Over 100 children from deprived areas in Brazil attended the first event to mix taekwondo and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The Taekwondo SDGs Festival, in November 2022.
Children had the opportunity of practicing taekwondo and engaging in activities related to the SDGs.
Participants came from a range of social projects that use taekwondo as an intervention tool to help children succeed in life.
The event was hosted by the Jadir Taekwondo Association (AJTKD), which has been working with children living in vulnerable conditions for more than 20 years, and its longtime partner, the David Taekwondo Association (ADT).
In the words of Master Jadir Figueira, Taekwondo Grandmaster and founder of AJTKD: “The idea of the festival is to promote a greater integration between children from social projects and to contribute to the dissemination of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This is a very important agenda established by the United Nations in 2015 to eradicate poverty and realize a sustainable world. We believe that it’s important to acquire healthy habits from an early age, to build a more sustainable future.”
“This event was a great opportunity to integrate children and youth that practice Taekwondo so that they can train, compete, and have fun together”, as Jose David Taekwondo Grandmaster and founder of ADT stated.
Children learned about what the SDGs are, why they are so important and what needs to be done to achieve them. The lecture was given by Paulo Rocha, a doctor in Electrical Engineering, university professor and taekwondo master at AJTKD.
Danilo Malafaia, taekwondo instructor and administrative director at AJTKD, said: “It’s important that children learn about the UN’s 2030 Agenda and what each one can do to achieve its goals. Our environmental activities with children have been showing us that using sport as a tool to facilitate the realization of the SDGs is very effective.”
The Taekwondo SDGs Festival is a milestone and its impact on younger generations is a step to achieving the SDGs.
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