Inter Campus visit Chiapas where time stands still

CHIAPAS - Close to Caracol di Morelia in the green mountains of Los Altos de Chiapas, Inter Campus paid its latest visit. It involved 310 students and 200 educators from the autonomous Zapatista schools for the indigenous community in the area. If every Inter Campus project has its own characteristics, the Chiapas one is particularly unique. For this visit, the delegation consists of 12 people. Four have come from Italy and eight are coaches from the Mexican Inter Campus centres at Queretaro, Silao and in the capital. They’ve come to the highlands not just to teach about the technical methodology and values applied to football, but also to experience something different away from the norm. Isolated from the western world without a phone network, there isn’t the possibility nor the need to communicate instantly. Thrown into the Chiapaneca culture, the days go by with no need to rush as they’re marked by the whistles of the Education Commissioners who gathers the educations and students in the centre of the camp. It was here just before our visit on 8th March when the ‘First International Gathering of Politics, Art, Sport, and Culture for Women in Struggle’ was held with thousands of women from across the world travelling for the event. This same pitch of sawdust and stone was the backdrop for the visit of Inter Campus. The first whistles brought everybody to the pitch at 7AM before the usual warm-up at 8. There is an intense hour of exercise to improve flexibility and co-ordination. From eight till nine, an organised queue builds up in the kitchen. We’re all handed a glass and plate before moving onto the pans with their rise and beans, chilli, tortillas and coffee. From 09:00 to 15:00, there are three training sessions that are only stopped for a Pozol break (a corn drink) at midday. The pitch is divided and our coaches Silvio Guareschi and Roberto Redaelli along with Technical Co-ordinator for Mexico Karl Gutierrez and Mexican Coaches Beto, Ruben, Robert, Adancito, Ivan, Ruben Ceylan and Roman prepare and manage the sessions, involving hundreds of children at the same time. It’s time to eat again between 15:00 and 16:00 with the same menu as in the morning. After, it’s time for free play with friendly matches that are refereed by the players themselves so that they learn respect and fair play. Football is played here with a sense of freedom, bravery, discipline and loyalty as they’re the principles of the Zapatistas themselves. Inter Campus has entered this situation in order to support the educational and sporting development of the new autonomous schools system. We thank the Zapatista leadership for allowing this project to take place but also all of our indigenous friends as we’ve built up a strong and wholesome bond over the past years and whenever we return from every trip it allows us to see the world from a fresh perspective.