In 2016, the Olympics came to Rio, forever leaving a legacy through the #VolleyballYourWay campaign that began at the Rio Games.
VolleyballYourWay is a campaign that is set to help kids get off the streets or become more active through sports, particularly volleyball. The main goal of the project, according to Mineiro a volleyball instructor for the program, is to provide social inclusion through volleyball.
The project is set to last for at least three years which has sparked much interest in the local youth that has never seen a project like this come their way. In Morro da Formiga, which is a small Brazilian village of 5,000 people, there was a total of 60 children that attended the VolleyallYourWay program.
At Leme Beach, one of the sites for Olympic beach volleyball during the games, the campaign built mini courts for the youth to play on. This being a great way to teach the children in the community the basics and fundamentals of the game. The site hosts the area of Chapeu Mangueira and Babilonia, a location with a population of 6,000 people. This program is giving children a break from the virtual world of computers and screens, while also providing opportunities that these children’s parents never had at their age.
The VolleyballYourWay program extended to the FIVB event that took place in Rio de Janeiro just a month ago. The children in the program were able to go into the stadium to watch the event live at Olympic Park. In addition, they were able to meet the athletes that participated in the event.
VolleyballYourWay is hoping to give these kids more confidence in themselves, as well as give them hope that there will be a better tomorrow.
Rio Olympian Marleen van Iersel, remembers seeing the project at the Olympics last year and was excited to see that the campaign has continued since then.
With the VolleyballYourWay project, it helps to keep the legacy of the Rio Olympics alive, growing it stronger as more youths in the communities throughout Brazil take advantage of the program.
Leave a Reply