Whindersson Nunes served as master of ceremonies for Favela Champions (Photos: Matheus Araújo and Rogério Brunelli)
Arena Carioca 1, in Rio's Olympic Park, hosted this Sunday (29) the first edition of Favela Champions, a boxing and martial arts competition for young community residents. Around 250 girls and boys aged 14 to 17 participated in the event organized by Luta Pela Paz. Ambassador of the project, the fighter, actor, comedian and influencer Whindersson Nunes He was present, was the master of ceremonies for the finals and handed out the medals to the athletes on the podium.
The fights took place in four disciplines: boxing, jiu-jitsu, sports wrestling and muay thai. In the morning, the qualifying phases took place and, in the afternoon, the category finals were played, full of emotion. Those present also enjoyed other attractions, such as a demonstration of judo techniques, inclusion of people with disabilities, a performance by a Maré dance group, as well as a kids area and a food court.
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Access to the event was charitable, with the donation of 1kg of non-perishable food. Donations will go to families of children and young people served by Luta pela Paz (LPP) in the Nova Holanda favela, in Maré.
“The proposal was to unite young people from different communities. Unfortunately, there is a very sharp division in society and Fight for Peace has always had this idea of unity, of peace, of having everyone together. And I think today we managed to achieve that a little. We bring together young people from different communities, all with positive energy, supporting their friends, their teammates. I believe that this first objective has been achieved. I already have several ideas for maybe organizing an even bigger event in the future. This Favela Champions was certainly the first of many. Having Whindersson here was very important, as were all the supporters, sponsors and these fantastic people from Maré who came here to support as they always do. It was a very beautiful event”, said the founder of Fight for Peace, anthropologist and former English boxer Luke Dowdney.
Favela Champions brought together around 250 girls and boys (Photos: Matheus Araújo and Rogério Brunelli)
“I really enjoyed having this opportunity to fight in the Favela Champions. I'm very happy with my performance and now I'm going to keep training to come back even better. It was an unforgettable day for me”, said Matheus Maceió, a 16-year-old athlete attended by Maré Unida and silver medalist in jiu-jitsu at Favela Champions.
Favela Champions is an action of the Maré Unida project, which aims to contribute to the development of the potential of children, adolescents and young people in Maré through sport and education. The project also promotes the qualification of the practices of socio-sport educators and organizations operating in Rio de Janeiro, using sport as a tool for human development. Maré Unida, like Favela Champions, is carried out by Luta pela Paz with the sponsorship of Petrobras, through the Petrobras Socio-Environmental Program, through the State Sports Incentive Law of Rio de Janeiro and official media Band and Band News FM.
“Experiencing this event is a great emotion. I was a young person helped by Fight for Peace and today I am here, being one of the creators of all this, being able to give back and take to the young people of today some of what I received. I discovered Fight for Peace when I was 14, there in Maré. And boxing changed my life. Now it's other boys' turn to have their chance. May they be able to occupy this place of protagonism, a place that few people from communities can access”, declared Roberto Custódio, Luta Pela Paz sports coordinator.
About the Fight for Peace
Fight for Peace works in communities affected by social inequality and violence, enabling young people to develop, reach the best of their potential and build a more inclusive society. Founded and headquartered in Complexo da Maré, in Rio de Janeiro, the entity is present in 25 countries through its academies and the alliance of partners trained with the methodology created by the organization. In 2022 alone, more than two thousand children, teenagers and young people participated in our programs.
It has been operating for 23 years, surpassing the mark of 250 people positively impacted around the world. Multi-awarded on the international stage, Fight for Peace trains athletes and professionals from different areas of sport, such as coaches and managers, boosting the national sporting ecosystem.
In the communities where Fight for Peace works, many young people do not have access to basic rights and face several barriers to their development, in addition to high levels of violence that also affect them disproportionately. Recognizing young people as agents of change, the organization faces these challenges through three strategic axes: supporting young people directly through academies, forming an alliance of partner organizations and educators trained in its own methodology, and with political influence through action in collectives and networks that aim to contribute to the defense of rights and the improvement of public policies.
In “Academies”, the organization directly supports young people to develop their potential through integrated programs based on the Five Pillars methodology: Boxing and Martial Arts, Education, Employability, Social Support and Youth Leadership. At “Aliança”, he works to share knowledge and support community organizations and physical educators around the world to strengthen programs aimed at young people. And in “Coletivos”, it uses a collective impact methodology seeking to integrate local actors, government and organizations to support young people in their development.
Fight for Peace operates globally supporting young people through Academies in Rio de Janeiro and London, the Alliance with trained partners present in more than 25 countries and in communities through Collectives, where it works with the elaboration and implementation of collaborative solutions for the development of young people and violence prevention.
In 2021, Fight for Peace expanded its activities in Brazil, reaching new territories in the Southeast, Northeast and North regions. Through partnerships with city halls, state governments, public and private companies, it developed projects in Greater Vitória (ES); Recife PE); Fortaleza and Sobral (CE); Canaã dos Carajás and Parauapebas (PA), in addition to continuing the work carried out in São Paulo and Guarulhos (SP) since 2021.
Still in 2022, the Aliança axis extended the training work to the community of Portuguese-speaking countries, starting with Cape Verde. Working for youth leadership and in connection with local leaders, public and private actors, Fight for Peace has shown that it is possible to reach joint solutions to prevent violence in different regions of the world.
This is ongoing work and anyone can contribute to the work carried out by the institution. Donations can be made through the website strugglepelapaz.org.
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