"I have been living in Villa dos Cabanos and working for Alunorte the last 14 years. The very first time I came here to repair some transportation belts. I liked the area and invited the family to come. And we decided to stay.
Being a Community Relations Assistant means that my responsibilities are related to Alunorte’s community work, which extremely important. There are lots of social problems among youth. Something had to be done and we are trying to do our best.
People around here know me as “Coach Müller.” Every year, thousands of youths are involved in our soccer projects. It actually started in 1999, after Hydro had become one of the owners of Alunorte.
We were invited to establish a team and go to Norway Cup, the world’s largest youth soccer tournament. At that time we had got a better understanding of the community needs and saw the opportunity of linking football and education. So we started building strong relations to the local educational agencies and families, that see us as partners. Also, it all creates relations that are important for us.
I have experienced that mothers come to me asking for younger kids to join the program. They have experienced the change with older kids.
I am responsible for more or less everything – the schedules, all activities, tournaments, cooperation with the schools. My job is challenging but brings a lot of comfort to my soul. We use sports to bring motivation to each other. By doing so we try to improve the social indexes in Barcarena.
Soccer here in Brazil has traditionally been primarily for boys, so we have given girls the possibility of being included through other educational programs. Next year we will also send a girls’ soccer team to Norway Cup.
You may wonder how soccer can influence people? Well, soccer is very important here in Brazil. And the game has some basic rules: discipline, work in teams, psychological preparations, understanding of the importance of treating yourself, respect your limits. We use soccer as a pedagogical tool in order to make the students reach their goals. In addition include social and environmental projects in our programs.
The way we organize everything requires discipline. The teachers and the parents experience that the students are changing after they join the program.
Some years ago one of the young football players came back from the tournament in Norway and realized that he could do a lot by bringing new job opportunities to his island. He established a business that has been very successful. They didn’t have much access to information and informatics, so he established an internet café.
My job gives me a lot. I once was in a very simple school where the coordinator was about to give up a project. I gave lectures in very hot class room. Afterwards, she turned to me, saying: “There is no way we can stop now. Did you see how their faces were shining?” I believe that’s one of the ways I get a lot back myself."
A colleague says
“Müller is an excellent ambassador because he devotes his life to helping others. I have never met anyone like him. He is an enlightened being, full of goodness and distributes happiness wherever he goes."
