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Soccer Without Borders (SWB) is thrilled to announce that Michell Guadamuz, captain of Granada FC and alumna coach at our SWB Nicaragua Hub, and Fahaby Kitimbo, Senior Program Coordinator at our SWB Uganda hub, will be representing SWB as youth delegates at Festival ‘23, an 8-day youth festival of ‘football for good’, to be held in Sydney, Australia during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023’s quarter-final week.
Festival ‘23 – implemented by Common Goal, Football United, and Creating Chances and supported by FIFA, UEFA, Sydney FC, and the University of New South Wales – will showcase how the world’s game can be a powerful force to foster positive social change.
From August 6th to 14th, Michell, representing Nicaragua, and Fahaby, representing Uganda, will be among 70 International Youth Leaders from 30 different countries brought together for capacity building training, a Fair-Play Football Festival, and community engagement activities.
With a major focus upon gender equity and empowerment, the programs, trainings, and activities taking place at Festival ‘23 are designed to build a lasting social legacy. Therefore, the impact of Michell and Fahaby’s participation is sure to extend well past the 8-day festival itself as they return back to their home communities with a newfound set of skills, knowledge, and enthusiasm.
”I am very happy to have the opportunity to represent SWB in Australia during Festival ‘23,” said Michell. “I am very excited to know that I am going to live a new experience that will allow me to learn and see other points of view about the impact of sport on social change. I hope to return to Nicaragua with a better understanding of these ideas in order to share with my community the experience and knowledge learned throughout the festival.”
Upon returning home to Granada, Michell will be hosting an event for the local SWB Nicaragua community where she will be sharing the lessons learned from Festival ‘23. This local event, happening August 23rd, will not only be the perfect opportunity to share some exciting, first-hand stories from the FIFA Women’s World Cup, but will more importantly be a chance for Michell to inspire her fellow coaches, youth participants, and the entire community about the importance of advocating for gender equity in sports.
Join us in congratulating Michell and Fahaby for their well-deserved selections as delegates. Both have already been making lasting contributions to the advancement of gender equity in Nicaragua and Uganda, and their participation at Festival ‘23 will surely play a big role in continuing this important work for years to come.