At an elementary school in soccer-mad Brazil, students are pushed to academic greatness in classrooms that resemble soccer fields – with a virtual avatar inspired by star player Vinicius Junior cheering on every correct answer. Sitting on football-patterned cushions on artificial grass floors in classrooms, they learn on tablets and smartphones using an app created by the Vini Jr Institute, founded by the Real Madrid athlete to improve public education in disadvantaged communities.
“I learn better when I use the app, it's easier, it's like a game,” 11-year-old Ana Clara da Silva told AFP in Sao Goncalo, Vinicius' hometown on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
Da Silva attends the Visconde de Sepetiba municipal school, one of 10 in four Brazilian states that have received educational assistance from the institute.
About 4,500 students and 500 teachers have benefited from the project, which launched in 2021. It hopes to reach 30 schools by the end of this year.
Since the intention was not to replace human teachers, the app was designed as a tool.
Each student has a personal account, where his/her progress is tracked as he/she answers questions presented in a playful, football-inspired way on topics such as math, Portuguese or science.
In a typical game format, each school year is presented as a 'season' and each subject as a 'competition', while the avatar 'Vinizinho Jr' celebrates each correct answer as if it were a goal.
'The power of football'
“We use the power of football, its playful nature” to inspire the children to learn, Victor Oliveira, executive manager of the Vini Jr Institute, told AFP.
“We put everything we learn into practice in the app. It helps us learn because we are connected to our phones, but not disconnected from our studies,” says 11-year-old Yuri Rodrigues.
The institute, which was initially funded solely by Vinicius but now has other sponsors, also aims to tackle the scourge of racism in a country where more than half the population is black or mixed-race.
She has launched an anti-racism training manual and provided instruction on the subject to around 80 teachers over the past year.
It is a subject that is close to the heart of the Brazilian attacker, who has faced discrimination several times in Spain.
“He is very important to all of us,” said 11-year-old Ana Clara.
“I'm glad he never gives up. And because his voice reaches a wide audience, he can fight for us,” she said.
In October, Vinicius received the Socrates Prize for charity work at the annual Ballon d'Or football awards.
And last month, the 23-year-old was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, only the second Brazilian footballer to receive the honor after Pele.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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