POWER UP THE CAPITÁN WITHIN YOU: P&G and its Brands Launch Capitanes del Futuro, a Free Hispanic Youth Leadership Initiative
P&G Brands Gillette, Always, Crest, and Oral-B reinforce efforts to support the progress of the Hispanic community with workshops, live and virtual events, and gamified learning
Alliance with Major League Soccer, Hispanic Star, and other partners paves the way for long-term impact by facilitating access to role models, scholarships, mentorships, and more
This new program is the latest example of P&G’s longtime commitment to the U.S. Hispanic community and deep belief that Hispanic progress is a pro for America
Be Part of the Next Generation of Capitanes!CINCINNATI, Ohio, Sept. 22, 2022 – To bolster their longtime commitment to and deep support of the Hispanic community, trusted P&G brands such as Gillette, Always, Crest, and Oral-B are joining forces with Major League Soccer, Hispanic Star, and other stakeholders in the soccer ecosystem to launch Capitanes del Futuro, a unique program that harnesses the passion for soccer to prepare the next generation of Hispanic leaders. Helping boys and girls 12-18 years old to embrace their Hispanic values as their superpower, Capitanes del Futuro will provide students free access to role models, resources, tools, and skills intended to open their minds, build their confidence, and help overcome structural barriers often found along the pathway to higher education.
Parents, teachers, coaches and other mentors are encouraged to enroll Hispanic youth in the free Capitanes del Futuro program at: https://capitanesdelfuturo.org. Registration provides students with access to inspiring educational videos and a multi-year curriculum consisting of both physical and digital courses intended to develop promising young Hispanic students into the future leaders of America. Active participation in the program will also unlock access to scholarships, apprenticeships, internships and more.
“Capitanes del Futuro is another way we are powering the progress of Hispanic communities and equipping youth with tools and resources to become America’s future leaders,” said Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer at Procter & Gamble. “Despite strong progress in high school graduation rates, only 56% of Hispanic students in the U.S. are enrolling in college, and more than half of them don’t graduate. These rates significantly trail their white counterparts and illustrate the importance of this broad mission. We invite others across the public and private sectors to join the Capitanes del Futuro collaborative endeavor.”
Tapping Into Hispanic Youth’s Passion for Soccer
Many Hispanic youth don’t realize that for each MLS player on the field, there are 10-15 people behind the scenes, and those people represent exciting career opportunities. In partnership with Hispanic Star and six MLS clubs – Inter Miami CF, FC Cincinnati, Austin FC, Los Angeles Galaxy, New England Revolution, and most recently New York City FC – more than 150 Hispanic youth have already attended immersive Capitanes del Futuro events at MLS stadiums and training centers. Hispanic youth nationwide from marginalized neighborhoods were inspired by the wide breadth of career opportunities through workshops led by MLS club staff.
These workshops, which provide behind-the-scenes perspectives about the social media, marketing, match day operations, business management, community relations, technical and other club departments were all filmed and will be available on the Capitanes del Futuro website and app. Along with the workshop videos, the Capitanes del Futuro digital library also includes inspiring videos in which legendary sportscaster Fernando “El Presidente” Fiore interviews top MLS players who share stories about their mentors and role models, including some stories which have never been shared before.
“Major League Soccer is proud to collaborate with Gillette, Always and the other brands of P&G on Capitanes del Futuro," said JoAnn Neale, MLS President & Chief Administrative Officer. "MLS and our clubs have always believed in the power of our sport and our league to accelerate progress in Hispanic communities not only where we play our games, but throughout North America. We are excited to work with P&G to inspire and empower the next generation of Hispanic leaders."
Exposing Hispanic Students to Exciting Opportunities Across the Soccer Ecosystem
In addition to inspiring content and resources from MLS, P&G is also connecting these students with other prominent players in the soccer ecosystem. For example, TelevisaUnivision joins as the lead media partner and will be producing virtual master classes to introduce students to different professional disciplines across their various media properties. TelevisaUnivision will also be working closely with P&G and Hispanic Star to craft other specific curriculum and plans to offer internships to some of the most engaged students in the Capitanes del Futuro program. P&G is very grateful for TelevisaUnivision’s support and welcomes other partners to join the effort.
There are already a half dozen videos available on the website, and more will be added in the coming weeks. P&G will also be launching an app that includes gamified learning tools and additional resources for students. Parents, teachers, coaches and other mentors are encouraged to enroll Hispanic youth in the free Capitanes del Futuro program at: https://capitanesdelfuturo.org.
P&G’s Longstanding Commitment to the Hispanic Community
The Capitanes del Futuro program is the latest extension of P&G’s longstanding commitment to furthering the progress of Hispanic communities. In 2021, P&G launched “Powering Progress” – a multi-faceted effort to accelerate progress of Hispanic communities across the U.S. in partnership with the We Are All Human Foundation’s Hispanic Star, a platform to provide the Hispanic community with access to better education, better health, better jobs and gender equality. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, P&G partnered with Hispanic Star to distribute more than 1,000 pallets of essential products to more than 150,000 Hispanic families in need across the country.
P&G and its brands are continuing to partner with Hispanic Star and other organizations to drive awareness of healthy habits and improve representation in the healthcare industry. In the last two years, Always, Tampax, Vicks, Crest and Oral-B have partnered with Hispanic Star to provide scholarships to more than 70 Hispanic nurses and dental hygienists. Oral-B and Crest are also providing oral care education and screening to Hispanic children in underserved communities through their Closing America’s Smile Gap initiative.
Beyond Capitanes del Futuro, P&G continues to invest in programs that support education, including its longstanding support of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the Always School Program and more.
“Hispanic progress is American progress!” said Claudia Romo Edelman, Founder of We Are All Human and Hispanic Star. “It is our mission to ensure everyone knows that and create programs and opportunities that accelerate the progress of Hispanics, opening the doors for Latinos to get better education, better health, better gender equality and better jobs. We are proud to partner with committed and large corporations like P&G, MLS and TelevisaUnivision to elevate the Hispanic community to new heights and do it together.”
Media
P&G
Jeff McDowell
[email protected]
MLS
Angela Alfano
[email protected]
HISPANIC STAR
Marisa Garcia de Celis
[email protected]
TAYLOR
Holden Hill
[email protected]
About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands. For other P&G news, visit us at www.pg.com/news.
About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer -- celebrating its 27th season in 2022 -- features 29 clubs throughout the United States and Canada, including 2022 expansion team Charlotte FC and St. Louis CITY SC, which debuts in 2023. Starting in 2023, the Apple TV app will be the exclusive destination to watch every single live MLS match. For more information about MLS, visit www.MLSsoccer.com.
About Hispanic Star
The We Are All Human Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit devoted to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion. The Hispanic Star is an initiative created and powered by We Are All Human.
The Hispanic Star is a national collective effort to unify and advance the Hispanic community. It brings together leaders from all sectors including corporate America, Hispanic associations, media, and community organizations at the national and local level to accelerate the upward mobility of Hispanics, and improve Latino perception and representation.
At its core, the Hispanic Star is founded on the simple premise that what is good is for Hispanics is good for America. For more information, visit www.hispanicstar.org and www.weareallhuman.org.
