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  • Run for Soccer Without Borders at the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon

    Soccer Without Borders (SWB) is excited to announce that, for the 8th year, we will have a charity team running the TCS New York City Marathon! Applications are open now and the slots are sure to fill fast. Whether you are a seasoned marathoner or setting your sights on your first, consider joining our team of passionate individuals who will sweat for change by making each mile count for the mission of SWB. Each runner's fundraising efforts supports SWB's mission to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change. Each year, we provide free, holistic youth development programs to over 5,000 youth and lead collaborative efforts to advance gender equity and social inclusion through soccer around the world. As a member of Team SWB, you can dedicate your efforts to support a specific SWB hub or initiative, or run on behalf of all SWB programs. All runners who are selected to join the team will receive a guaranteed race entry as well as a number of additional benefits based on their pledge level (visit our website for details). All interested applicants must apply online and we will be accepting applications on a rolling basis. MARATHON DATE: November 3, 2024 MANDATORY TEAM MEETING: June 20, 2024 12:00 pm ET ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS (on a rolling basis) IMPORTANT LINKS >> SWB Marathon Information >> SWB Marathon Application >> 2024 TCS New York City Marathon QUESTIONS? Contact Sophie Goethals at sgoethals@soccerwithoutborders.org

  • Soccer Without Borders, Common Goal, and Positive Coaching Alliance Forge a Partnership for Switch the Pitch

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Soccer Without Borders, Common Goal, and Positive Coaching Alliance Forge a Partnership for Switch the Pitch Chicago, 2024 — Soccer Without Borders (SWB) and Common Goal, through their Switch the Pitch (STP) program, proudly announce their collaborative partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a national nonprofit dedicated to fostering positive character-building sports experiences for youth and high school athletes. The innovative partnership empowers STP with access to PCA's extensive training resources, including live group workshops, online courses, and supplementary materials. These resources cover coaching techniques, guidance for sports parents, development for student-athletes, and administration support. PCA's commitment to a positive youth sports experience aligns seamlessly with the goals of the collaborating organizations. SWB is an international organization using soccer to create positive social change. They value authenticity and equity—taking a whole-person approach to youth development. SWB’s trauma-informed coaching, coupled with evidence-based programming, establishes safe spaces through soccer, addressing and reducing barriers to participation. This approach led to the creation of STP. Interactive and experiential, STP is a capacity-building program designed by SWB in partnership with Common Goal, a global impact movement that leverages soccer’s resources, cultural influence, and core values to drive societal transformation for the well-being of our people and planet while inspiring positive change within the game itself. STP brings together clubs, grassroots organizations, coaches, and young people to advance racial justice and inclusion on the pitch and sidelines. At its core is the "Inclusive Coach" training program, preparing youth soccer coaches with on-field Team Challenges that educate, activate, and facilitate dialogue on topics like racial identity, allyship, activism, and leadership. PCA has partnered with roughly 3,500 schools, districts, conferences, youth sports organizations, and park-and-rec departments to create a Development Zone® culture, with the goal of using youth and high school sports to create a positive youth sports experience. "We look forward to working with Switch The Pitch to create the best possible sports experience for student-athletes,” said Positive Coaching Alliance President Jason Sacks. “We appreciate the district leadership making a positive high school sports experience a priority for all involved, including student-athletes, coaches, and parents. When sports are done right, we know it can be an amazing opportunity not only to strive to win but more importantly, teach life lessons that will stay with our youth long after their playing days are over.” Ryan Walker-Hartshorn, of Soccer Without Borders, is excited to work with PCA. She says, “SWB is thrilled about the opportunity to expand our relationship with PCA and our offerings for Switch the Pitch with their incredible content. We believe in the power of sincere collaboration and can’t wait to see the impacts of our shared efforts towards an anti-racist US soccer community.” Program Manager of Racial Justice at Common Goal, Taylor Green, shares her enthusiasm about the collaboration, "Switch the Pitch is a collective passion project to pursue racial justice in youth soccer. Having the trust, partnership, and resources of Positive Coaching Alliance to elevate our initiative is exciting and more motivation to join forces with organizations who are committed to anti-racism in all that we do." The partnership announcement is met with anticipation from all involved parties. For questions and/or inquiries please contact rwalker@soccerwithoutborders.org or taylor@common-goal.org!

  • Jules Mayele Named Director of SWB Uganda

    Soccer Without Borders (SWB) is thrilled to announce that Jules Mayele has been named Director of SWB Uganda! An alumnus of the program, Jules has been an integral part of our SWB Uganda hub since 2012 and has since been recognized as a Coaching Boys Into Men Expert Facilitator, Common Goal Youth Council member, Global Changemaker, and more. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jules moved to Kampala at the age of 16. Not only does he come to the role with vast experience from numerous leadership positions across the hub – working as a coach, communications professional, program manager, and much more – he also brings invaluable lived experience as a newcomer to the country he now calls home, allowing him to truly relate to the 450-plus refugee youth served by our Uganda-based hub each year. As we congratulate Jules for his new position, he took time to share some reflections on what the role means to him: Why do you think soccer is uniquely positioned to make a positive impact in the lives of newcomer youth? In 2011, I experienced something I had never imagined or thought of in my teenage years, I had to flee from my home country and seek refuge in Uganda. Upon arrival, life was completely hard and different. With a new and different culture and community here, soccer was the only thing familiar – it was one thing I had in common with the local people. Immediately after joining SWB Uganda, the program's English classes and youth soccer teams, I felt a sense of home again. Soon after, it was a fresh, wonderful new beginning. Playing the game gave me an opportunity and identity that I am very proud of. I believe so much in the power of soccer to affect positive social change, because without it, I wouldn’t have overcome the adversities and challenges I faced during my early days in Uganda including (but not limited to) the language barrier, isolation, lack of routine, and helplessness. Those experiences and opportunities in soccer are what continue to fuel me to want to give back to other disadvantaged young people facing obstacles to growth, personal success, and inclusion. Can you share a little about your journey with SWB? After graduating from the SWB youth program, I volunteered as an English instructor and coach. I became an official staff member at SWB in 2013, and in my new role, I learned to support other young people like me. In my time as a staff member, I have accomplished a lot! In 2018, I became a Program Coordinator at SWB, managing the Education Program and supervising six staff members. From 2019-2021 I actively worked to support female leadership and empowerment through gender equity projects including Women Take the Lead, The Global Goal 5 Accelerator, the Kampala Girls League, and the Uganda Goal 5 Summit. In mid-2021, I also earned my University degree in Human Resource Management from Kampala University with a first-class degree. What excites you most about your new role as Uganda hub director? SWB Uganda’s program model is anchored on youth leadership and development. As a young person attending this program 13 years ago, I owe a big debt to so many. I would like to share my heartfelt gratitude to all the coaches, team leaders like Nick Dreher, Coach Travis, Jill Flockhart, Amy Howard, my staff teammates, and the various program leaders over the years such as Jeremiah Lukeka, Steve Davis, and Raphael Murumbi for contributing and investing greatly to my growth. I am wholly grateful for their guidance, their immense commitment to the mission, and for making space to provide opportunities for youth to contribute and lead. Global displacement hit another soaring record last year in June, with over 100 million displaced. My host country Uganda is currently home to nearly 1.6 million refugees, the majority being children and youth. Youth, and refugee youth more specifically, are some of the most forgotten people in society and often do not get the opportunities they need to heal, rebuild themselves, and achieve their holistic development and growth. SWB Uganda is one of the few spaces in our community where they can do these things. Today, SWB Uganda is entirely local and youth-led; this is a big testament to our mission and values and I am excited about the growth of so many youth who I witnessed in their earliest days as refugees. While they once had almost no means to cope, limited opportunities or local knowledge, today they are the ones driving this robust program and creating an immense impact in the lives of their fellow refugees, newcomers and local youth. I am truly excited and hope to continue supporting and providing chances to fellow refugees and disadvantaged youth and continuing to pave ways for them to meaningfully participate, bring their voices to where they are mostly unheard, encourage them to know and believe they can contribute, take advantage of opportunities to lead, and make positive and sustainable social change in their communities and beyond. Additionally, girls empowerment and female leadership also remain of great interest to me and I am looking forward to supporting meaningful inclusion initiatives that break the systematic, institutional, and cultural barriers limiting women from reaching their full potential. I believe that the inclusion of refugees, women, and girls as leaders is one of the most comprehensive and sustainable ways to improve society. While this is a big task, I am so honored and privileged to be driving this change together with my amazing teammates here at SWB Uganda as well as with the continued engagement of our community and stakeholders. Together, we will continue growing SWB Uganda as leaders in evidence-based youth development through soccer and gender equality throughout the entire region and continent of Africa. While the appointment of Jules as our new SWB Uganda Director is exciting enough, there is even more great news around the hub to be grateful for: be sure to join us in also congratulating Fahaby Kitimbo and Rebecca Abio for being selected to lead SWB Uganda as program managers! Congratulations Jules, Fahaby, and Becky! We’re glad you’re here!

  • Catch Up on our SWB Alumni Spotlight Series

    As part of our SWB United: Play It Forward 2023 campaign, we have introduced you to those who began their SWB journeys as participants before becoming youth leaders and eventually official SWB coaches. These incredible team members have demonstrated how soccer can be a vehicle for positive change, and now they are paving the way for our next generations of leaders. Catch up on our podcast-style interviews hosted by SWB Executive Director Jennifer Tepper, special co-hosts, and alumni coaches from across our US-based hubs: SWB Oakland featuring Coaches Ye-Htet, No Roah, and Rafa SWB Massachusetts featuring Coaches Natalia and Edwin SWB Maryland featuring Coaches Aya and Nidele SWB Colorado featuring Coach Shahir

  • Audio Interview: Get to Know Alumni Coaches from SWB Colorado!

    As part of our SWB United: Play It Forward campaign, we are thrilled to highlight some incredible teammates who began their SWB journeys as participants before becoming youth leaders and eventually official SWB coaches! Over the past few weeks, we had some fun, lively, and inspirational conversations with alumni coaches from SWB Oakland, SWB Massachusetts, and SWB Maryland. Next up, we are excited to head over to the Rocky Mountains and shine a spotlight on alumni from SWB Colorado! Recorded live on Twitter (X) Spaces on Thursday, December 21st, 2023, this podcast-style interview was co-hosted by SWB Executive Director Jennifer Tepper and Coach-Mentor Fellow Joe Kroymann and featured alumnus Coach Shahir. Learn how soccer has played an integral role in providing leadership pathways for Coach Shahir, the importance of having positive mentors in his life, and much more.

  • Play It Forward 2023: Motivational Movies Chosen by SWB Staff

    As we celebrate SWB United, our Play It Forward campaign for 2023, we are excited to share this series of end-of-year blogs centered around the ways that soccer has the power to inspire, unite, and create a more inclusive and equitable world. Visit our Stories from the Field page to read special, staff chosen mission moments, motivating books, inspirational soccer memories, and more! **** Have you ever felt the sensation of being whisked away to another place through the captivating scenes of a film? Whether it’s the enchanting landscapes, bustling cities, or imaginary worlds created on screen, movies have the power to guide our imagination, allowing us to momentarily escape reality and immerse ourselves in new experiences. Soccer Without Borders (SWB) is excited to share a special collection of movies that inspire and motivate our team. This carefully selected list features stories that resonate with the diverse backgrounds of SWB participants. You’ll find stories of perseverance, witness incredible people break barriers, and get a glimpse into the universal impact of sport. We hope these eight films, docuseries, and tv shows bring inspiration to everyone, no matter where they may call home. In “Bend It Like Beckham,” “Home Across Lands,” and “The Swimmers,” characters challenge societal norms and expectations, defying cultural and gender stereotypes to pursue their passions in the world of sports. “Pelada” and “42” delve into the global and historical aspects of soccer and baseball, showcasing the diversity of players’ backgrounds and experiences. These films highlight the universal nature of sports, emphasizing how they have the power to bring people together across different cultures. “Coach Carter” and “Ted Lasso” explore the pivotal role coaches play in shaping the lives of their athletes. These stories underscore the significance of discipline, academic excellence, and compassionate coaching in fostering personal and athletic growth. “Beckham” offers an intimate glimpse into the personal and professional journey of soccer icon David Beckham. Celebrating his humble beginnings, relationships, and the emotional highs and lows of stardom, this series reflects the human side of sports legends. As you embark on this cinematic journey with SWB, may these stories serve as a reminder that, regardless of where we come from, we share a common humanity and the ability to overcome challenges through the power of sport and storytelling. Bend it Like Beckham Directed by Gurinder Chadha (2003) "Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra), the daughter of a strict Indian couple (Anupam Kher, Shaheen Khan) in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley), who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe." “This is an Indian movie and the reason I chose this movie is because it gave me a picture of whatever boys can do, girls can do. No one believed girls could play football and where she stayed was a strong Indian cultural village so girls playing football was an abomination. But she stood to her decision and she was successful through football which also shows some of the benefits of sports.” -Fahaby, SWB Program Manager Coach Carter Directed by Thomas Carter (2005) "In 1999, Ken Carter returns to his old high school in Richmond, California, to get the basketball team into shape. With tough rules and academic discipline, he succeeds in setting the players on a winning streak. But when their grades start to suffer, Carter locks them out of the gym and shuts down their championship season. When he is criticized by the players and their parents, he sticks to his guns, determined that they excel in class as well as on the court.” "Coach Carter is a powerful film that goes beyond the game of basketball, teaching us valuable lessons about discipline, integrity, and the transformative impact a coach can have on young lives. This movie really resonated with me because of the work we do working with coaches at Switch the Pitch!"- Ryan, SWB Assist Switch the Pitch​ Manager Home Across Lands Directed by John Lavall (2009) “A documentary that explores the journey of resettlement-- it tells the story of a small group of Kunama refugees and how they reestablish their sense of community in their new home in America.” “I love Home Across Lands because it really demonstrates the long and difficult journey that refugee families go through before arriving in the US, but also the true difficulty of the reality they face when they get here. And it brings the global refugee crisis close to home – the people featured in the story are very relatable and could be your own neighbor or classmate.” -Sarah, SWB Program Manager Pelada Directed by Luke Boughen, Gwendolyn Oxenham, Rebekah Fergusson, and Ryan White (2010) “Away from the bright lights and manicured fields, there's another side of soccer. Two players, twenty-five countries, one game.” “In Brazil, the word is “pelada,” which literally means "naked"—the game stripped down to its core. It’s the version of the game played by anyone, anywhere—and it’s a window into lives all around the world. Pelada is a documentary following Luke and Gwendolyn, two former college soccer stars who didn’t quite make it to the pros. Not ready for it to be over, they take off, chasing the game. From prisoners in Bolivia to moonshine brewers in Kenya, from freestylers in China to women who play in hijab in Iran, Pelada is the story of the people who play.” -Sydney, SWB Coach-Mentor Fellow 42 Directed by Brian Helgeland (2013) “In 1946, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), legendary manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, defies major league baseball's notorious color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) to the team. The heroic act puts both Rickey and Robinson in the firing line of the public, the press and other players. Facing open racism from all sides, Robinson demonstrates true courage and admirable restraint by not reacting in kind and lets his undeniable talent silence the critics for him.” “42 tells the story of two men – the great Jackie Robinson and legendary Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey – whose brave stand against prejudice forever changed the world by changing the game of baseball.” -Sydney, SWB Coach-Mentor Fellow Ted Lasso Written by Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein, and Brendan Hunt (2020-2023) “Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, an American college football coach from Wichita, Kansas, who is hired to coach AFC Richmond, an English soccer team. He is frequently ridiculed for his folksy optimism and inexperience with the sport, but gradually wins people over through his kind and compassionate approach to coaching.” "This show gave me hope. Not only because it was created in the first place on a massive platform with well-known actors, but also because so many people love it. That sounds like many other shows...but this one does not allow you to ignore certain realities about our world, and it does so in the most loving, playful ways. Now, I'm sure you can enjoy the show without applauding the subtle messages of anti-colonialism/imperialism (cue Ted and Sam with Ted's army figurine) or healthy masculinity (Jamie's entire 3 season journey) or Keeley's grace and proud ownership of her body when her privacy is violated or The Diamond Dogs male emotional bonding in a LOCKER ROOM or Rebecca's gradual acceptance of her power after an abusive relationship or Sam's activism for refugees and sweet relationship with his father (an example of Black/Nigerian/African intimacy we rarely see in Popular Culture) or Ted's response to Colin coming out to the team or Nate's complicated arc with his immigrant father OR SO MUCH MORE. Again, I'm sure you could watch while ignoring these sometimes subtle but glaringly intentional plugs for inclusion and equity and justice... but every time I watch (and I can no longer count how many times!), that's all I see: conscious love, shameless empathy, and bold choices to push viewers to question their own." -Nora, Director of SWB Assist The Swimmers Directed by Sally El Hosaini (2022) "Two Syrian sisters flee their war-torn home in Damascus, swim for hours in choppy Mediterranean seas to reach Greece as asylum seekers before going on to compete at the Rio Olympic Games." “That movie really resonated with me because of the power and perseverance of everyone. Also because of the relationship of the sisters and how they cared about each other, and helped each other survive both physically and emotionally.” -Grace, SWB Coach-Mentor Fellow Beckham (Docuseries) Directed by Fisher Stevens (2023) "Beckham celebrates his humble beginnings, relationships and the highs and lows of stardom. Beckham called the series 'a roller coaster of emotions.' 'This is the 10-year anniversary of when I retired,' Beckham told Netflix." "I think so often professional athletes are reduced to a form of entertainment in people's eyes and we forget that at their core they are just another human being. This series does such an incredible job of bringing the human aspect of two seemingly untouchable people to the screen. It doesn't shy away from showing the ugly side of sport – a side that the world often hides away so that people can continue to be entertained or make money. It is evidence of how ugly the beautiful game can be but also that those ugly pieces can be changed by everyone involved.” -Mia, SWB People and Culture Coordinator Now that you have some brand new editions to your queue, learn more about: >> SWB United: Play It Forward 2023 >> Our approach to serving refugee and newcomer youth >> Our gender equity programming >> Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at SWB (Editor's note: the views and opinions expressed in the above films do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Soccer Without Borders. Read about the SWB mission and vision here.)

  • Audio Interview: Get to Know Alumni Coaches from SWB Maryland!

    As part of our SWB United: Play It Forward campaign, we are thrilled to highlight some incredible teammates who began their SWB journeys as participants before becoming youth leaders and eventually official SWB coaches! Over the past few weeks, we had some fun, lively, and inspirational conversations with alumni coaches from SWB Oakland and SWB Massachusetts. Next up, we are excited to head over to Baltimore and shine a spotlight on two amazing alumnae from SWB Maryland! Recorded live on Twitter (X) Spaces on Friday, December 15th, 2023, this podcast-style interview was co-hosted by SWB Executive Director Jennifer Tepper and Senior Program Coordinator Ryan Gitonga and featured alumni coaches Aya and Nidele! Learn how soccer has played an integral role in providing leadership pathways for these passionate coaches, the importance of having positive mentors in one's life, and much more.

  • Leaving It All on the Field: A Q&A with Co-Founder Mary Connor

    After an intentional multi-year process, Co-Founder and former Executive Director Mary Connor is departing Soccer Without Borders, closing a 16 year chapter that saw incredible growth and evolution within the organization from its nascency. With this final interview as a staff member, we asked Mary to reflect on her time as an organizational leader, the growth and changes she experienced during her tenure, and what's on the horizon. On her relationship to Soccer Without Borders Nicaragua... In the first half of your career at SWB, you also served as the Director of SWB Nicaragua, establishing the girl-focused program there in 2008. How did that come about and what has your relationship with SWB Nicaragua meant to you? I came to Soccer Without Borders via the formal and professional soccer world. So much about my last 16 years at Soccer Without Borders is an expression of the impact that soccer has had on my life, as a woman growing up in a post Title IX United States, and my desire to pay it forward for girls everywhere. Becoming a part of the Granada, Nicaragua community, learning Spanish, and unpacking the layers of power, machismo, poverty, privilege, and politics that create so many barriers for girls to exercise agency in their lives has truly been the most transformative experience of my life. When we first started Soccer Without Borders in Nicaragua, there were no organized sport opportunities for girls at all, in a city of over 100,000 people. There was a single women’s team; a group of unicorns who managed to break stereotypes and piece together resources to buy uniforms and occasionally travel to games. I had just finished up four years of coaching at Lehigh University while pursuing my master’s degree, and was invited by the team to train with them and coach practices. We ended up recruiting a few of them to help us launch our first series of practices and activities for local girls. One of those women, Veronica Balladares, is now our SWB Nicaragua Director. We went school to school, community to community introducing hundreds of girls to soccer and recruiting them to join the program. Over the next five years, we progressed from having activities one day per week, to two days per week, to six days per week almost every week of the year. At every step a new barrier arose: sport equipment, timing, lack of local women coaches, access to field space, clothing, dirt, home responsibilities, too much sun, boys leering at the field, men kicking us off the fields, a full on machete-wielding fight among men at the gate to the field, and of course funding. These barriers didn’t reveal themselves all at once, they came one, two, three at a time and every single one required days, weeks, months, or even years to resolve. "One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from this cross-cultural collaboration is that change happens only at the speed of trust." One major barrier was a safe field space. In 2011, our local team lobbied the mayor for months for permission to bulldoze an overgrown lot to build a small-sided soccer field and invited the girls to design a mural to overlook it. Poverty and scarcity was always a massive barrier. The program – even though it was free- could not create a financial burden on the families. In 2014, we worked with parents and schools to create a school scholarship and education program which, thanks to the Tom Pope Memorial Fund and Girls Rights Project and many individual supporters, has now funded over 500 primary, secondary, and university scholarships. With this support, more than 90% of girls advance to the next grade every year, in a country where more than half of students don’t reach secondary school. Women like Natalia Vargas, who joined the program in 2008, are now graduated. Graduates like Michell Guadamuz and Reyna Roblero are now leading the program as members of the staff. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from this cross-cultural collaboration is that change happens only at the speed of trust. To create not just a program, but a change in the way a community - and a generation - sees the role of women and girls on the field and off requires authentic collaboration among so many stakeholders. It requires trust and buy-in from the girls themselves, from caregivers, from communities, from leaders, and from institutions. There is no shortcut to build lasting trust, it comes from meaningful relationships that are equitable, valued, and persist over time. In January, I'll end my time at SWB just as it began, attending the 17th annual TEAM Camp in Nicaragua. But unlike when we launched the camp in 2008, it is now coached by Michell, Mileydi, Mariangeles, Francisca, Reyna, Fatima, and their fellow alumnae and local women champions who are now the ones carrying the mission forward to the next generation in their community and beyond. >> Learn more about SWB Nicaragua >> Donate to support SWB Nicaragua On personal growth... In your goodbye letter to the SWB team, you say that Soccer Without Borders “has always been much more than a job to me; it has shaped who I am in every possible way.” Would you share a little bit about how SWB has shaped you? Very early on, I learned that much of what I had been taught about service and “helping” was wrong. Too often, a desire to help actually reinforces the very same systems that created the inequality in the first place. Becoming immersed in the Soccer Without Borders mission really changed my understanding. I found myself drawn to and guided by this quote from Lila Watson: "If you’ve come to help me, you’re wasting your time. If you’ve come because your liberation is bound with mine, then let us work together.” SWB has been shaped in this spirit from the very beginning. When we work in service of this mission we are not here just to help an individual young person or family with something that they need today or tomorrow. We are working to proactively shape our communities, and our world by extension, to be one in which we all want to live. One where we are all valued for our individual and shared humanity. To me, this has meant not only doing my role to the best of my ability, but questioning my own assumptions about how I’m participating in an inequitable status quo or challenging it. This kind of mutual transformation requires being surrounded by others who are open to this sometimes-messy process of learning and evolving, and the SWB team has been just that. There aren’t enough models in our world for how to genuinely welcome, include, and create a sense of belonging among individuals with vastly diverse experiences and cultures. SWB is a shining example of this and I know it will continue leading the way. On organizational growth... In your tenure, SWB has grown from an all-volunteer organization with a <$25,000 budget to a global organization serving thousands of youth weekly with over 90 full and part time staff and a $5 million+ annual budget. As an organizational leader throughout this evolution, how have you navigated that amount of growth and change? The short answer is with a whole lot of humility to ask for help! I remember getting the advice early on to “hire for things that you don’t want to do and the things you aren’t good at.” I would always laugh because at the time we didn’t have any money to hire people to do those things. So I’d amend that advice to say that you need to find a way to embrace doing the things you don’t want to do, and learn to do the things you aren’t good at. A growth mindset is absolutely essential to building an organization In my early days as Executive Director there were far more things that I was not good at and had no clue about than there were things that I felt confident in. So I sought out leaders who I admired and asked them to let me pick their brain for a half hour, hour, whatever they were willing to give. And I kept my notes from these meetings in a folder labeled “smart people”, which I still have to this day. I spent weekends at bookstores with Nonprofit Management books trying to understand boards and financial accounts and 501c3 compliance, and I spent evenings trying to teach myself Spanish. "The organization is like a living, evolving being, and you have to learn to understand its personality, its resilience, its needs, and its motivations." Malcolm Gladwell makes the bold claim that you achieve a level of expertise in a thing after about 10,000 hours of practice, and my experiences as a student and an athlete really resonated with that. There was a kind of formula for success: understand what you are trying to do, break it down into steps, put in the work, master the skill, get the A, win the game. This was the system of achievement I had known before SWB, and I worked really hard to succeed by these societal measures. But when you are building an organization that is so steeped in human behavior and connection and aims to disrupt the status quo, there isn’t a technique that you can master that will definitely “succeed.” The organization is like a living, evolving being, and you have to learn to understand its personality, its resilience, its needs, and its motivations. At the same time, the conditions around the organization are always changing. Since I first joined SWB, the way we communicate, the instant availability of information, the pace of decision-making, and the expectations of the workforce have evolved dramatically. So, if anything, I’d say that the way I’ve navigated this growth and change is to invest over 10,000 hours in learning, listening, empathizing, making mistakes, and truly opening myself up to try to understand the dynamics between people with diverse worldviews and experiences. And Excel. I definitely have 10,000 hours of Excel spreadsheets. On milestones... On the “Our Story” page of the SWB website you and Ben Gucciardi laid out the history of SWB in a series of phases and milestones. Take us through a few of the milestones that stand out to you as really critical to SWB’s story. First of all, we had a blast reminiscing about those milestones and many others that didn’t make it onto the website! What a gift it has been to navigate these moments alongside Founder Ben Gucciardi and others like Veronica Balladares, Skye Delano, Jeremiah Lukeka, Jules Mayele, Helen Ramirez, Lucas Richardson, Mike Sack, Kat Sipes, Ye-Htet Soe, and Lindsey Whitford, who have each devoted more than a decade to SWB. When I think of SWB milestones, it’s the people milestones that come to me first. Creating the International Team Leader program in 2009. Assembling our first active Board in 2010. Hosting our first Program Leaders retreat in 2012. Making all Program Director positions full-time in 2015. Awarding our first university scholarship to Hasly Perez in Nicaragua in 2017. Undertaking our first compensation benchmarking in 2019. Welcoming alumnus Warshan Hussin to our finance team in 2020. Coming together as a global team during the pandemic. Formalizing the Executive Leadership Team in 2022. Hiring Jennifer Tepper as our new Executive Director in 2023. "I often hear this misperception that nonprofits are inherently less financially savvy or are not interested in 'running a business.' My experience has been the total opposite of that perception." If I had to pick one year that really stands out, I’d have to say that 2016 was an incredibly pivotal year on so many levels. It was the year of our 10 year anniversary and release of Playing for Change, the year we launched our first real strategic plan, and a year of challenging presidential elections in all three of our countries of operation and subsequent policy changes that significantly affected our work and communities. It was also the year that we won the $250,000 Lipman Family Prize from the Wharton School of Business, a prize that at the time represented more than a quarter of our operating budget. These things didn’t all come out of nowhere; we had really worked hard to build our programming and operational systems in the preceding years to be ready for growth in our second decade. What we didn’t know was how quickly that would happen and how many new skills we’d need to learn in order to navigate it. In times of growth like that, you absolutely need to have quality programming and a committed, talented core team, but if I had to name one thing that really made all of that growth and risk and change possible, I’d say it was our commitment to really detailed financial forecasting and budgeting. I often hear this misperception that nonprofits are inherently less financially savvy or are not interested in “running a business.” My experience has been the total opposite of that perception. In order to grow, we had to put forward an operating budget that was resilient to uncertain public budget allocations, last-minute changes in grantmaker priorities, and increasing competition for philanthropic donations, while managing a range of timelines and reporting structures from over 60 different major funding sources across multiple states and countries, each with different levels of certainty and control. On top of all of that, every new budget year begins with our required annual independent audit, meaning that we always have to keep a scrutinous eye on the past, the present, and the future at the same time. I am incredibly proud that we grew through those years with a strong, deficit-free financial position. It was because of this strong position and robust financial forecasting system that when the Covid-19 pandemic shut everything down and created so much uncertainty, we were able to focus our energy on adapting our programming and responding quickly to youth and family needs. I really want to appreciate the staff and board members who I got to work alongside to build these financial systems, especially Drew Jackson, Tammy Reder, Charlie Bustin, and Francisco Queiró. On future growth... With the launch of SWB Assist, SWB now has several new mission delivery vehicles aimed at expanding our global reach. As we enter this new phase of evolution, what do you hope will change, and what do you hope will stay the same? The very first core value that we defined back in 2009 was a “focus on the whole person.” The sport-based youth development sector was nascent at the time and it felt important to distinguish that the goal of Soccer Without Borders isn’t to develop great soccer players. But as we gained more and more experience working with young people who have experienced traumatic loss, displacement, discrimination, and conflict, I think this core value took on an even deeper meaning. It isn’t enough to have a holistic balance of on and off-field activities. Focusing on the whole person means that we must create spaces where everyone can bring their whole self and feel welcomed, included, and a sense of belonging. Where young people can make mistakes. Where everyone’s name is known and their identity embraced. Where no one is reduced to a statistic. Where connection and relationships matter more than wins and awards. Our core values, in combination with our mantras, do a tremendous job of codifying this culture that has made SWB programs so impactful in supporting young people to heal, grow, and thrive, and where staff are retained year after year. "I hope that SWB plays a leading role in designing new ways of collaborating that fairly values all contributions, elevates the voices of those affected by these challenges, and centers the global game as the most powerful changemaking force on Earth." My hope in this next phase of SWB’s evolution is that we remain anchored in these core values, mantras, and our direct service through SWB Hubs. Too many global initiatives focused on training and capacity-building for community organizations have actually never done the difficult work of building community-based programs. SWB continues to learn from and iterate on its direct service work every day across multiple contexts and countries. To now have an avenue to share those lessons through SWB Assist is a tremendous opportunity to scale holistic, field-tested approaches where young people are seen, named, valued, and welcomed for who they are and supported to reach their full potential. There has never been a more exciting time to be a part of the sport-for-development movement. Sport entities, athletes, and organizations are shining an important spotlight on major global issues, from gender equity to racism to peace-building to mental health and more. What I hope will change for SWB in this next phase - and I believe SWB Assist under the leadership of Nora Dooley and Steve Davis is well-suited for this - is that we build stronger bridges between the conversations happening at the highest altitudes of global governance and the realities of community leaders on the ground. I hope that SWB plays a leading role in designing new ways of collaborating that fairly values all contributions, elevates the voices of those affected by these challenges, and centers the global game as the most powerful changemaking force on Earth. On stepping down... What made you decide that this was the right time to step down, and what do you think you’ll miss the most? When we announced our Executive Director search last year, I was able to share some of my thoughts and reasons for choosing this moment to step down from this leadership role. The headline is that I believe it’s a gift to be able to approach a leadership transition from a place of readiness and strength. I am so grateful to everyone on the SWB team and Board who dedicated a significant amount of extra time to navigating this transition, in particular Erin Cook, Tammy Reder, Skye Delano, and Emily Sherman for leading the transition and search committees. "This is what I’ll miss the most: being a part of this evolving community of incredible people who care deeply about what they do and the impact they aim to make. I’ll miss seeing people grow up; from participants graduating, to alumni becoming coaches, to young staff coming into their full potential as leaders." I first began taking meaningful steps towards this transition in 2018 without an actual transition date in mind. I worked with our then-Board President Ryan Hawke and program leaders to start to distribute responsibilities differently, explore new leadership structures, and identify what positions we would need to create in the coming years to ensure stability amidst significant growth. Changing the way I approached my position created more space for other leaders across the organization to take ownership of new areas, and we started to create a much more robust shared leadership structure than ever before. Fully stepping down from the Executive Director role was a natural next step in this process. Although when we began this process we thought that a temporary new role within SWB was likely, we have made faster and more lasting progress toward our future-focused structure than I ever could have imagined. There is vision, stability, and ownership held by veterans who are stepping up their leadership, and there is innovation coming from new voices in new roles. As I just mentioned, I’ve devoted my 10,000 hours to understanding this dynamic organization, and it became clear that for the team and for me, it’s time to close this chapter.  I have never been prouder of our team or our work. This is what I’ll miss the most: being a part of this evolving community of incredible people who care deeply about what they do and the impact they aim to make. I’ll miss seeing people grow up; from participants graduating, to alumni becoming coaches, to young staff coming into their full potential as leaders. I will most definitely be watching from the sidelines in this next phase with love and appreciation for all that is Soccer Without Borders. On Founder transitions... What advice would you give to other Founders and long-time Executive Directors considering a transition like this one? Ever since we first announced our public search for a new Executive Director, I have been surprised by the number of folks who have reached out because they are struggling with how to go about their own leadership transition process. Unfortunately, I don’t think there are enough resources out there that really address the emotionality of a transition like this, not only for the outgoing Founder or Executive Director, but for the Board, the staff, and the incoming leader. I am still processing all that I’ve learned over the last couple of years, and I hope to share a more detailed reflection in the future, but for right now I’ll share two things that I think could be helpful to others: Founder or long-time Executive transitions are an opportunity for larger structural changes. There are certain ways of being that get ingrained into the organization when a leader has been around since the early stages. Some of those ways of being can be a good thing; they might be the foundation for the organization’s success and identity. But often there are things that served the organization before that no longer do, and they are too hard to change incrementally. The staffing structure is a good example of this. A major transition in leadership can be an opportunity to restructure and reshuffle several surrounding roles to align to a future state of being that is more efficient, more equitable, and more aligned with where the organization is going, rather than where it has been. Don’t look at a leadership transition as a 1-to-1 hiring process. Step back and look holistically at where the organization is trying to go and what strengths need to remain at the core, and then make a transition plan that includes everyone who is most affected and who will be leading the organization through the change and into the future. Make sure you have a strong support system outside of the organization. No matter how well-intentioned and aligned everyone is within the organization, you’ll need an outlet where you can digest and feel the full range of emotions without it affecting the staff, board, or transition process. It can be hard to find the right people for this who know enough to be helpful, but who are removed enough to be unattached. If you have the resources to do so, try to find a coach who is not involved in the search or the organization, who can focus on helping you to bring your best self to the transition process. On her next steps... What will you do next? I have spent the last 8 months focusing on closing this SWB chapter in the most thorough and positive way possible, and processing the magnitude of leaving something I’ve dedicated most of my adult life to building, so I have not had much headspace to look to the future. But while I don’t have a specific plan just yet, SWB’s mission and work has so many adjacencies – education, youth development, mental health, gender equity, refugee resettlement, nonprofit management, philanthropy, public service, sport - where I believe my experience in direct service, social impact, and in building and leading a nonprofit organization could add value. The SWB community has been so incredibly supportive over the years; I hope to keep connected not only to the organization but to as many partners, supporters, and community members as possible, so please don’t hesitate to stay connected! >> Click here to read a letter from the SWB Board of Directors regarding Mary's departure

  • A Message from Our Board of Directors on Mary Connor's Transition from SWB

    Dear Soccer Without Borders Community, Today we are writing to share an important update on our succession and transition process. After an intentional multi-year process, Mary Connor will be departing from Soccer Without Borders. We are eternally grateful for all that Mary has championed in her years as SWB’s Executive Director and impassioned leader. Mary has been transitioning the Executive Director role to SWB’s new leader  Jennifer Tepper. As a Board we are so thankful for the intentional effort and are deeply appreciative of both Mary & Jennifer, shepherding the organization through this important transition process. As a sport-for-development organization, we can’t help but use soccer analogies - and if SWB is our team, Mary has been its committed coach every step of the way. From an all-volunteer organization to a global staff of nearly 100, Mary has led and grown Soccer Without Borders with a passion and a tirelessness admired by all. Joining a nascent SWB in 2007, Mary channeled her commitment to getting girls in the game into launching SWB’s first year-round girls program in Nicaragua. She served as Director of SWB Nicaragua for seven years, growing it to become an anchor for SWB’s global work to advance gender equity. When SWB as a whole grew to the point of needing full-time leadership, Mary was named SWB’s first Executive Director in 2010. Internally, Mary designed and established infrastructure and systems across all aspects of the organization from finance and operations, to program delivery and quality assurance, to people and culture.  As SWB grew, Mary worked to understand the needs, talents and opportunities within the organization, so that she could bring the necessary coaching style to the moment: building new programs, mentoring staff and coaches, fostering a vibrant SWB culture and adapting organizational tactics to meet global challenges and opportunities. Externally, Mary consistently sought out the people, information and connections to support, advance, and sustain SWB. She built bridges and relationships that led to long-term partnerships and financial sustainability. She navigated countless challenges with compassion and integrity - from guiding the organization through socio-political challenges affecting SWB youth and families to rapidly responding to the Covid-19 pandemic with new programmatic tools and a strategy centered around creating belonging. Mary’s resourcefulness, optimism and authenticity as a leader also led to countless opportunities. In the lead up to SWB's 10 year anniversary, Mary led a comprehensive strategic planning process to create a roadmap for SWB's second decade. In this same year, Mary and Founder Ben Gucciardi had the opportunity to lay out this roadmap in Wharton Business School's Lipman Family Prize competition, winning the $250,000 grand prize and unlocking new horizons for the organization. Mary has been a resolute champion for gender equity in sport, including designing the framework for the Goal 5 Accelerator and serving as an expert partner for the Equal Play Effect globally. In 2021, Mary launched SWB Assist to diversify and expand mission delivery, supporting partners to advance gender equity and social inclusion worldwide. Mary has also been an indefatigable recruiter for SWB’s Board of Directors. She nurtured many relationships among SWB community members, drawing people in in a way that made them want to work with her and support SWB. Many SWB supporters have received Mary’s heartfelt gratitude through a thoughtful update or handwritten card. For all of these accolades and many more, Mary’s selflessness stands out today. Even though Mary has been a larger-than-life leader to SWB, Mary built the organization to be bigger than any one person, including herself. Mary helped build SWB to sustain itself without her as its leader, because in her words, “the next generation of SWB leaders is already here”. We wish Mary all the best in all future endeavors - and know that she’ll remain a close friend and collaborator with the SWB community. With deep gratitude, The Soccer Without Borders Board of Directors >> Click here to read our Q&A with Mary Connor

  • Play It Forward 2023: Standout Moments from the World of Soccer

    As we celebrate SWB United, our Play It Forward campaign for 2023, we are excited to share this series of year-end blogs centered around the ways that soccer has the power to inspire, unite, and create a more inclusive and equitable world. For the remainder of the year, join us each Wednesday as we bring you special mission moments, motivating books and movies, inspirational soccer memories, and more – all chosen by SWB staff! **** Over the past few weeks, staff members from across Soccer Without Borders (SWB) have shared the mission moments and inspirational reads that have been a source of motivation throughout the year. This time around, we asked staff and coaches to share memories from the world of soccer that have resonated with them most in 2023 – those moments, big and small, that have fanned the flame of their passion for the global game. As the entries started to pour in, there was one thing that became immediately clear: 2023 was a year full of celebration for the rise of the women's game! Take the Women's World Cup for example: According to FIFA, over 1.7 million match tickets were sold, global TV viewership records were smashed, and historically underrepresented nations found success (for example, China had the highest audience for a single match, a staggering 53.9 million people watched their game against England!) Investing in girls and women creates positive effects that reverberate throughout the course of her life, as well as in her family and community. Research consistently demonstrates that girls who play sports improve academically, make healthier choices, and show increased positive body-image and self-confidence. Despite these numerous benefits, less than 12% of participants in the “world's game” are female. Barriers to girls’ participation in sport stem from a range of factors — including familial obligations, social and cultural norms, economic constraints, and safety concerns — that often reinforce and exacerbate one another. Since many of these factors are deeply rooted in traditional sports models, eradicating them requires proactive, rather than simply reactive, approaches. This is where SWB comes in. We actively work to address barriers of all kinds to make sure that girls from diverse cultural backgrounds can get in the game. One major component of this work includes ensuring that every girl who steps on the pitch has female role models they can look up to. The following stories were chosen as some of the year's most memorable and uplifting moments in women's soccer. More than just feel-good stories, though, they stand as a testiment to the idea that "if she can see it, she can be it." Coach Fahaby and Coach Michell Represent SWB at Festival ‘23 in Sydney, Australia Fahaby Kitimbo, Senior Program Coordinator at our SWB Uganda hub, and Michell Guadamuz, captain of Granada FC and alumna coach at our SWB Nicaragua hub, represented SWB, East Africa and Nicaragua as youth delegates at Festival ‘23, an 8-day youth festival of football for good held in Sydney during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup quarter-final week! Fahaby and Michell were among 70 leaders from 40 countries across the Common Goal community, including representatives from all of the Equal Play Effect regions. While there, they took part in capacity-building workshops, immersive cross-cultural activities, world-class forums, and a fair play football tournament. Upon returning to SWB Uganda and SWB Nicaragua, they had the opportunity to share their experience and learnings with the local SWB community, ensuring that the impact of Festival ‘23 continues to live on. >> Learn more about Fahaby and Michell at Festival ‘23 Linda Caicedo Overcomes Adversity to Inspire at the Women’s World Cup “Linda Caicedo's goal against Germany and Colombia's subsequent World Cup run has to be up there.” - Nora, Director of SWB Assist “Linda Caicedo's first goal in the World Cup and her story.”  - Larkin, SWB Director of Monitoring and Learning Linda Caicedo’s goal against pre-tournament favorites Germany was voted best goal of the 2023 Women’s World Cup and was nominated for a FIFA Puskas Award. The Real Madrid and Columbia Women’s National team forward has become one of the world’s most exciting up and coming footballers, yet, her bravery off the field may be the thing that has inspired us most at SWB. In the article below, learn about Caicedo’s love for the game, overcoming cancer at the age of 15, and the things in her life that motivate her most. >> Linda Caicedo talks overcoming cancer, Colombia’s World Cup run and joining Real Madrid (The Athletic) Sophie Braun’s Jaw Dropping Goal for Argentina at the Women’s World Cup “Former teammate Sophie Braun scoring an absolute BANGER for Argentina against South Africa in the 2023 Women's World Cup to then be nominated for ‘Goal of the World Cup.’” - Sydney, SWB Coach-Mentor Fellow Not only did the Argentina Women's National Team and Club León star score one of the most remarkable goals at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, she is also a friend of SWB who has gone out of her way to encourage our participants by making special appearances at our SWB Colorado and Massachusetts hubs. After Sophie shared her story with SWB Colorado on Zoom, one participant from our Aurora-West site wrote: “my favorite part of [Sophie’s] call was when [she] talked to us about not giving up on your passion and that inspired me to not give up on my passions too.” >> Argentina's Sophia Braun drills a RIDICULOUS goal from DEEP outside the box (Fox Soccer) NY/NJ Gotham FC’s Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly Crowned NWSL Champions “Watching Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly be part of the winning NWSL team. Their journeys over the last few years have been so incredibly challenging and to see their perseverance rewarded with a championship was a storybook ending.” - Mia, SWB People and Culture Coordinator Whether we’re cheering for (friend of SWB) Naomi Girma as she laces up for the San Diego Wave, partnering with Angel City FC on new and innovative initiatives, or creating memories with SWB participants at a live Washington Spirit match, we cherish every opportunity to celebrate the women’s game. Therefore, many of us at SWB staff were delighted to witness Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly, true role models both on and off the pitch, lift the 2023 NWSL championship trophy. >> For Mana Shim, Gotham’s Championship run provided justice, satisfaction and a perfect ending (The Athletic) The South Africa Women’s National Team Spread Joy Through their Voices “The South African women's team getting hyped by singing their traditional music prior to the start of their games” - Sarah, SWB Program Manager Listening to the South Africa Women’s National Team sing with passion and pride is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face. One can’t help but be reminded of two of the mantras that help guide the culture of SWB, “you play best when you’re smiling” and “leave your shoes at the door.” These mantras evoke the values we place on diversity, inclusion, joy, and self-expression – ideas that were beautiflly captured by the South Africa Women's National Team in the clip linked below. >> South Africa women's national football team brought the tunes (ESPN W) The Reggae Girls Make History: Jamaica Qualifies for the Women’s World Knockout Round “The Reggae girl’s performance at the World Cup in spite of their federation (holding their federation accountable).” - Larkin, SWB Director of Monitoring and Learning The Jamaican National Women's Team became the first Caribbean nation ever to advance from the women's group stage. But it wasn't easy getting there, the team had to set up a crowdfunding page to help cover costs associated with playing in the World Cup, including a training camp, food and travel. >> “From GoFundMe to History: Jamaica Qualifies for the Knockout Round” (Newsweek) Rallying around Jenni Hermoso and the Spanish Women’s National Team “Number one would probably be how the Spanish team supported Jenni Hermoso, and each other, and the football world removed an abusive man from his position of power.” - Nora, Director of SWB Assist From our partners at Common Goal: “Sadly, it might be true that if Spain hadn’t won the World Cup, the spotlight that is so needed to highlight the systemic issues and abuses in football wouldn’t be shining where it is needed. The pressure that has been borne out of that victory needs to remain in order to bring about necessary change. But, while keeping those who contributed to a toxic culture accountable, let’s also appreciate the incredible achievements of Spanish players, who accomplished so much on and off the pitch despite a system that did not nourish them to shine their brightest.” >> The Post That Should Have Been (Common Goal) The Memories Made in Our Own Backyards “Reuniting with some old team members in a summer league. Even though we hadn't played or seen each other together in years it felt like we had never left the ‘field’.” - Grace, SWB Coach-Mentor Fellow While many of the moments listed above are a testament to the rise of the women’s game in stadiums, TV sets, and live streams around the world, sometimes the most meaningful soccer memories are the ones that you experience in your own backyard with your own community. For SWB staff members Fahaby and Grace, their favorite soccer memories of 2023 were those that celebrated belonging, community, and the life-long lessons that are learned through sports. “This was a personal moment that I was engaged in”, recalled Fahaby, Senior Program Coordinator at our SWB Uganda hub. “It was the last Saturday of July when I went to play a league with my friends and the format of teams was each team, one girl. We had 4 games that day and 3 of our key players had not come for the league that round. The team was disorganized and scared, we lost the first game and everyone was complaining. Then, we lost the second game as well. As we were going to sit and meditate about the games, one of the key players finally arrived. Going into the game, we had a team meeting and he was so encouraging. He requested everyone to forget about the last two games and focus because we needed the win. We were playing the top team, they had scored 3 and we had 0. But after he encouraged us, we managed to equalize and also we won the game at the end!” >> Read more about our gender equity work >> Make a donation in support of our gender equity programming >> Learn more about SWB United: Play It Forward 2023

  • Audio Interview: Get to Know Alumni Coaches from SWB Massachusetts!

    As part of our SWB United: Play It Forward campaign, we are thrilled to highlight some incredible teammates who began their SWB journeys as participants before becoming youth leaders and eventually official SWB coaches! Last week, SWB Oakland kicked off the series with a fun, lively, and inspirational conversation (click here to listen). Next up, we are excited to head over to the East Coast and shine a spotlight on two amazing alumni coaches from SWB Massachusetts! Recorded live on Twitter (X) Spaces on Friday, December 8th, 2023, this bilingual, podcast-style interview was co-hosted by SWB Executive Director Jennifer Tepper and Program Coordinator Karla Gutierrez and featured alumni coaches Natalia and Edwin! Learn how soccer has played an integral role in providing leadership pathways for these passionate coaches, the importance of having positive mentors in one's life, and much more. Plus, learn all about Coach Natalia and Coach Edwin's very special connections to two of our other SWB hubs!

  • Play It Forward 2023: Inspirational Reads Recommended by SWB Staff

    As we celebrate SWB United, our Play It Forward campaign for 2023, we are excited to share this series of end-of-year blogs centered around the ways that soccer has the power to inspire, unite, and create a more inclusive and equitable world. For the remainder of the year, join us every Wednesday as we bring you special, staff chosen mission moments, motivating books and movies, inspirational soccer memories, and more! **** Last year, from Oakland to Maryland, Massachusetts to Colorado, Nicaragua to Uganda, and globally through SWB Assist, an incredible 111 staff members and 486 volunteers worked to advance the mission of Soccer Without Borders (SWB). These hard working, caring, and passionate individuals – along with the valuable support of local families, community members, and partners – helped ensure that all 4,976 participants served had opportunities to reach their greatest potential, both on and off the soccer field. Hailing from 64 countries of origin and speaking 47 unique languages, many of our participants are newcomers – they are refugee and asylum-seeking youth fleeing some of the world's most challenging and protracted conflicts, seeking safety, stability, and opportunities to build a new home. At SWB, we serve some of society’s most marginalized communities, and as our coaches, volunteers, and staff members can surely attest, this type of work doesn’t come without its challenges. Because of this, we cherish every opportunity to stop and reflect, to look upon that mission moments, big or small, that make every challenge worthwhile. While many of our favorite moments of inspiration come directly from SWB soccer fields and classrooms (check out our recent blog on our top mission moments of 2023), we asked our staff members to share the books they’ve been reading over the past year – the works of fiction and nonfiction that have provided that little extra boost of motivation to their days. As you add these titles to your own reading list, we hope that they inspire, motivate, and resonate. We hope that they can be a reminder that, together, we have the power to create a more inclusive and equitable world. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier By Ishmael Beah (2007) Recommended by Bridget Black, SWB Advancement Manager “In A Long Way Gone, Beah, now twenty-five years old, tells a riveting story: how at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he'd been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. This is a rare and mesmerizing account, told with real literary force and heartbreaking honesty.” Outcasts United By Warren St. John (2009) Recommended by Mia Golin, SWB People and Culture Coordinator “Set against the backdrop of an American town that without its consent had become a vast social experiment, Outcasts United follows a pivotal season in the life of the Fugees and their charismatic coach. Warren St. John documents the lives of a diverse group of young people as they miraculously coalesce into a band of brothers, while also drawing a fascinating portrait of a fading American town struggling to accommodate its new arrivals. At the center of the story is fiery Coach Luma, who relentlessly drives her players to success on the soccer field while holding together their lives—and the lives of their families—in the face of a series of daunting challenges. This fast-paced chronicle of a single season is a complex and inspiring tale of a small town becoming a global community—and an account of the ingenious and complicated ways we create a home in a changing world.” Under the Lights and in the Dark: Untold Stories of Women's Soccer By Gwendolyn Oxenham (2017) Recommended by Sydney Wilson, SWB Coach-Mentor “Under the Lights and in the Dark: Untold Stories of Women's Soccer takes an unprecedented look inside the lives of professional football players around the world – from precarious positions in underfunded teams and leagues, to sold-out stadiums and bright lights. Award-winning filmmaker and journalist Gwendolyn Oxenham tells the stories of the phenoms, underdogs, and nobodies – players willing to follow the game wherever it takes them.” The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom By Helen Thorpe (2017) Recommended by Grace Oberschmidt, SWB Coach-Mentor “From the award-winning, ‘meticulously observant’ author of Soldier Girls and Just Like Us comes a powerful and moving account of how refugee teenagers at a public high school learn English and become Americans, in the care of a compassionate teacher. The Newcomers follows the lives of twenty-two immigrant teenagers throughout the course of the 2015-2016 school year as they land at South High School in Denver, Colorado. These newcomers, from fourteen to nineteen years old, come from nations convulsed by drought or famine or war. Many come directly from refugee camps, after experiencing dire forms of cataclysm. Some arrive alone, having left or lost every other member of their original family.” (Re)Born in the USA: An Englishman's Love Letter to His Chosen Home By Roger Bennett (2021) Recommended by Dustin Alarid, SWB Communications Director “One-half of the celebrated Men in Blazers duo, longtime culture and soccer commentator Roger Bennett traces the origins of his love affair with America, and how he went from a depraved, pimply faced Jewish boy in 1980’s Liverpool to become the quintessential Englishman in New York. A memoir for fans of Jon Ronson and Chuck Klosterman, but with Roger Bennett’s signature pop culture flair and humor. (Re)Born in the USA captures the universality of growing pains, growing up, and growing out of where you come from. Drenched in the culture of the late ’80s and ’90s from the UK and the USA, and the heartfelt, hilarious sense of humor that has made Roger Bennett so beloved by his listeners, here is both a truly unique coming-of-age story and the love letter to America that the country needs right now.” Peach Blossom Spring By Melissa Fu (2022) Recommended by Jennifer Tepper, SWB Executive Director “China, 1938. Meilin and her four-year-old son, Renshu, flee their burning city as Japanese forces advance. On the perilous journey that follows, across a China transformed by war, they find comfort and wisdom in their most treasured possession, a beautifully illustrated hand scroll filled with ancient fables. Years later, Renshu settled in America as Henry Dao. Though his daughter, Lily, is desperate to understand her heritage, he refuses to talk about his childhood in China. How can he tell his story when he's left so much behind? Spanning continents and generations, Peach Blossom Spring is a bold and moving story about the haunting power of our past, the sacrifices we make to protect our children, and one family's search for a place to call home.” Hijab Butch Blues By Lamya H (2023) Recommended by Larkin Brown, SWB Director of Monitoring & Learning “Written with deep intelligence and a fierce humor, Hijab Butch Blues follows Lamya as she travels to the United States, as she comes out, and as she navigates the complexities of the immigration system - and the queer dating scene. At each step, she turns to her faith to make sense of her life, weaving stories from the Quran together with her own experiences: Musa leading his people to freedom; Allah, who is neither male nor female; and Nuh, who built an ark, just as Lamya is finally able to become the architect of her own story. Raw and unflinching, Hijab Butch Blues heralds the arrival of a truly original voice, asking powerful questions about gender and sexuality, relationships, identity and faith, and what it means to build a life of one's own.” Americanah By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2023) Recommended by Sarah Stengl Keras, SWB Program Manager “As teenagers in a Lagos secondary school, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military dictatorship, and people are fleeing the country if they can. Ifemelu--beautiful, self-assured--departs for America to study. She suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses relationships and friendships, all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home: race. Obinze – the quiet, thoughtful son of a professor – had hoped to join her, but post-9/11 America will not let him in, and he plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London.” (Editor's note: the views and opinions expressed by the above authors and publishers do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Soccer Without Borders. Read about the SWB mission and vision here.) Now that you have some brand new editions to your winter reading list, learn more about: >> SWB United: Play It Forward 2023 >> Our approach to serving refugee and newcomer youth >> Our gender equity programming >> Play Proud, an initiative to provide safer spaces for LGBTQ+ youth

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