More than 50 children, responsible adults and professionals from the National Service for Specialized Protection of Children and Adolescents enjoyed the Stadium Experience program for the first time. The event took place in the context of the “Second Regional Meeting of Children and Adolescents,” organized in collaboration with Codelco División El Teniente, at the largest sports venue in O'Higgins.

The Sustainability and External Affairs Manager of El Teniente, Germán Sandoval, explained that “for us as a company, it is very important to make our stadium available, which belongs to all the people of the O'Higgins Region. Not only the physical stadium, but also the entire history and sport of the region, understanding that it is a key to a better future for children and adolescents.”

The National Service for Specialized Protection of Children and Adolescents has more than 70 projects, both in the outpatient and residential areas, in the O'Higgins region. "For us, it is important to generate this link of public-private cooperation, in which two entities come together to generate opportunities for those who belong to our network," said its regional director, Cristian Flores Valdivia.

During the day, different spaces for participation were developed and the members of the National Advisory Council for Children and Adolescents were elected. The regional secretary of Social Development and Family, Nayadeth Ahumada, added that “it has to do with analyzing the topics of interest that children have, but also being able to offer a different activity, where they also learn about part of our culture and can do activities that are entertaining and fun during the day.”

Sport as a key to quality of life

As part of this unprecedented initiative, the activity ended with a Stadium Experience prepared especially for the children and adolescents of the service, in which they toured the facility, learned about its history and enjoyed sports and recreational activities.

“As a program, we prepared a safe space where our visitors could enjoy the main sports venue in the region. We believe that quality of life is built from the ground up, caring for and protecting our children and adolescents, and sports are a key part of this mission,” explained Emerson Contreras, coordinator of the program on behalf of the El Teniente Services Management.

Alejandra Areyte, head of the Participation Unit of the National Directorate of the National Specialized Protection Service, explained that “we are grateful for Codelco’s willingness because we do not always have the opportunity for children to access this type of experience.”

The Stadium Experience initiative promoted by Codelco El Teniente seeks to open the Division's assets to the community as part of the Quality of Life program that provides healthy living tools to school communities, sports clubs and social organizations in the O'Higgins region.