Practical solutions in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES – The technical and pedagogic training continues for the local staff at Inter Campus Argentina in Buenos Aires, which has been run in conjunction with the Pupi Foundation for 14 years.

The main topic of the recent coaching clinics, led by Gabrielle Raspelli and Davide Lubes, was how to organise training in order to help the children's development at a key age. The course is mainly practical and puts the local coaches in the youngsters' shoes, showing them that the drills don't only focus on the motor side of things but also incorporate cognitive, social and emotional elements. All together, this contributes to the all-round development of their personalities.

The children at the Pupi Foundation definitely come from the school of hard knocks, having grown up among poverty, drugs and violence in Remedios de Escalada on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. You can see this in their behaviour and sometimes training sessions are marked by outbursts of agitation, anger or hyperactivity because of a need to release some tension or receive some attention.

Nevertheless, using the right tools you can get over any difficulty. Some particularly effective approaches here were laying down certain rules to combine enjoyment with discipline, setting specific educational and technical objectives in every training session, putting on high-intensity drills to prevent lapses in concentration and making sure all the coaches and educators are sensitive and capable of showing affection. Luckily, the girls and boys do not find this last quality in short supply with the Pupi Foundation and Inter Campus.