Play day in Mariposa Cancha

June 2nd, the kids of the Valpo Surf Project flooded the sports court in Cerro Mariposa to enjoy an afternoon of skateboarding, soccer and hanging out. The VSP works in five different neighborhoods and although the kids share surf days, we wanted to created another space to encourage more connections between them.

All of the neighborhoods that we work in are distinct and all bring something very unique to the program. To be able to connect kids from different areas of Valparaíso is something that we value as an important mentorship aspect. Not only can our students learn from us as mentors, but there is a lot that they can learn from each other.

The sense of pride in where our students are from is strong. As is the case wherever you are in the world, the competitive nature of kids can sometimes cause rivalries. Don’t we all remember being 12-years old and having a rivalry against a neighboring town? For these kids, being connected through the Valpo Surf Project is a very special thing. They share experiences during surfing, environmental programming, and other activities allowing them to make friends from other parts of the city. During the activity on Tuesday, we saw one of our students, Benjamin, 10 years old from Cerro Mariposa, stick his hand out and introduce himself to several boys from Montedónico, totally unprompted. That type of initiative and maturity is something that we try to cultivate in our students, and are really proud of.

At the end of the day, kids are kids, no matter where they come from. There is nothing quite like a big dirt field, a couple soccer balls and skateboards to bring kids together!

Check out some photos below from the afternoon!