Perhaps you have heard of a school where sports strengthen bonds. That place is Escuela 276 Maestro Carlos Chassale. It stands in the Tres Ombúes neighborhood of Montevideo. This school was chosen to launch Proyecto Moña.
Proyecto Moña is part of the program Pelota al Medio a la Esperanza y Primaria. It is an initiative in twenty schools in the capital. These schools offer social and sports integration days. The goal is to promote values. These values strengthen bonds between children.
Moña comes from an agreement. Pelota al Medio a la Esperanza partners with the Council of Initial and Primary Education. They work twice a week in twenty full-time or extended-time schools. Sports serve as a reason to work with children. They promote coexistence and prevent violence.
Irupé Buzzetti is the Director of Primary Education. She highlighted the success of Pelota al Medio. It challenges the idea that sports are aggressive. She said sports should be enjoyed. When children say this themselves it is very important. She believes such programs help teachers with other activities.
Pelota al Medio a la Esperanza has worked with teens since 2010. They started working in schools in 2016. This began in the Malvín Norte neighborhood of Montevideo.
The Moña team is interdisciplinary. It includes fifteen professionals. Many have worked with Pelota al Medio a la Esperanza.
Escuela 276 bears the name of Carlos Chassale. He was a communist teacher. A book tells of his life and activism. It shares stories from his fellow activists. Chassale was kidnapped and tortured during Uruguay’s dictatorship. He was released seriously ill. He went into exile in Cuba. There he testified about the crimes he suffered. He also spoke of what he witnessed.
The book about him is titled “Un maestro comunista en La Teja”. It was published in 2020. Sitios de Memoria – Uruguay published it. It has 182 pages. The book is available in PDF, TXT, EPUB, MOBI and DAISY formats.