Wolves' Adama Traore and Toti Gomes pay surprise visit to school for poignant racism talk
Wolves players Adama Traore and Toti have paid a surprise visit to a Wolverhampton school as part of the Premier League’s No Room for Racism campaign.
The pair joined a workshop led by the Wolves Foundation at St. Peter’s Collegiate Academy which saw around 200 Year 9 students in attendance.
Traore and Toti were able to share some of their thoughts, including experiences of racism in the game, during a Q&A session hosted by Foundation ambassador and Sky Sports presenter Johnny Phillips.
Adama opened up about his experiences of racism growing up in Spain and believes education at a young age is important.
He said: "When you are younger the first thing that comes to mind is anger because you don’t understand why they treat you differently only because of the colour of your skin.
"This first encounter of racism when you are younger, I think you’re just confused.
"I remember when I was going home to my mum and I didn’t know why it was going on, why people compare me with a monkey, why they say certain things.
"But now I think it’s important to give love. To teach them, try to understand them, and try to tell them how you feel."
Students at St Peter’s engaged brilliantly with the tasks and worked maturely to offer ideas and solutions throughout the workshop.
Tino Makombe, Year 9, said: "The workshop and talk by Adama and Toti changed my perspective of the world.
"They taught me how to deal with times in my life when I might experience racism.
"They also inspired me to channel my energy into my work and to always give my best to everything so I can excel."
St Peter’s, which is just a stone’s throw from the Wolves’ Compton Park Training Ground, is taking part in the Premier League Inspires programme with Wolves Foundation.
Inspires is an educational programme for 11-25 year-olds, helping them to develop the personal skills and positive attitudes to succeed in life – all through the power of football.
Kurran Kullar, Premier League Inspires officer at Wolves Foundation said: “The No Room For Racism campaign is a vital one, and including workshops like these in our Inspires sessions is a great way for us to show the importance of tolerance and inclusion.
"Having Adama and Toti come along was a total surprise for all the students.
"From my point of view, it was great to see the engaging discussions they were having with different groups, as well as how honest both were about their experiences of racism."
