Letting My Emotions Go
Camila, Mexico
Proyecto Cantera is an NGO based in Mexico City where values, life skills and healthy behaviours are promoted and developed through football in collaboration with homes, schools, and community centres. Founded in 2008, the organisation works with girls, boys, adolescents and young people between ages 4-23 living in vulnerable conditions in Mexico, with a focus on development, respect, social inclusion, and gender equality. Camila has been part of the Proyecto Cantera programme since 2016 and is a regular participant at the AFEECI community centre in the neighbourhood of Tacubaya in Mexico City.
My name is Camila and I am 16 years old. I am from Mexico City, and I have been participating in the youth project with Proyecto Cantera for approximately six years. I used to be quiet and reserved with my teammates, but now my confidence is improving. I have improved in my training and my skills too.
What did you try to capture with the photos? Was there a wider meaning?
The photos were taken at our training sessions in Alameda Tacubaya, a small park in Tacubaya. It is just two blocks away from the AFEECI community centre, where parents can leave their children to be taken care of while they work in the streets as vendors.
We all walk together to training. There is no contract, just a verbal agreement with a family member of a participant who used to work as a security guard in the park. I showed my teammates and coaches.
I admit that at first it was very difficult for me to integrate with my teammates as I had less confidence in myself, but thanks to my teammates, coaches and teachers, I was able to integrate more with them. I tried to capture the team spirit that we have. I wanted to show that we are a united team despite any mistakes we made in the past and present.
What are the benefits for women and girls who play sports in your community and in Mexico?
Playing sports can help women to have a better physical condition, and they can enjoy time with their family, colleagues and friends.
What impact has the Proyecto Cantera program had on you and your community?
Proyecto Cantera has helped me become a better communicator with my colleagues and family. It has helped me overcome fears and nervousness, and improved my concentration.
When we play we want our teams to win, but we also need to have better communication with teammates. If this does not happen, how are we going to know what the rest of the team wants? Otherwise the only thing that we achieve is a rivalry with ourselves. If we support each other we can have a better result and we can have more confidence in our team and in ourselves.
What does football mean to you?
Football is a way of expressing my feelings and being able to build my communication skills with my teammates. I enjoy being part of a team and working together.
The role that I play in my team is defender or goalkeeper. I support my teammates on and off the field. In defence I help my team and if any of my teammates have a bad day, I will be here to help them and support them. Football is a sport in which you can let your emotions go. Even if you are having a bad moment, you can express it with the game. It helps people to de-stress.
What do you think the future looks like for sports in your community and country? How would you improve gender equality?
I think that football can help us improve equality as we all have to work together when playing. It improves our communication skills and we can talk more openly about problems we face in wider society.
