- Lukáš Pulko
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This document contains a proposal for improving the work with youth in Mongaguá teams based on the knowledge gained during the bilateral initiative “Mongaguá Teams in Norway”, which took place at the end of June 2019 at the MOT camp under the auspices of ‘FC Rapid Ústí nad Labem, the Norwegian Embassy and with the financial support of the Norwegian Funds, within the framework of the Human Rights, Roma Inclusion and Domestic and Gender-Based Violence Programme, Norwegian Funds 2014 – 2021.
MOT, the Norwegian partner in the initiative and host of the event, focuses specifically on working with youth, their self-development and prevention of negative social phenomena such as drug addiction, bullying, racism, gambling and others. In its work, MOT is one of the most successful organisations in Norway, as evidenced by its support of Norway’s most famous athletes and sports clubs across all sports. Furthermore, the MOT concept has extended beyond Norway’s borders and MOT branches can now also be found in Denmark, Latvia, South Africa, Thailand and a branch is soon to be opened in the USA. Below we will present the basic values and principles of youth work as presented by MOT and whether these principles can be transferred to the Czech environment and subsequently to the Mongaguá teams.
This principle teaches us that belonging with others brings inner happiness. It teaches us the art of listening and paying attention to others. This principle leads us to not be afraid to show others that they are important too and to help others find their own potential. Let us be cordial to others, not afraid to say hello, smile at others and show gratitude. Let’s leave out negative comments about others, but rather encourage them.
There is an art to showing courtesy to others regardless of the opinion we have of others. Respect is the art of giving responsibility to another person, letting them speak freely and express their own opinions. Showing respect also means honoring unwritten rules like letting an older person sit down, holding the door for a lady, and more. Respect is balancing honesty and complete honesty – “You can tell the truth, but not every truth should be told”. Respect is also shown when we truly give the other person our attention when we meet, which excludes looking at cell phones and other electronic devices. We talk about others as we would talk about them in their presence.
Showing love means being kind to your surroundings, being considerate and being able to show compassion to others. To show love is to help others, not for your own sake or for your own benefit, but for the sake of helping as such. This principle shows that being able to show love is not just about buying expensive gifts or saying nice phrases. To show love is to be with others in good times and in need, to try to help others find their own happiness and potential, to give them our time and experience.
It’s important to understand that we can’t help everyone, but helping and caring for a person who feels left out can change their whole life! This principle teaches us that every person has positive qualities and that it is right to help others discover these qualities and their own potential. All the other principles mentioned are intertwined with this principle.
This principle teaches us that belonging with others brings inner happiness. It teaches us the art of listening and paying attention to others. This principle leads us to not be afraid to show others that they are important too and to help others find their own potential. Let us be cordial to others, not afraid to say hello, smile at others and show gratitude. Let’s leave out negative comments about others, but rather encourage them.
There is an art to showing courtesy to others regardless of the opinion we have of others. Respect is the art of giving responsibility to another person, letting them speak freely and express their own opinions. Showing respect also means honoring unwritten rules like letting an older person sit down, holding the door for a lady, and more. Respect is balancing honesty and complete honesty – “You can tell the truth, but not every truth should be told”. Respect is also shown when we truly give the other person our attention when we meet, which excludes looking at cell phones and other electronic devices. We talk about others as we would talk about them in their presence.
Showing love means being kind to your surroundings, being considerate and being able to show compassion to others. To show love is to help others, not for your own sake or for your own benefit, but for the sake of helping as such. This principle shows that being able to show love is not just about buying expensive gifts or saying nice phrases. To show love is to be with others in good times and in need, to try to help others find their own happiness and potential, to give them our time and experience.
It’s important to understand that we can’t help everyone, but helping and caring for a person who feels left out can change their whole life! This principle teaches us that every person has positive qualities and that it is right to help others discover these qualities and their own potential. All the other principles mentioned are intertwined with this principle.
This principle teaches us to know what we want and where we are going. If we do not know the answer to these questions, we will be dragged through life and its circumstances. If we know how to set our priorities, we will have more time to realize our dreams and goals, to rest, to gain perspective and thus naturally gain balance in life. If we know our priorities, we can say no to thoughts, activities and anything else that distracts us from our priorities and goals.
This principle teaches us to discover our own values. It teaches us to recognize what is really important in life, what inspires us and makes us happy. If a person is aware of his or her values and practices them regularly, he or she will be better able to say no. Let’s not do what goes against our values just because others do. Let us listen to and respect the opinions of others, but let us not act on them if they go against our own beliefs and values.
This principle teaches us to talk about our feelings. It’s better to talk about our feelings than to bottle them up and let others guess why we behave differently than usual. This principle teaches us to be clear about what we like and dislike. It is better to get an unpleasant answer than to live in uncertainty because we were afraid to ask. This principle also teaches us to be able to accept the fact that you will not please everyone with your opinions and actions, and that sometimes it is necessary to say unpopular things even if they are not pleasing to others.
This principle means knowing how to set barriers and boundaries for others beyond which we will not let them go. The practice of tough love teaches us how to lead and work in a team. The practice of tough love teaches leaders to set clear and firm rules for the team, to resolve team conflicts, and to be a clear and readable person who is a source of inspiration and will be followed by others for the benefit of the team. The opposite of tough love is overindulgence. In this case, others can overwhelm us with demands and requests, which can lead to them pursuing their own needs and desires rather than those of the collective as a whole. It is good to follow the 50/50 rule. If we let the collective decide everything and everyone has a say in everything, chaos will ensue. But if, on the other hand, we are never open to discussion with the collective and do everything our own way, the members’ belonging to the team will diminish and so will the joy and overall inner strength of the collective.
This principle teaches us to know what we want and where we are going. If we do not know the answer to these questions, we will be dragged through life and its circumstances. If we know how to set our priorities, we will have more time to realize our dreams and goals, to rest, to gain perspective and thus naturally gain balance in life. If we know our priorities, we can say no to thoughts, activities and anything else that distracts us from our priorities and goals.
This principle teaches us to discover our own values. It teaches us to recognize what is really important in life, what inspires us and makes us happy. If a person is aware of his or her values and practices them regularly, he or she will be better able to say no. Let’s not do what goes against our values just because others do. Let us listen to and respect the opinions of others, but let us not act on them if they go against our own beliefs and values.
This principle teaches us to talk about our feelings. It’s better to talk about our feelings than to bottle them up and let others guess why we behave differently than usual. This principle teaches us to be clear about what we like and dislike. It is better to get an unpleasant answer than to live in uncertainty because we were afraid to ask. This principle also teaches us to be able to accept the fact that you will not please everyone with your opinions and actions, and that sometimes it is necessary to say unpopular things even if they are not pleasing to others.
This principle means knowing how to set barriers and boundaries for others beyond which we will not let them go. The practice of tough love teaches us how to lead and work in a team. The practice of tough love teaches leaders to set clear and firm rules for the team, to resolve team conflicts, and to be a clear and readable person who is a source of inspiration and will be followed by others for the benefit of the team. The opposite of tough love is overindulgence. In this case, others can overwhelm us with demands and requests, which can lead to them pursuing their own needs and desires rather than those of the collective as a whole. It is good to follow the 50/50 rule. If we let the collective decide everything and everyone has a say in everything, chaos will ensue. But if, on the other hand, we are never open to discussion with the collective and do everything our own way, the members’ belonging to the team will diminish and so will the joy and overall inner strength of the collective.
This principle leads us to accept ourselves as we are. To understand that every being is born as an original and that difference is a gift. This principle leads us to not blindly follow in the footsteps of others. To not compare ourselves to others, but to focus on our own journey and personal partial victories in our lives. To be yourself means knowing your weaknesses and strengths, which results in self-confidence and honesty about your own person.
This principle leads us to live in the here and now. To be able to set our goals and priorities, which we will then approach with our behaviour and actions. This principle teaches us to avoid thoughts and activities that take energy and to seek out activities and thoughts that have the opposite effect. Consciously guiding oneself means knowing one’s body and its needs, knowing when the body and mind needs rest and when it needs to disconnect from the influences around it (social networks, internet, media, etc.). To consciously lead oneself means to know one’s own talents and to take care of them responsibly.
This principle leads us to experience joy in life, enthusiasm “for the cause”. To show these emotions even in small successes. This principle teaches to be enthusiastic, to feel free, to show emotion, to follow your desire, to do things you enjoy, no matter if it is a job or a hobby. In a given activity, one feels true inner happiness and is an inspiration to others.
This principle leads to the understanding that life includes ups as well as downs. That events often happen in waves and that no period lasts forever. This principle teaches one to accept whatever phase of life one is in, to accept one’s own shortcomings and problems. It is important to understand that everyone is afraid, depressed, in pain, or unsure of their own thoughts at times. Even in such phases of life, it is crucial to maintain inner strength, patience and self-esteem. An essential fact leading to the understanding of this principle is also that sometimes success does not come even if we do our best to achieve it. In such a case, however, there is no point in fretting about the failure, because the person has done his best and can have a clear conscience.
All of the above principles and values can undoubtedly be applied in the Czech environment. Since both Norway and the Czech Republic are among the civilised countries of Europe, these values are naturally and correctly perceived as a natural part of a happy life for Europeans. Unfortunately, in today’s advanced and consumerist times, people are moving away from these values and principles thanks to the speed at which we live today, advanced technology and other reasons (echoes of communism). In order to return to these values, which undoubtedly lead to a happy life, it is necessary to direct young people in particular towards these values and principles in their development.
In Mongaguá teams this can be done in many ways, some easier to apply, others more difficult, here are suggestions for improving the work with youth in Mongaguá teams and their subsequent applicability:
Get to know successful personalities, organisations, talk about their stories and their path to success (lectures, films, visits to organisations and sports clubs.
As far as possible applicable to the current conditions of Mongaguá teams. However, to improve this, more financial support is needed for the organisation – regular trips to different organisations and lectures, employment of coaches who will be able to work with the young people in the Mongaguá teams on a professional basis on a daily basis.
A necessary condition for the proper development of young personalities is quality and responsible parental care.
The applicability is complex. If we teach children in Mongaguá teams certain values and principles leading to a better life and the life of the parents goes against these values and principles, the coaches’ hands are tied. The solution is to educate parents about the activities of the Mongaguá teams and try to involve parents in the club’s activities. However, due to the different social backgrounds of individual youth and their parents, this is slow going and a long run.
It is better to prevent problems than to focus on solving them. It is important to remind young people of basic rules and moral values. Prevention can be done through illustrative examples and stories of different people, see point 1.
The applicability of this point in the Mongaguá teams again comes up against the financial possibilities of the club. Unless the club employs professional coaches who can deal with the youth and prevention of negative social phenomena on a daily basis, their capacity in this area will be very limited and largely dependent on the education of parents see point 2.
For the proper development of a young personality and its psyche, it is important to create a safe and positive environment in the collective, where members respect each other. An environment where making mistakes is a natural part of development. An environment where the young person feels trust and importance.
This is an aspect that the Mongaguá teams manage to fulfil even under the current conditions. There are close bonds of friendship between team members, and the Mongaguá team is often a second family for the individual members. The role of the coaches is crucial here, as they are the ones who set the team environment and it is the coaches’ decisions, the coaches’ interactions with the players and the camaraderie with them that reflect the team spirit and team spirit that is great in Mongaguá teams.
For the proper development of individual Mongaguá team members, it is also important to create an environment in which each individual has the space to showcase their full potential and possibly have the opportunity to take their talents and potential to the next level.
The Mongaguá teams are able to fulfil this aspect in part thanks to their partnership with the first league futsal club FC Rapid Ústí nad Labem. Thanks to this partnership, the best and most conscientious players of Mongaguá have the opportunity to move to a semi-professional club and play in national futsal competitions against the best players in the country and also have the opportunity to make it to the national team. However, the Mongaguá team is not only active in Ústí nad Labem and does not want to operate only in the field of sport in the future, so it is important to focus on establishing similar partnerships with other clubs, organizations, schools and groups across the country.
The Mongaguá teams are overwhelmingly made up of young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. These young personalities need to internalize the values mentioned above every day due to the risky environment. Thanks to troubled families, this role remains primarily with the Mongaguá teams and their coaches. However, the time available to coaches is very limited. There is a need to change this situation, to get funding to employ coaches and to build adequate facilities and a club centre (playground, classrooms, conference rooms).
The application of this point is very challenging due to the limited financial and organizational capacity of the Mongaguá teams. All coaching activities are built on a voluntary basis and coaches do this activity in their free time at the expense of their own families and jobs, the development of our organization is thus limited. In the future, the aim is to raise enough funds to build a Mongaguá centre and employ coaches so that the Mongaguá activities are fully professional and have the desired effect towards the youth and the prevention of negative social phenomena.
Mongaguá is a football and futsal club founded by Lukáš Pulko in Krásný Březno, a long-troubled locality in Ústí nad Labem, which is infamous, for example, for the now historical case around the Matiční Wall.
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