Isabela M.

As Isabela entered her teenage years, she got interested in sports such as swimming, ballet, and taekwondo, but basketball particularly captured her attention. At the age of 16, she began her journey as an athlete and started encountering various barriers: gender and social class. Being a woman, she had to deal with sexist comments and objectification in sports. Due to her social background, access to quality professional sports was limited. Since then, Isabela started envisioning a project that aimed to offer access to quality sports, free of charge, without stereotypes or gender barriers.

The MVPs Community was first implemented in the school Isabela attended, the Federal Institute of Paraná. Currently, her initiative is offered through the Youth Center of the Municipality of Pinhais, where it caters to young people aged 12 to 22. Isabela's initiative is well-established and has managed to develop partnerships with public entities. She also has future plans for the project: she is studying Physical Education and wants to open a completely free sports center, open to the entire community, offering multidisciplinary care to low-income youth (physical health through sports, as well as psychosocial support). Over time, her work gained visibility beyond geographical boundaries. She became a content creator for Jr. NBA Brazil and currently has an Instagram profile with 88,000 followers.

The concept of teamwork is intrinsic to sports, especially basketball. Therefore, when Isabela promotes training sessions, friendly matches, tournaments, or her digital content to encourage sports, she is also spreading the values of teamwork. She has the skills to collaborate with schools, local government, join international organizations, seek guidance from professionals who can support her own growth, and of everyone else who's accompanying her on this journey of sports for social change. Isabela has realized that her changemaking dream requires a stronger team with whom she can share leadership in various areas of action. Her initiative is called the MVPs Community, a basketball term that means "Most Valuable Player." For her, sports are a way for young people to understand that they can be valuable individuals both on and off the court.