MY STORY
Disney
Disney is from an indigenous community called Chijurephan, that was displaced due to armed conflict. Her community is facing many challenges in terms of housing, food, and employment but despite these harsh living conditions Disney wanted the kids in her community to have some fun, so she became a coach.
QUICK FACTS
In Disney’s community, the girls and boys often face being recruited by the armed groups. Through football Disney helps the children to escape the harsh reality of everyday life and offers them activities in which they can learn, have fun and stay away from harm. In the beginning, she was doing the coaching on her own, not exactly knowing how to. However, the Young Coach Education has given her the knowledge and resources she needs to create educational and fun activities in her community.
Disney
Project: Young Coach Education Colombia II (Jul – Oct 2022 )
Parent Organization: Organización Indígena del Chocó
Born: 2001
Nationality: Colombia
MY STORY
“My name is Disney, I come from an indigenous community called Chijurephan – in English it means ‘a place by the rivers’. When I was little, armed groups drove us out of our homeland, so we became internally displaced and had to look for shelters. But in this community, since we are indigenous, we have a way to survive around each other.
I saw the kids, suffering from the harsh living conditions. Through football I started to help them to learn and have fun. So, I take little sticks and the kids dribble around them because we don’t have equipment like cones. When they play, they feel better.
In the beginning of my activities, I did not get much support from my community, because I am a woman. They say ‘What are you doing playing football if you are a woman? You should be doing something else like cleaning the house or taking care of the kids. That’s for men, playing football’. I reply, ‘it’s my life, it’s my will, and I will do whatever I want with my life and my time’. Despite the negative reactions of my community, what keeps me motivated to continue coaching is to keep the kids away from the armed groups since they often also recruit the girls and boys. So, I try to keep them part of something else.
My dream is to go to university and to study physical education to gain more knowledge about how to coach children. I was once enrolled but unfortunately, I didn’t have the resources to continue. However, the Young Coach Education has given me a lot of knowledge and resources to continue coaching. Now, I also get more recognition from my community and was already able to recruit five more coaches.
When I was selected to take part in the education, it caught me by complete surprise. I was doing the coaching activities on my own, not knowing exactly how to. When I received the call and heard I was selected I was like ‘oh my god, I was waiting for something like this!’ This course has empowered me to do it even better and that I have more to go on. Especially working with people from other cultures helps me to become a better leader, not only for the community that I am with but all the communities that are surrounding me.”
GALLERY DISNEY
Young Coaches
Our Young Coaches are community leaders and role models in less privileged societies. They commit themselves to support the children of their communities by conveying important social topics (conflict resolution, inclusion, HIV prevention, etc.) through football. Each of the Young Coaches represents a unique personal story.
