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On February 3, 2025, a crossover between two PLAY International programs took place: Academies Program x Ecole Active. Thanks to the coordination of the PLAY Senegal and France teams, an intercultural meeting was held between young Moroccans and French people in Paris.
The Lead MOROCCO Academy: a place of learning and leadership
Launched in September 2022 and funded by AFD, the Academies Program supports several inclusive sports academies across Africa. Among these, Lead Morocco benefits from capacity-building support from the PLAY International and Diambars teams in Senegal.
This academy helps girls and boys aged 6 to 18 develop life skills through soccer in El Mansouria, Morocco. It aims to help them become leaders in their lives and communities through the social, cultural, sports, and educational projects it develops.
During a follow-up mission in January, the Academies Program team was informed of plans for a cultural trip to France for a group of 12 children. After waiting more than five months following the submission of visa applications, the children and their supervisors finally saw their hopes come true. The purpose of this trip was to enable the children to enjoy a collective and individual experience abroad in order to promote cultural discovery and openness through immersion in the culture, language, and encounters with local people.
Intercultural encounter at Maurice Utrillo Middle School
During discussions with PLAY International teams in the field and at headquarters, the possibility emerged of creating opportunities for young academics to meet young French people.
The PLAY France office received positive feedback from the Maurice Utrillo middle school in Paris's 18th arrondissement, with which PLAY has already worked. An initial meeting was arranged between Lead Morocco supervisors and the school, not only to organize the event but also to ensure that it would be as beneficial as possible for the young people involved.
The young people chosen to meet with their Moroccan counterparts are ambassadors for a sports education program called “The Power of the Games,” which is part of the legacy of the Paris Games leading up to Los Angeles 2028. The program is initially being developed at Maurice Utrillo Middle School and aims to expand to the educational community in the coming years. The goal of this program is to enable these young people to become informed citizens and “leaders of tomorrow” through various activities, projects, and meetings.
Social and sporting activities to promote cohesion
It was under the Parisian sun on Monday, February 3, 2025, that the young people from the LEAD Morocco academy and their chaperones were welcomed by Mr. Gobin, the school principal, and by Ms. Sarfati and Mr. Ouspensky, leaders of the Power of the Games program, to introduce the details of this meeting.
True to its mission and core business, PLAY International invited the young people to take some time on the field to organize two cooperative games sessions to facilitate and encourage cohesion between these two groups from different countries and backgrounds.
Exchange and sharing of experiences
These two social and sporting activities were designed to promote cooperation, mutual support, and communication between the different members of the two mixed teams. After a warm-up led by the school's physical education teacher, the three-part sessions were launched by the PLAY International teams to help build relationships and lay the foundations for future exchanges between the young people. To conclude this friendly sporting event, a session was also offered and led by the LEAD Morocco coach for the young people, based on a silent soccer game, to encourage them to think about non-verbal communication. Back in the classroom, the young people took the time to introduce themselves and share the objectives of the projects they are implementing during the school year and beyond. These included the legacy of the Games until the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles for the French young people, and the development of a project responding to the community needs of the young people of LEAD Morocco. These exchanges provided an opportunity for a question and answer session between the young people from Maurice Utrillo Middle School and those from LEAD Morocco.
Discovering interculturality, others, and therefore oneself, are the reasons behind these encounters, which help these young people grow, wherever they come from, and make them aware of the world around them and the bridges that unite them... Whether they come from France or Morocco, these young people are the future, the leaders of tomorrow. It is up to us, educators, trainers, and coaches, to guide them along this path with pedagogy.
