The Barça Foundation and the Gasol Foundation join forces to support the most vulnerable children

• This collaboration agreement aims to help both entities achieve a greater impact of their social work by focusing on children at risk of social exclusion.
• The beginning of this alliance is marked by the participation of the Barça Foundation in the pioneering PASOS study that leads the foundation of the Gasol brothers to assess the level of physical activity of minors in Spain. 

Barcelona, 19th June – With the objective of supporting the most disadvantaged children through sports and education, the Barça Foundation y la Gasol Foundation join forces to expand the circle and benefit more children in vulnerable situations. The agreement will allow the joint creation and execution of programs and initiatives in the United States and of global reach, thus achieving a greater impact. «The two entities have been working together for several months in the knowledge of the methodologies they use, with the aim of creating a joint program in Catalonia and in the United States, where the two institutions have projects», explains Jordi Cardoner, first vice president of the FC Barcelona and the Barça Foundation.

This alliance is part of a previous agreement between Pau Gasol and Barcelona Football Club, for which the NBA player has become a strategic advisor and global ambassador for Barça to help the club strengthen its brand internationally and open up new opportunities in the United States. “One of the parts that makes me especially excited about this agreement is the collaboration between two foundations for the benefit of the little ones. Children and young people are a fundamental part of our society and we must provide them with opportunities so they can grow healthy and develop to their full potential,” explains Pau Gasol, president of the Gasol Foundation.

The beginning of this relationship is marked by the participation of the Barça Foundation, as a healthy ally, in the pioneering PASOS study led by the Gasol Foundation in coordination with the IMIM (Instituto del Mar de Investigaciones Médicas) and the Probitas Foundation as the main collaborator . The objective of this initiative is to assess the level of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle of children and adolescents in Spain in order to design effective measures for the health of children.

Specifically, the Barça Foundation will help the Gasol Foundation to cover the expenses involved in carrying out the study in Catalonia, where 38 primary and secondary schools have participated out of the 242 that are taking part of the initiative.

The announcement of this collaboration, in the Maxenchs Room of Camp Nou, was attended by Josep Maria Bartomeu, president of the FC Barcelona; Pau Gasol, president of the Gasol Foundation; Jordi Cardoner, first vice president of FC Barcelona and the Barça Foundation; Cristina Ribes, Executive Director of the Gasol Foundation; and Maria Vallès, General Director of the Barça Foundation.