Nature Deficit: Club Budeo Promotes Youth Development Through Sports and Connection with the Environment

Through social entrepreneurship and Territorial Experiences, the organization takes part in various initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for children and adolescents in Antofagasta.

Arturo Soto at the launch of Change your Chip-Encounters Cycle. Budeo Club

In the educational field, Arturo Soto, founder of Club Budeo, participated in the launch of “Cambia tu Chip: Cycle of Meetings,” an initiative led by Red Educacional Magíster and Escondida | BHP that connects students from Hrvatska Skola San Esteban and Antonio Rendic College with entrepreneurs involved in the mining company’s Proveedores & Futuro program.

During the inaugural meeting, Soto shared his journey in bodyboarding and explained how his passion for the sport became a tool for promoting social impact projects in Antofagasta. Through his experience, he encouraged students to recognize their abilities, persevere through challenges, and discover how their interests can become opportunities for personal and professional development.

Arturo with students from both schools. Budeo Club

Meanwhile, Claudio Alquinta, a psychologist at Club Budeo, has been leading outreach efforts for the “Territorial Experiences” program in public schools across Antofagasta. The initiative brings children and young people to the coastal area, using sports and direct contact with nature to promote well-being, local identity, and a commitment to environmental protection.

The program is funded by Antofagasta Minerals and aims to reach 250 participants annually. On this occasion, the recruitment initiative took place at Escuela General Manuel Baquedano F-78 and targeted seventh- and eighth-grade students, benefiting a total of 60 students.

Claudio Alquinta calling for Territorial Experiences 2026. Budeo Club

Through activities connected to the local territory, Territorial Experiences seeks to address what is known as nature deficit, a concept that encourages reflection on people's growing disconnection from natural spaces in everyday life increasingly shaped by screens and technology.

These experiences also promote the development of social and emotional skills, providing tools to recognize and regulate emotions such as frustration, anxiety, anger, and impulsivity. In this way, contact with nature becomes a learning opportunity that contributes to the overall development of younger generations.

Claudio and Arturo with students from General Manuel Baquedano F-78 School. Budeo Club

Through its various areas of work, Club Budeo continues to create opportunities for civic participation and learning for children and adolescents in Antofagasta, using sports as a tool to open up new possibilities and generate positive change in their communities.