Helping those most in need
Years later, while finishing university and unsure of his next steps, Seré came across the IOC Young Leaders Programme. He applied, was selected, and began shaping “Proyecto En JueGo” – inspired by childhood visits to a local orphanage where his parents volunteered, and where he saw first-hand the power of sport.
“We were bringing the kids to football classes,” Seré recalls. “I saw that they were enjoying it a lot, socialising with other kids, feeling what I felt with sport. I saw that sport was this happy moment that was super good for them. That’s when the idea came.”
Launched in 2024, the “Proyecto En JueGo” project complements school curriculums with physical activity and lessons inspired by the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP), promoting respect, effort and friendship. It has worked with two foster houses, offering twice-weekly sessions for children between 6 and 13 years old, along with weekly judo classes at a local club.
“We want to be role models for them,” Seré says. “We are the ones giving them trust and confidence. We are building something that stays with them. Maybe tomorrow, when they’re adopted or go back to society, they’ll remember that club. They’ll know they can go back there and that someone will help them.”
Last month, Seré presented his project at the Olympism365 Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland, and shared his vision with IOC President Kirsty Coventry and IOC Honorary President Thomas Bach at the IOC Young Leaders Roundtable. There, he reiterated a phrase that has become central to his mission: “I am the captain of my own boat,” Seré says. “I’ve never been a professional athlete, but my dream was to go to the Olympic Games, and I’ve already done two. You can choose your path. What we’re doing is giving young people the boat – the tools – to navigate this world. We’re helping them sail forward.”