Comunidade FIT (FutEbol-Ingles-Training)
Comunidade FIT (Futebol-Ingles-Training) is a social community organization empowering youth and uniting communities in underserved areas through the universal languages of English and soccer.
FIT focuses on combining language and sport, using soccer as a vehicle to teach basic conversational English to youth (co-ed; 6-18) in underserved communities. Implementing an innovative methodology of teaching a language creates a more fun, engaging, & immersive learning experience. The organization has done camps with communities in Brazil in the states of São Paulo and Bahia.
FIT aims to teach essential life and leadership skills for youth to learn and grow. It also provides a creative learning environment and a safe & structured place where students can go. FIT works with community leaders and local partners to provide services and have them serve as positive role-models the kids can look up to. The goal is to have it be a continuing-based program, employing local professors, coaches.
The goal is to spark further interest, motivation, and inspire students to continue to develop skills that could lead to opportunities for personal development and become positive forces within their communities and beyond. Some of the long-term objectives include providing more learning, playing, & exchange opportunities to the most motivated participants. This will help them to develop personally become positive influences in their communities, and help to break barriers of social inequality.
Founder's story
The Founder of Comunidade FIT is Jordan Metter, a lifelong and former collegiate soccer player. The idea was born as an idea to use soccer as a more creative and engaging way to teach a language. Soccer was everything to Jordan throughout his youth and entire life. In 2014, Jordan acquired his TEFL Certificate to teach English as a second language but never was that excited to teach in a traditional classroom setting. He wanted to come up with a way to make English teaching and learning more fun and interactive. Therefore, he thought why not combine conversational English together with soccer. In addition, there is nothing more gratifying and rewarding to me than helping others and making them feel good.
Having lived and studied in several countries in South and central America, Jordan gained a love for the people and culture of this region of the world. The main reason he chose Brazil to launch and experiment the idea is that he had been before several times and I fell in love with the culture and people. In addition to this, soccer is as important as religion in Brazil, therefore being a perfect place to experiment with the project.
He began with the idea in February 2018, where he traveled to São Paulo alone with the goal of doing one session with an underprivileged community. He ended up doing 6 sessions in Ubatuba, SP, a small beach town outside of São Paulo, with around 20 kids in total within a span of a month in the neighborhood of Pereque Acu. This showed him that the method was effective and the idea had value. The following November, he traveled to Porto Seguro, Bahia, the Afro-Brazilian region of Brazil and one of the poorest regions. He was introduced to a connection and went to do a 2-week pilot there with the community Vila Valdete on the outskirts of Porto Seguro. To date, he has held four 2-week camps with around 40 kids in total, with the last one completely run by local trainers from the local government of Porto Seguro.
The project has turned into creating a community within a community, having received a lot of support from local and international partners. Jordan places a high emphasis on including the local community to participate and help to provide services to the youth of the community. He has acquired support from local barbers, governments, and companies. In addition, he has held several fundraisers and acquired donations through partnerships with US companies and NGOs. He is now looking for bigger sponsors and partnerships from larger entities that could help give credibility and scale the organization with the goal of having Comunidade FIT be a global project in many countries around the world.