Soccer Without Borders
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the problem:
SWB provides soccer and life-skills programming to socially, politically and economically marginalized youth who are systematically excluded from sports-based and extracurricular activities, with a focus on three populations: Indigenous People, Refugees and Girls.
Indigenous groups are socially isolated, lack political representation and are the most economically disadvantaged of many societies throughout the world. Refugees struggle to rebuild their lives in exile with extremely limited resources and significant challenges of integration such as language and cultural barriers, exclusion from the workforce and trauma from their past experiences. Girls are, in many economically disadvantaged communities throughout the world, not provided with equal opportunities or encouraged to set high goals for their futures.
For all three of these population groups, soccer provides an avenue for positive engagement, a platform for personal growth, and a toolkit for their futures.
vital stats:
people impacted:
13,500people involved:
160why it's important:
Working closely with community-based organizations in under-served areas in the USA and abroad, the SWB program combines soccer instruction and life skills education. Our activities help young people come into a greater understanding of their bodies, voices, minds and communities, and encourage them to make healthy choices for their futures.
The goals of our program are the following:
• To provide soccer opportunities for economically, politically, and socially marginalized youth who lack opportunities for sport & extracurricular involvement
• To train community coaches in sports-based youth development
• To help youth make healthy choices for their futures through life-skills curriculum
• To support cultural understanding in diverse communities through team participation
• To teach youth conflict reduction and mediation skills
• To implement best practices of sports-based youth development for 100% of SWB youth to meet the following
The specific objectives for our program participants are the following:
• Develop positive relationships with teammates and with at least 2 caring adults
• Develop meaningful relationships across cultural divides
• Learn anger-management techniques
• Report an increase in self-confidence from learning new skills
• Report an increase in physical well-being and understanding of how to be healthy
• Be given at least one formal opportunity each season to assume a significant leadership role
the plan of action:
Soccer Without Borders was founded in 2005 and began programming in Granada, Nicaragua in 2006 with funding from Lehigh University's Student Entrepreneurship competition. Three years later, SWB maintains an office in Granada that serves as a community center and safe space for 175 girls that attend soccer and life-skills sessions with us each week. Prior to our program, there were virtually no resources available for girls to participate in soccer and sport in Granada. In addition, we have trained and provide stipends to 8 youth leaders from the Granada community who run daily sessions in schools and rural communities around Granada.
The success of the SWB program in Nicaragua has spread to four other areas throughout the world: Santa Maria El Tablon, Guatemala, Ndejje, Uganda, Oakland, California, USA, and New York City, NY, USA.
Though our Programs, SWB directly serves 775 youth on an ongoing basis (2/week or more) in four countries. While the scope and nature of our programs varies at each project site, they share the common elements of formal soccer play and life-skills education. In 2007, we began a partnership with Girls For A Change and have successfully implemented their innovative program at two project sites. In addition, we have successfully run nutrition curriculum, trust-building games, and arts based programming through our offices and community spaces in each of the areas where we work.
how you can get involved:
Soccer Without Borders provides many opportunities for youth and adults alike to get involved. The two primary ways for people to get involved are through the SWB Ambassadors program and by Volunteering at one of our project sites in the US or abroad.
The SWB Ambassadors Program:
Who is an ambassador?
* An ambassador is a person who is passionate about the potential of soccer to create positive change in the lives of disadvantaged youth.
* An ambassador is a person with links to their local soccer playing community (i.e. AYSO coordinators, soccer parents, coaches, college players, high school players, etc.)
* An ambassador is an enthusiastic person who wants to commit some of their time and energy to linking their community with SWB.
What does an ambassador do?
* Represents SWB in their community
* Raises funds for SWB projects
* Collects equipment for SWB projects
* Raises awareness about social inequality and the power of sports to effect positive change
* Helps to expand the Ambassador Program through connections in neighboring areas
If you are interested in becoming an ambassador, please contact Courtney Jackson at courtney@soccerwithoutborders.org.
Volunteering with SWB
Since 2006, SWB has sent 115 volunteers from the US, Canad and the UK to volunteer at our project sites in Central America and East Africa. Volunteers often report that they experience significant personal growth and site the relationships they form while working with SWB as some of the most significant relationships in their lives. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Karima Modjadidi at karima@soccerwithoutborders.org to learn more.
