One of my great joys is to start working with a group and realize that it is composed of young people of different nationalities. Long live diversity!

Cultural differences should be an opportunity to evolve and progress in many ways. Being able to broaden our knowledge means accepting other points of view, understanding them and reflecting on them. The cultural richness, which is created when very different cultures mix, is enormous. We have seen it throughout history.

My sports career has allowed me to share countless experiences with teammates from all over the world. I was able to learn about topics as diverse as: culture, gastronomy, politics, religion, equality, economy or education. Diversity was always an advantage in the teams I played for and I think those years marked our personality in a positive way by making us more open-minded.

 

BM Ciudad Real with 11 different nationalities in the season 2004/05

BM Ciudad Real with 11 different nationalities in the season 2004/05

 

Rhein Neckar Löwen with 11 different nationalities in the season 2009/10

Rhein Neckar Löwen with 11 different nationalities in the season 2009/10

 

New York City Handball Club with 13 different nationalities in the IHF Super Globe 2019

New York City Handball Club with 13 different nationalities in the IHF Super Globe 2019

 

The differences between emotional and intellectual features are already plausible in a class of 30 students. Knowing how to manage these differences with a neutral approach, where these traits are respected and the minds of young people are broadened, will mark how they face situations where they have to make difficult decisions to solve problems. Here we will see if what moves them is the most patriotic feeling or if on the contrary, they are moved by common sense. We must be proud of where we come from, always. We must not forget our roots or our traditions, but we must understand that in the same way, there are other cultures that think the same way. In order not to close ourselves off from our own culture, we must accept, respect, find ways to live together and help each other.

At Share & Play we have already started the new season in Germany and we have a new group of young people with whom we work every week. The diversity we are facing is enormous: 32 children, more than 10 different nationalities, some of them don’t speak German language yet, only 10% of them practice some sport, lack of physical condition, lack of teamwork habit, cultural differences, etc.

In short, they are like a blank sheet of paper. The direction they take now will depend partly on factors such as: their ability to adapt, the interest they show in the process, collaboration and above all solidarity. These factors will mark out a path which may end up in very different destinations.

When we are a certain age, we need to unlearn in order to learn new concepts, we have to erase from our memory information or beliefs that have become obsolete and prevent us from evolving. With young people this is not the case, they are at such an important stage of development that we can begin to build a solid foundation that will allow them to grow and adapt to any environment or culture.

This is above all the responsibility of the parents, but external help is not bad, especially if it is neutral, if it is supported by scientific studies and if it is carried out by professionals from the world of sport who can help children see cultural differences as magical tools that allow them to have valuable opinions and approaches.

In these moments of uncertainty, where nobody knows the way we will live in 10 years, if we will have to face more political crises, more humanitarian crises or continue to face global pandemics, we must remember something: it is in our hands to understand each other and help each other. Let us value the diversity of our friends and teammates so that when we grow up, we will enjoy a global vision that allows us to work together naturally thanks to our principles and skills.

 

Difference is the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth, and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace: respect for diversity.

 

        ― John Hume

What have we done today to help others? We find ourselves in turbulent times where we see how society seems to break down at times.

We see what is happening around us and we are saddened to see people suffer, it happens to all of us, or at least that is what I hope. We are a small organization, but with a voice; we shed a little light, but it shines.

Today more than ever we believe in our principles of respect and equality, making the youngest people see that they are the ones who will make the decisions in the future. What they learn today, how they relate to each other, the critical capacity they develop and the level of empathy they acquire will be some of the foundations on which they form their person. Learning has to be a pleasant, motivating and sometimes hard process, but we have to know how to enjoy it and understand it as a challenge, an adventure that will make us evolve and grow.

There are areas that can help us to develop in an integral way, making us feel free in some moments and sharing experiences with others. I mean when we take out our inner self and free ourselves, we decompress from the problems, tensions or stress that we may have. Yes, I mean SPORT. I am referring to the opportunities that sport offers us to free ourselves and to learn, to build relationships, to communicate better, to respect, to laugh and cry, to understand that the important thing is the process. Those of you who practice sport will know what I mean, those of you who practice team sports will have experienced these sensations and those of you who have children will imagine that you would like them to grow up in a healthy, participative and social environment such as a sports environment. Also stimulating, challenging and demanding; like LIFE. Let’s learn to transmit the right values to the youngest ones so that they can face their future in the best possible way. Don’t turn off your younger spirit, never stop playing.

The gesture of donating a portion of one’s salary to an NGO goes far beyond helping the organization financially to carry out its purpose. Without a doubt, this contribution is vital to continue helping and improving the world in which we live, which is the main objective and that should be the motivation that moves us to undertake this path of solidarity.

The intrinsic motivation will probably be the one that makes us take that decision to help and to put our grain of sand to improve something in which we believe. This type of motivation emerges from within us and has an enormous power, which can even help us to know ourselves better as people or as an organization.

What better than that inner voice that tells us what causes are important to us, what things deserve our attention, and what we can do to make the world a better place.

The word commitment usually scares us and puts us on alert at certain times, but if we manage to know ourselves and discover our interests, we should have nothing to fear. We should not define ourselves by our words but by our actions, so I understand that actively positioning ourselves in a cause sends a very clear message about our identity.

From our organization, we will continue waking up society and especially our sportsmen and women to show them the important role they play in social change and in promoting healthy habits. By this I do not refer exclusively to health, but to a whole set of factors that will largely determine the world we will leave to our children. Respect, perseverance, responsibility, solidarity and empathy are some of the key elements that we, the athletes in particular, must instill in the new generations in order to continue changing the world.

Let’s keep going!

Commited Ones

The day we had yesterday was historic. To see how athletes show their most social side, donating part of their salary to a charitable cause is fantastic, but if they are also athletes in your same sport discipline, handball, it is more than wonderful.

At Share & Play we have been working with children for over 2 years, helping them in their social, physical and emotional development. The results so far have been very satisfactory and we can see how the children have improved in each of the areas we measure.

After a long time evaluating how to join the movement initiated by Common Goal and start our way in the world of handball, the time has come. Thanks to the support of TVB Stuttgart, where all club members including players and workers donate 1% of their salary to our program. We will keep you informed about how the program is going.

The point is that they are the first, the pioneers to join this movement in handball and we want them to be the ones who encourage other players and clubs to join this movement.

From Share & Play we want to follow the path set by Common Goal in the world of football and that is why we started the movement in the world of handball calling it: THE COMMITTED ONES.

Because our members are committed and donate their ¨one¨, because with all the ones we can help many children.

Today we start our journey, if you want to help us in our mission, please contact us through our websites.

 

www.shareandplay.org

www.athletesinspirechildren.org

Once again we have been inspired by sport and the social potential it has, in this case it has been thanks to Common Goal, a social movement that offers the opportunity to actors in the world of football to donate 1% of their salary to social causes. They started two years ago and now have more than 130 players around the world.

In Share & Play we have been talking about this topic since the appearance of Common Goal and since then we have been looking for the moment to take the leap and replicate the movement in the world of handball. We are many, I’m sure many have a social commitment and now we give them the opportunity to participate in a social cause, funding an educational program that will earmark their contributions in education and health of children. We support and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations in 2015.

We run the programme in schools and help children to be more active in sport, to have a greater interest in education by learning in a fun way and to understand and respect other cultures.

Share & Play is moving forward and from now on will also be reinforced by the members of this movement. To these players and actors of the world of handball in general who accompany us in our mission we will be eternally grateful for their social commitment. And for us they will be our Committed. The Committed Ones.

Obesity and overweigh, it´s up to us

Lately I like questions more and more, so I will start asking something: is it obesity a kind of malnutrition? Yes, it is. Every third part of our population is affected by malnutrition. That´s a problem that United Nations (UN) want to solve in their 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture (FAO) recognizes six nutritional indicators of malnutrition. In these six indicators there are three big groups. Today I will just talk about the one which includes obesity and overweight.

I know our lifestyle has changed and it´s not easy to eat homemade food every day. Tell me about it, I finished my professional sport career a couple of years ago and since then I´m on the road every two days (and I thought travelling every week was hard!) That means I have to adapt myself to the circumstances to not fail in easy and unhealthy choices. We need to keep our healthy habits and if we don´t have them, we need to create them.

Adult obesity is one of the main causes of death and sickness in the world. If we look at the numbers, it´s terrific to see how from 1980 to 2014 we have doubled the obesity in our population. What kind of older people will we become? Are we prepared to assume this fact? Think about it from an old obese person´s perspective. Is that what we want for our future? A life full of limitations and health problems? It looks like living in a jail for me, but with no going out plan included. Now think about it having your kids in consideration. Do we want to become a burden for them? That looks sad for me.
13% our world population is obese, but there are some regions who have worst quotes. North America, Oceania and Europe belong to the ¨Big Club¨ reaching the 28% of adult obesity.

If we look at overweight in children, the facts are even more painful; in 2016 the number of overweight children under 5 years old in the world was 41 million. This is like whole Spain population! Do we know what kind of risks are children exposed to? I´m sure we do but let me remain you a few: Diabetes type 2, asthma, hypertension, breath problems, sleep trastorn, hepatic sickness… Do you want me to go on?

1.900 million people suffer overweight in the world, that´s why organizations like FAO or World Health Organization (WHO) putted the focus in nutrition as the main task in the Sustainable Develop Agenda.
After that, we need to decide what kind of future do we choose. It´s up to us.

It´s has been a year since Share & Play started! Why did I start in this journey? Easy question, easy answer: I was not just playing handball in my 19 seasons as professional, I was also learning. The experience was not only taken on the court but beyond the game. In every different situation I was involved I had the opportunity to learn or to improve. Many foreign players, many different cultures, many different ways of life. There was the student one, the artist, the lazy one, the religious, the fitness addict, the businessman, and the wild ones among others. I started playing handball with one of the greatest generations in the 90s, I keep playing with the next generation in the 00s and I finished with the present generation in the 10s. Time changes and we change as well, that´s why there´re many differences between every player and every generation, so I was able to contrast all this differences from my country and from a different country when I moved out from Spain. It was like keeping experiences as ¨colours¨, I was just avid to see and to learn. Every travel, every team, every player brought me more ¨colours¨ to my palette. Believe me, nothing less than amazing.

Long before my professional retirement I took a decision, I wanted to help sport and I wanted to educate kids and athletes to take advantages from sport. I always had a strong social commitment, so the idea was to solve some actual problems through sport, because I know how powerful sport is. The future must be different; we need healthier and better-qualified kids. Kids are kids and they should be playing with no discrimination, no matter the gender or the colour of their skin. They need to enjoy, they need to smile, while playing because this period of life is never coming back. It was time for me to start painting the picture, It was time to start sharing the experiences and knowledge for the good of the kids and the athletes. Do you want some advice? Enjoy the process, seize the day.

Everything started in Berlin, where I came with an idea and a plan. It was clear to me what do I wanted to achieve but between the purpose and the goal it was an empty hole. With the help and advices from my friends from Street Football World I was able to compress the idea and turn it into a concept.

The concept was defined after some months of hard working to develop the methodology and transfer the concept into a program. Web design, scientific researches, meetings with partners, meetings with schools, and several other tasks included didn´t let me too many free time. But I was enjoying every second. I wasn´t earning any money but I felt more satisfied than ever.

I was building something at the same time I was facing the retirement and the unemployment, two new words for me. That means low-low-budget travelling and control cost, to be able to visit companies, clubs and organizations around Europe.

And this is how we started, with a four months pilot program in the Primary School from Dutenhofen. The results were fantastic and very optimistic, in only four months kids got the concept of the program and improved in all the topics as well as they changed the way to see some subjects. The goal was fulfilled.

Summertime was perfect to do some adjustment and to get ready the program for the new season. A few schools and clubs were interested and it was time to adapt the contents to every need. Nowadays we are present in 4 schools and 2 clubs. At the end of the day we´re working with around 88 kids. The rate of improvement is growing up and we´re about to close some more agreements in the next months.

Thanks to everyone to make this dream possible, we´re building an awesome community!