Rugby and rum to bring down crime

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"You have to kill the snake by the head." This expeditious Venezuelan saying reflects the spirit with which the

born

, a program for the reintegration of young offenders through

that was born from a robbery: the one perpetrated by three criminals who in March 2003 sneaked into the

in the municipality of Revenga, in the state of Aragua (Venezuela).

As

, president of the company,

recalls

, the assault, instead of an affront, became a purpose, an exercise in "restorative justice" that has managed, with the help of rugby, to deactivate 11 criminal gangs, transforming the lives of hundreds of young people. Among them are

and

, ambassadors of the program presented yesterday at the Terraza Puertalsol Restaurant, with

, in love with sports, as master of ceremonies.

"We are a ray of light on penalties. When we arrive, the boys welcome us, more than as coaches, as friends. A very beautiful relationship is formed, we not only teach them rugby, but we also learn a lot from them. They help us. to become better human beings ", Arrieta details about the

in which nearly

and from which several players have left for the Alcatraz Rugby Club, which in a short time went from being a team where only ex-players played. convicts to become the most competitive team in the Venezuelan championship.

Arrieta has become the maximum exponent of the "

" of the project. As a child he hated rugby, until he saw it as a way to get closer to his father,

, a criminal who wanted to leave his life behind on the fringes of the law to join the Alcatraz Project. What he did not expect is that this would lead him to become the first Alcatraz Rugby Club player to be signed by a professional team from outside the country, being part of the national team on several occasions. "

. Also, he was a crybaby with the blows. But everything in life is a challenge. And like every stubborn son, I set out to be better than good, "he recalls. The effort has led him to be one of the trainers of the Santa Teresa Foundation, which visits

every week

, and to represent the brand as a specialist mixologist in cocktails made with Santa Teresa 1796, the house's super premium rum.

Herrera, for his part, never set foot in jail, but at the age of 15 he was already part of the dangerous

.

"We perpetrated the worst crimes: robbery, extortion ... Everyone was an enemy," he recalls.

A father of three children, when he was offered the possibility of demobilizing, he did not hesitate.

In just one year, his role as

has allowed him to be part of the team and become an ambassador for the brand, with a special hand in preparing the powerful

cocktail

.

"Now I feel very happy, I like everything I do," he sums up with a smile from ear to ear while Arrieta sums up the mix of success for rugby and life: "

."

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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