Inter Campus, A Story of Integration

B. is a cheerful girl in her early twenties, she has always lived in East Jerusalem where she studied and now where she works. She loves football so much that a few years ago she joined Inter Campus as a coach, to give the chance to play and grow to several boys and girls whose destiny is often marked by stereotypes and prejudices. The main problem in these places is the lack of ethnic and religious integration which at times makes it difficult to establish a dialogue, one of the main objectives of the Nerazzurri project which has been recently strengthened by joining the European campaign Show Racism The Red Card

“In the first two years, the relationship was very complicated. The children did not want to talk to each other, they did not want to be together. First of all, they speak different languages. The Jewish people know no Arabic at all. Arab children, on the other hand, know a little Hebrew, but not enough to sustain a conversation. The first two years were difficult, but then things got better and I'm happy about that. The boys now play together and even argue with each other! They say, "I want that Jewish boy on my team." They want to be on the same team. Things are getting better”.

B. told us about her experience and shared some anecdotes, emphasising the important role that time plays in terms of awareness and knowledge. Sometimes society itself has a negative influence and doing sports is not always an easy thing for a girl.

“As for the girls... First of all, I am Arab, so I have encountered several problems, and I don’t want girls to have to face what I have faced. I know it's going to be very difficult for them... The club does not like Arab girls playing football, because football is said to be a sport for men. I don't believe in these things and I try my best to create my own team. I work with young girls aged between six and twelve, and I see that they're having fun, so why can't we play football? It's a sport for everyone. Everybody loves football. everybody! Girls are also entitled to play, and this is one of the goals of Inter Campus”.