(ANS – Rome) – In contexts marked by educational deprivation and youth vulnerability, sport has begun to tell a different story in recent months. With the “GOAL. Scoring in sport and in life” project, a 24-month initiative involving Salesian oratories and educational centres, the playing field is transformed into a space of opportunity, where young people are not merely participants but protagonists of their own development.
A network combining energy and expertise for young people
The project, funded by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies under the Fund for the financing of initiatives and projects of national importance (Article 72 of Legislative Decree No. 117/2017), is led by the Salesian Youth Sports Clubs (PGS) and is implemented thanks to a broad and qualified partnership: the national network of Salesians for social work, other social promotion associations such as the Cinecircoli Giovanili Socioculturali (CGS) and Turismo Giovanile e Sociale (TGS), together with ‘Life ASD’, Centro Accoglienza Empoli, “I Sogni di Don Bosco”, Sport in Mente ASD, the San Carlo multisport Oratory in Rho, and “Rimettere le Ali” APS.
An educational alliance that weaves together different stories, skills and voices, united by a single goal: to open up new paths for young people, where they often seem to be lacking.
Numbers that tell stories of opportunity
GOAL is involving over 400 young people aged between 12 and 19, 50 coaches and educators, and 19 sports and educational organisations, reaching around 3,000 people through events, promotional activities and community engagement initiatives.
Behind these numbers lie faces, energy and dreams taking shape once more. Sports activities, after-school clubs, film forums, mental coaching workshops, educational support and adult formation intertwine in a single pathway, capable of combating educational poverty, reducing inequalities and fostering well-being.
Something great is born from small gestures
Educational sport is built every day, through the simplest of gestures: a shared training session, a word spoken at the right moment, a ball passed from one teammate to another.
It is there, in that everyday life made up of relationships, that something profound happens: trust is born, a sense of belonging is built, and one learns to navigate the world. Sport thus ceases to be merely physical activity and becomes a life experience.
A project that leaves its mark on local communities
Thanks to the shared commitment of PGS and all the partner organisations, GOAL continues to generate skills, relationships and replicable educational models within local communities, strengthening the places involved as true hubs of community and inclusion.
A seed that grows, community by community, and which yields communities that are more vibrant, more attentive, and better able to care for one another.
Hitting the mark in sport and in life, every day
With GOAL, Salesians for Social, PGS and the project partners build spaces of trust and opportunity, where young people learn to look within themselves, to share and, together with others, to ‘hit the mark in sport and in life’.
Because hitting the mark in sport means, first and foremost, finding one’s own direction in life.
