Camps at SWB Nicaragua are week-long events held during out-of-school time that bring together girls from across the Granada region for team-building activities, leadership workshops, and soccer. Each camp celebrates and amplifies the themes of team-work, inclusion, and gender equity within and beyond the FSF community. Through SWB's year-round program and annual camps, girls ages 6-20 develop key skills and a sense of belonging that supports their pursuit of growth, inclusion, and personal success.
 
Volunteers are essential to the success of TEAM Camp. As a part of the SWB team you will wear many hats and support all aspects of the camp from preparation, to set-up, to equipment distribution, to coaching and playing. You will use your energy, enthusiasm, and passion for soccer to help facilitate on and off field activities for players throughout the week. Volunteers and staff are very busy during the camp; each day begins bright and early and ends in the evening. As a team, volunteers and staff will have several opportunities throughout the week to get to know one another, experience the city of Granada and local culture, get to know local families through home-stays, participate in team-building, reflect on the meaning of authentic collaboration, and understand our work in the context of the larger sport-for-development movement.

Fútbol Femenino in Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America and the second poorest in the Western hemisphere with 48% of the population living below the poverty line. Schools in Nicaragua are generally half-day, with a majority of youth dropping out prior to graduation from secondary school. While the challenges for all young people are significant, opportunities for girls are even rarer.

Although sport-based programming has proven itself an effective intervention for these and other challenges, girls and women face significant economic and cultural barriers to participation. Specifically, only 4% of Nicaraguan girls participate in school-based extracurricular sports, and only 13% informally play sports in their neighborhoods, compared to 52% of boys (PAHO). Less than half (48%) of Nicaraguan girls believe their neighborhoods are safe for sports. Nearly two-thirds of Nicaraguan girls report that their parents “never” or “almost never” support their participation in sports compared to 87% of boys reporting that they receive “daily” support.

While sport and sports teams have been proven to address these challenges, particularly with girls, the aggregate of these numbers is that 90% of girls in Nicaragua report barriers to participation. Parent permission, safe spaces, and resources such as equipment and sport clothing are the top three reported barriers (PAHO). As a result, there is a huge need for youth-centered that are accessible to girls and young women. SWB Nicaragua meets this need by providing positive learning opportunities during out-of-school time, educational support, and support networks of peers and mentors to ensure that students graduate, stay healthy, and reach their full potential.