O judô é uma das atividades esportivas oferecidas gratuitamente pelo Instituto Ramacrisna, integrando esporte, educação e cidadania. Desde sua criação em 2018, o projeto visa promover o desenvolvimento físico, emocional e social de crianças e adolescentes em situação de vulnerabilidade. Para isso, utiliza os valores do esporte como ferramenta de transformação.
Classes are aimed at students from the Ramacrisna Educational Support Center (CAER), benefiting children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 17 who live in Betim (MG). Since its inception, the project has been led by sensei Caliton Silva Santos and adopts a methodology that respects the particularities of each age group.
Classes are organized according to the age and technical level of the students. The approach combines technique, discipline, and recreational activities. In the early years, students develop skills such as motor coordination, logical reasoning, and group interaction. As they progress, the focus shifts to training in the fundamentals of judo, physical fitness, mutual respect, and self-control.
The project is supported by important partnerships, which ensure its continuity and expansion. The actions are made possible through the Federal Sports Incentive Law, with important partnerships with Vale, WEG, and Rede Itaú. These collaborations have enabled the implementation of the Tatame Cidadão (Citizen Tatami) project (2023-2024) and its renewal for the period 2025-2026, in addition to the VALE Project – Win, Believe, Fight, Engage (2024-2026).
More than just teaching throwing and immobilization techniques, judo is worked on as a philosophy of life. Values such as empathy, resilience, overcoming challenges, and self-control are cultivated in each training session, promoting the integral development of the young people served.
Since its inception, the Ramacrisna Institute’s judo project has excelled in local, state, and national competitions. Students have won more than 90 medals, including gold, silver, and bronze, in tournaments of great importance in the sports scene.
The team actively participates in the Minas Gerais School Games (JEMG), where several Ramacrisna athletes have been state champions. In 2024, the Institute celebrated an important milestone: its first medals in the national stage of the Brazilian School Games (JEBs), held in Recife. Among the highlights are judokas Ray Lucas Matos de Araújo, Isabela Rodrigues Pereira, and Nicoly dos Santos Pereira, who won medals at the national level.
In addition, the athletes are constantly on the podiums of the Brazilian Judo Confederation (CBJ), ranking among the top ten in the country. The project has also opened doors to programs such as Bolsa Atleta. Currently, two students from the Institute are benefiting from this program—one with a federal scholarship and the other with a state scholarship—demonstrating the talent and dedication of young people who started in the sport through the social project.
These results are the fruit of the students’ efforts, the technical quality of the training, and the support of families, partners, and professionals involved. Each achievement symbolizes a journey of effort and overcoming obstacles, reinforcing the transformative role of judo.
