at Sebastiana Diniz Mattos Cardoso and Abílio Gomes da Costa municipal schools and are exclusive to students from these institutions.
To ask questions about the project or to encourage the sporting life of children and adolescents in social vulnerability, contact us.
