Youth sides step up education work during camp at Granja Comary | OneFootball

Eliane Paim leads the projectCredits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

The routine of Brazil’s Under-15 and Under-17 national teams at Granja Comary, in Teresópolis (RJ), is not limited to training sessions and matches. During the current call-up, the players are also taking part in an educational program that combines academic support and activities focused on citizenship development. The work is led by educator Eliane Paim.

CBF’s Educational Support Project for Youth Categories was resumed in 2026 with the goal of ensuring that the call-up period can be balanced with the athletes’ school life. Developed in partnership with the players’ clubs, the initiative includes individual monitoring and group meetings on topics related to youth development.

Last Sunday (16), the Under-17 team took part in an activity dedicated to combating racism. After watching a report from Esporte Espetacular, on TV Globo, the players were invited to analyze situations of prejudice in football and discuss the consequences for those who suffer discrimination, as well as the responsibility of the other members of the team.

The activity was divided into groups, which analyzed different aspects of the problem. The athletes discussed the abuse presented, the impact on players’ performance and emotional state, the attitude of teammates and referees, as well as the rules and possible measures in the event of a racist incident.

Afterward, the points raised were brought into a group discussion. The idea was to place the players themselves at the center of the conversation and make them think about how they would react if a similar situation happened during a match.

Eliane Paim during the talk with the athletesCredits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

For Eliane Paim, the main goal is to make sure young people do not see themselves merely as spectators in the face of a situation of prejudice.

“They also need to feel responsible for what happens, and not just like spectators. So they also need to take action. I’m not doing it, I’m not the one suffering the offense. But that doesn’t mean they should stay silent or keep their distance. On the contrary,” she said.

The educator also drew attention to a type of behavior that can appear in sports environments: treating an offense as a simple joke.

“I think this often falls into that dangerous context of thinking it’s just a joke. ‘I’m joking, he’s laughing.’ But the fact that a teammate is laughing doesn’t mean he likes it. And even if he laughs along, if what you said was inappropriate, then it’s not acceptable,” she pointed out.

The discussion also included a writing exercise. The athletes were invited to answer the question: “How can information and team unity be the best plays against racism?” The activity works on argumentation skills and encourages reflection on empathy, ethics, and leadership.

Development beyond the pitch

Combating racism is just one of the topics addressed during call-up periods. The educational program also covers issues such as violence against women, social media, and bullying.

For Eliane, the idea is to contribute to a type of development that goes beyond sporting performance.

“Our focus, in this sense, is development for life. That he may be not only an athlete of excellence, in technical terms, but also a citizen. A citizen for life, for society,” she said.

Guilherme Dalla Déa, coach of the Under-15 national team, and Eliane PaimCredits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

The educator believes that a player’s development cannot be separated from personal development.

“There is no athlete on the pitch and person off the pitch. He is one person, both in terms of his personality and his development for life.”

The work also includes individual follow-up with the players. Through Eliane Paim’s contact with the educators and those responsible for the educational area at the clubs, information is gathered about each athlete’s school situation. This dialogue makes it possible to understand each player’s study routine, school commitments, and any specific needs, allowing this information to be taken into account during the call-up period at Granja Comary. Contact with the players’ home clubs is an important part of this process.

“I never do anything like this without first consulting the athletes’ home clubs, making a prior assessment of how they are doing, and whether there is any more delicate issue,” she stressed.

Program continues throughout the week

The anti-racism activity was one of the stages of this call-up’s educational program. The work continued on Tuesday night (18) with the meeting “Game Mind: Strategic Reasoning and Decision-Making Under Pressure,” aimed at the Under-17 athletes.

Program runs through FridayCredits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

The activity was designed to stimulate the players’ logical and strategic thinking, their ability to analyze situations, and decision-making under pressure. The proposal also connects these skills to game reading and the athletes’ leadership on and off the pitch.

The program continues through Friday (21), when new individual sessions are scheduled. The work includes educational monitoring, answering questions, checking school assignments, and academic reinforcement when necessary.

At the end of the call-up, Eliane Paim sends the home clubs a report with the content and activities developed during the period at Granja Comary. This measure allows the follow-up to continue after the athletes return to their clubs.

Between training sessions, meetings, and sporting commitments, time with the youth national teams also makes room for the players’ development as citizens. The idea is for that development to go hand in hand with preparation on the pitch.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.