‘More Than Winners’: project helps transform young people’s lives through sport

Manaus is full of talented and sporty people, and many of them are just waiting for an opportunity to put their skills into practice or even to develop them. Many are unable to pay for lessons or private teachers to practice some sport, and it was with this intention that social projects were born so that sport is accessible to everyone.

One of the social projects that help promote sport, especially wrestling and jiu-jitsu, in the city is the ‘Projeto Mais que Vencedores’, by professors Rubenita Gonçalves and Charlie Falcony. The project aims to take children and teenagers off the streets and make them good citizens, both in sports and professional life.

For master and teacher Charlie, the idea of ​​the project is to improve the lives of children and teenagers and who knows how to present the new success of the sport. In addition, it aims to strengthen the practice of physical exercise in the lives of these people.

“This is a project that has been going on for five years and now we are bringing it to the São Jorge neighborhood. The people who attend are master-teachers who donate a little of their time to teach them, children and young people who can have their lives transformed by sport”, he explained.

Project

The project was created in 2018 and is carried out in two neighborhoods of the city, Parque Residencial Manaus Prosamim, in the Center, and Rua Brasil, in the São Jorge neighborhood, West Zone of the capital. For the teacher and founder of the project, Rubenita Gonçalves, what started small gradually turns into a great hope for the future of young people.

“’More than winners’ started with the simple objective, which was to get young people off the street and introduce the sport, and now I see a lot of potential in the youth who practice here with me. My goal now is to make them world champions,” he said.

The master also reported that it is a completely voluntary project and that all help is welcome, what you cannot do is let the project be forgotten or end.

“The population can help us however they want, with equipment, with publicity, in a way that helps us not to let the project die. I hope that this project is well highlighted every day and I keep looking for new athletes, I want them to be recognized worldwide, I know it’s difficult but I’ll only settle down when I make them World Champions”, concluded the master.

Today the project serves 70 students, between men and women, and one of these young people is Lucas Soares, 18 years old, who has been participating in the project since 2020. Lucas reports that sport has improved his life and helped with his behavior, in addition to make you a healthier person.

“The Project changed my life completely. Before entering the sport I was an undisciplined and troubled boy, a boy far from healthy physically and mentally, but after Luta Livre my life changed. I started to evolve as a person, to take better care of my body, which is the main work tool for athletes, I gained more self-esteem and thanks to my masters and training friends I was able to go to Rio de Janeiro where I was runner-up Brazilian, after all that I started to see life in a different way”, explained the athlete.

The young man intends to continue in the sport and sees it as an alternative to improve his family’s life. The social project turned Lucas’ life around and made him realize that he has the potential and capacity to be a great athlete.

“Today I want to continue building my career in sport to provide a future for my family and those who are part of my life. I’m an Amazonense champion, Brazilian vice-champion and multi-champion in FASUB (Federação Amazonense de Luta Livre) events, all of this coming from a social project where reality is very different from cutting-edge academies. This turning point in my life was only possible thanks to my Master Rubenita Gonçalves who opened the doors of the project and welcomed me like a son, and other masters who gave me the opportunity. These people believed in me from the beginning and helped me to be the athlete I am today”, emphasized Lucas.

Another young man assisted by the project is Igor Rafael, who has been attending the project for three years, but has been training jiu-jitsu since he was 6. He reports that throughout his 18 years he has won several titles, always with great difficulty, but with the support of friends and masters. managed to achieve great things in his sporting life.

“Over time, I was able to win several titles, such as the Brazilian jiu-jitsu title in São Paulo, even discredited by many, I had the willpower to make feijoadas, raffles and I managed to reach my goal, which was São Paulo. And not only getting to São Paulo but also getting to the highest place on the podium, my dream remains firm and every day that passes it grows”, said the fighter.

At the age of 17, he was the victim of a robbery, where he ended up being made a human shield and was shot, which left him 9 months without training. He says that with the help of the project he was able to overcome the trauma of the robbery and intends to keep going strong in this sport.

“The project is very important to me because it helped me overcome the fear and trauma of this accident. The master never gave up on me, even though she was far away, she always sent me messages of support and asked me to come back because I had a future, and above all, she always trusted in my potential with my eyes closed. I intend to remain firm and focused for each day that goes by I gain my space in the fight, my next championship is the Brazil wrestling cup, which, as in all championships, I will seek victory”, concluded the fighter.

If you are interested in participating or knowing more about the More than Winners project, it takes place at the Associação dos Moradores do Prosamim Parque Residencial Manaus, Avenida Igarapé de Manaus, in Parque Residencial Manaus Prosamim, Bairro Centro, from Monday to Friday with classes at 3 pm and at 6 pm. And in the neighborhood of São Jorge, Rua Brasil from Monday to Friday from 5 pm to 6:50 pm and from 7 pm to 9 pm.

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