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Launched in January 2023, the Inspira podcast, hosted by Erika Mueller Chen, is an interview-based podcast that provides career advice and stories from global change-makers in Sport for Development, Social Impact, and the Diplomatic Service. In the series, the host – a consultant for the International Platform on Sport and Development and Advisory Board member for the Journal of Sport for Development – has interviewed inspirational leaders representing organizations such as FC Barcelona, Women Win, Laureus, Yunus Sports Hub, The Center for Healing and Justice through Sport, GIZ and more. Episode 11 features Soccer Without Borders' very own Bruno Contreras, the director of our Massachusetts hub. In the episode, Bruno shares about the origins of BarcaRoma, his personal journey from Mexico City to Boston, and the challenges of being a newcomer in the United States. In addition, Bruno gives insight into how Soccer Without Borders works to create belonging and to build a sense of home for newcomer youth of all backgrounds. Tune into the full episode via your favorite podcast app or by clicking on one of the following links. You definitely won't want to miss it! Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube

At Soccer Without Borders (SWB), we aim to make our teams feel like family. This means that, even after participants graduate and move on to pursue the next step in their adult lives, they will always have a home within the SWB Community. Every December at SWB Oakland, we look forward to welcoming back familiar faces for one of the most exciting events of the year: Alumni tournaments! Alumni tournaments unite former and current participants in a day of fun, play, and celebration. Alumni tournaments in Oakland are an opportunity for alumni to return to the space, reconnect with their coaches and mentors, and form new bonds with each other and with younger participants. When alumni create relationships with participants, it allows younger participants to see others that have had similar experiences, and lets them envision a positive future for themselves. And keeping alumni actively involved in programs allows them to benefit from the space even after they’ve graduated. Having served the Bay Area for more than 15 years, SWB Oakland has a robust alumni network. This year, over 40 alumni boys and 20 alumni girls joined the tournaments alongside current participant youth. In many ways, the event embodies all of SWB’s mantras and provides a joyful and safe space for all. Check out some of the photos below to see how SWB’s mantras played out throughout Oakland’s alumni tournaments! You Play Best When You’re Smiling At SWB, we believe that joy is infectious: When coaches and staff are smiling, participants will smile too. And when we all show up with happiness in our hearts and on our faces, our community can be built on foundations of positivity and brightness. Coach Ben embodied this with our SWB alumni girls, creating laughter and joy on the sidelines. Leave Your Shoes at the Door The SWB community is made up of people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. We are always trying to learn from each other, and to approach that learning with authenticity and humility. Here, SWB boys from different teams and ages join together arm in arm for a cheer. Their love and enthusiasm for one another, and unity on the pitch, shows their acceptance and inclusion of each other regardless of their differences. Know the “Thingy-Thingy” As newcomers who are on a journey to learn English, our participants do not always know how to express their feelings and thoughts. At SWB, we work to support participants in understanding their emotions, giving them space to process, and helping them better express themselves. Here, program manager Maddy Boston leads participants at the girls’ alumni tournament in a breathing exercise before the day begins. Moments like these allow participants to ground themselves in the moment and settle into their emotions before a big day. Celebrate the Pass More the Goal At SWB, we recognize the long-term nature of working with youth. Positive change doesn’t happen all at once, and to ensure that youth see themselves growing, we aim to celebrate the small moments of success and the process of growth that has developed over time. Here, SWB alumni girls gather at the end of the day with the tournament trophy. This group of players encompass many years of SWB programming with some girls having participated more than five years ago. Seeing them come back to the SWB soccer field and celebrating their growth across time is a meaningful part of the Alumni Tournaments. We’re Glad You’re Here Everyone – from participants to staff, parents to volunteers – should feel welcome, included, and accepted at SWB. Setting a positive and welcoming tone allows us to build a safe space where everyone can come as their authentic selves. Here, an alumni participant reunites with an SWB coach after many years apart. This embrace between player and coach embodies the welcoming spirit of SWB. Get Them to the Field SWB participants face challenges getting to the field. Many of these barriers of participation can not be so easily seen. Therefore, an important role of SWB coaches is to uncover these barriers and proactively find ways to help overcome them, ensuring that all youth have the opportunity to participate. Although an all-day rain storm tried to spoil the boys’ alumni tournament, participants did not let it stop them. Despite the weather, they were eager and excited to get to the field and to be in community with one another.

Soccer Without Borders (SWB) is pleased to announce that Matt Kaiser has been named Director of Soccer Without Borders Colorado. Thanks to years of experience, including multiple leadership roles at Big Brothers Big Sisters Colorado, Matt brings a sharp youth development lens, a strong perspective on building culture and programs, and meaningful experience with the foundation and government funding landscape in Colorado. Soccer Without Borders first started programming in Greeley, Colorado in 2011, in partnership with Lutheran Family Services and the former W-League club, Colorado Force, in response to a rapid influx of refugee families to the city. After nearly a decade of serving refugee youth and families in Greeley, the hub began to expand its sphere of services to include Greater Denver, centered around a partnership with the Aurora Public Schools ACTION Zone. Today, SWB Colorado serves over 600 newcomer youth from 29 countries of origin annually through our holistic TEAM programs during the school year and summer months, as well as camps and clinics. As Colorado’s refugee and newcomer population continues to grow, including over 2,500 Afghan arrivals since October 2021, the need for programs like SWB that are uniquely designed to support newcomer youth has also grown. SWB Colorado aims to continue working alongside school districts and community partners to address this need. “Matt’s positive energy and commitment to youth development stood out from the start,” said Lindsey Whitford, SWB Managing Director of Programs. “SWB Colorado is continuing to grow in reach and depth, and we are thrilled to have Matt leading the hub team during this important and exciting time.” Matt is passionate about social work, youth development, and the beautiful game of soccer (especially his beloved Borussia Dortmund). He’s a self-guided learner who, while working full-time, completed a Masters in Social Work at Colorado State University. He is looking forward to applying this learning to further cultivate safe spaces for newcomer youth across SWB. “The opportunity I have had to work in a helping profession for almost nine years through my time with Big Brothers Big Sisters has been a life-changing experience for me,” says Matt. “The prospect of being able to serve in a similar way while also combining a personal passion of mine for the game of soccer is incredibly exciting to me.” Join us in welcoming Matt to the SWB team. We’re glad you’re here!

At Baltimore’s Vanguard Collegiate Middle School, as soon as the last bell rings, there is an excitement that fills the halls as students pour out of their classrooms. The volume spikes as hundreds of conversations happen simultaneously. Students head for the exits, and just as quickly as the volume spiked, it dips back down as the halls empty. All is quiet, except for the Media Room. The Media Room at Vanguard is filled with music, laughter, and Soccer Without Borders (SWB) participants as they wait for the start of programming for the day. Last school year, SWB Baltimore offered programming to 180 middle grades students through our school-based programming model. English language learners (ELLs) at Lansdowne, Dundalk and Vanguard Middle Schools engaged in 700 hours of after-school soccer practice and academic enrichment throughout 36 weeks of the school year. Partnerships directly with schools are an effective way to meet newcomer students where they are. By providing food and minimizing the need to travel, school-based programs are able to reach even the newest newcomers, who may not yet have the language skills or social confidence to navigate between activities. Embedding Soccer Without Borders at a school provides easier and more frequent communication between students and coaches, as well as between coaches, teachers, and other school support systems, allowing for closer supervision and intervention when required. For a lot of newcomer students, school can be an exciting but stressful place. Newcomer youth are navigating a new education system and social structure at school, all while learning English. Soccer Without Borders programming is designed to create a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space where students can express themselves with or without words. Having a Soccer Without Borders program present at a school helps to extend that space into the school environment, during and after the school day. Students can drop in and chat with a coach about how their day has been, what they are excited about and what they need help with. It shrinks the time lag between something happening at school and turning to a SWB Coach for support. The typical after-school routine at Soccer Without Borders is to play soccer, eat supper, and then do homework or practice English with the support of volunteer tutors and mentors. Because we are present within the school and aware of each individual’s academic needs, we are able to leverage this time more effectively to provide targeted academic support and enrichment to participants. Coaches can follow up with teachers and together make sure that every student gets the additional support they need to achieve growth and success in the classroom. During the height of the pandemic, coaches from Dundalk and Vanguard Middle School programs assisted SWB youth in navigating online learning at a time when students at large were experiencing isolation and a huge shift in their learning environment. Coaches held virtual practice sessions, joined Zoom classes and provided academic assistance to students helping them not fall behind in their classes. Bringing elements of team-building and movement-based activities into the virtual classroom helped to keep students engaged and reduce frustration. Just like soccer, youth development is a team sport. School-Based Programming allows SWB to leverage its relationships with teachers, school administrators, nurses and counselors to better serve newcomer students. The result? While just 45% of Baltimore City Schools English language learners graduated high school, 98% of English language learners participating in Soccer Without Borders graduated on time.

Launched in 2019 and expanded in 2020 with support from Beyond Sport and Laureus Sport for Good, the Kampala Girls League (KGL) is a signature program of Soccer Without Borders (SWB) Uganda, designed to advance gender equality on the soccer pitch. In Uganda, women’s and girls' soccer is still underdeveloped and largely only accessible through university and private schools; the Kampala Girls League was created by SWB to provide girls at the grassroots level a platform to play, compete, connect, have fun, promote fair play, and develop leadership skills. During every school holiday in Kampala, the KGL provides a safe and fun environment for 12-15 weeks per year for more than 450 girls. KPL programs are designed for girls between the ages of 12 and 18 in the cities of Kampala and Entebbe, Uganda. In order for women's soccer to take shape in the region, it is pivotal that investments are made in girls at a young age and at the grassroots level. We believe that “if she can see it she can be it” which, for KGL, means prioritizing women role models on the pitch and on the sidelines. The KGL model is unique in the fact that it is pure “radical football” methodology. Teams are also not rewarded based on the rules of conventional soccer, instead, the KGL design allows multiple teams to win. More than scoring goals, other accomplishments awarded to teams include those who are most punctual, those who acquire the most “fair play” points, best goal celebration, favorite opponent, and more. The teams crowned as divisional champions are decided by a combination of match points and fair-play points. The League is managed by the Soccer Without Borders Youth Council and has become a perfect avenue to develop youth leadership skills. The Youth Council includes 10 SWB Uganda participants, six of whom are certified youth referees by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA). The central referee, together with the match official and team captains, meet at the end of each game to reflect on the match and to award a maximum of two additional points. Since its inception three years ago, the momentum of the league in Kampala has continued to grow. The latest season of the league, which originally began with six teams, is now set to welcome over 30 all-girl teams across three divisions. While this rapid growth is certainly exciting, the most important thing is that it means that each and every participant within these teams are growing their love for the game, making new friends, and strengthening skills toward fulfilling their greatest potential. >> Follow the Kampala Girls League on Facebook

Soccer Without Borders (SWB) People and Culture Coordinator Mia Golin has been selected to participate in Women Win’s Coach In Your Corner Program, a program that supports sports-based youth development practitioners in promoting mental health. Over the course of one year, the cohort will meet to learn how to lead conversations about mental health with adolescent girls, support girls in their mental health journeys, and refer them to other care. Cohort members come from across the world and across numerous sporting contexts. The exchange of ideas from diverse perspectives will help to propel not only SWB’s work, but help to advance mental health practices in the sports-based youth development sector. When staff like Mia have the opportunity to be a part of programs like this one, they can bring new and innovative ideas and practices back to the greater SWB community, contributing to stronger and more inclusive programs. Addressing adolescent mental health is vital, especially right now, and especially amongst refugee and immigrant youth. Refugee youth are 12 times more likely to experience major depression than their US-born peers, and the pandemic has only led to even greater instances of mental health complications amongst youth. As SWB continues to provide mental health support for participants, this program will bring valuable insight into best practices and responsible implementation methods. Below, you’ll find an interview with Coach Mia about her interest in the program and her hopes for how it can lead to more positive outcomes. What is your “why” for working at SWB? I grew up with a “different” approach to coaching. I had really inclusive coaches who cared more about me and my teammates as people than as players. And I don't think I really started realizing until I got older and started playing more and more teams that there are more coaches out there who don't think that way. I think that not only is SWB full of those coaches, we also actually know how to teach that and are interested in teaching it and not just holding it for ourselves. So I think the reason I'm here now is to take what we do and how we do it, and make it as accessible to, I guess, every coach. Not just soccer, but any sport. What attracted you to the Coach in Your Corner Program? First off, because it was focused on girls. I think there are so many barriers for girls in sport and I think people are starting to pay more attention and focus on it. But I think sometimes the focus gets so narrowed into the barriers themselves. For example, appropriate clothing. People get really, really focused on, “okay, let's make sure they have sports bras and make sure they have this,” and kind of forget to slow down and think about how even if we're addressing those barriers, the fact that they exist still affects the mental health of these kids. I think I appreciate that the series is solely focused on mental health. It's pretty narrowed down to just that. And I like that the series takes place over a full year, which I feel is a more appropriate amount of time to address such an issue. I think, you know, you can go to a workshop that lasts a couple hours and you can talk about it, and that's good to get the conversation going. Yeah. But it doesn't mean you have time to really figure out how to address something, or build a toolbox to hand coaches or practice skills for interactions with kids. I believe in hope that this will actually lead to some impact. What are you most excited to learn about? In the first meeting we got to determine the content as a group, which I think is part of why it's so long, which is really interesting. So we had breakout rooms, discussions, came back, synthesized, and voted on topics. So the facilitators, which include multiple people with PhDs in various related subjects and counselors are actually creating the content for those subjects. I think probably the one that I think will be the most helpful, is there's gonna be a session that the entire thing plus a follow up focuses on the actual conversations you have with kids. So practicing when kids say something to you, share something with you, how do you respond? What should your body language be like? What are phrases that are actually helpful? And then the follow up. I guess it's a lot of setting yourself and the kid up for success, not over promising, not putting all the weight on yourself, but still making them feel like you care and that what they're saying is important. Why do you think incorporating mental health awareness and understanding into programming is important? For both coaches and young people. I think for coaches it's most important for them to be aware of their own mental health and to take it into account because it's the only way we can make what we do sustainable. Nobody who does what we do lacks motivation, passion, or love for young people, but that means they are at such a high risk for things like burnout and depression. If we want our youth to prioritize their mental health then the best way we can get them to do it is by showing them how we are doing it ourselves. For young people, they face challenges on and off the field every day. Too often nobody talks to them or teaches them about mental health until they are already deeply struggling. So incorporating a focus on mental health as a normal and consistent part of programming seems like a no brainer. There is already so much trust and care in a well built team it makes for the perfect space to have tough conversations and for youth to learn to build connections that can support them in everything they do. What do you think is special about spaces like this? I think that the diversity in coaches in sports means that the experiences we have with kids are even more diverse. There's a few coaches who do skateboarding in England, and so the youth they work with are nothing like the youth that I work with. So to be able to bring in stories and experiences from that many different types of youth to one space I think is pretty special. And then from the coaches themselves, I think the cultural aspect of mental health has been super interesting. Coaches who are originally from France, England, various parts of the United States, and Africa I believe. So it's just layers and layers and layers of everything, which again makes it feel like we're addressing the topic to the depth that it should be addressed and not just superficially. How do you think this program will contribute to SWB’s programming? I think everyone designing this training isn't just focusing on the youth, but also the coach in those various contexts. So coach wellbeing, coach health, and I think that that thread is running through. If we're talking about how to have these conversations with kids, the focus is of course on helping the kid end up in the best spot possible, but it's also about how are you taking care of yourself in that moment so that when you walk away from the conversation, you don't feel guilty and you don't feel like things are unresolved. That's kind of the piece I'm hoping to bring back to SWB. I think it's something we have always valued and cared about and maybe just haven't known how to actually go about prioritizing it. And I feel like we are starting to do that between sending a coach to attend something like this and bringing that information back, designing a few conversation series, and including some external facilitators that also focus on giving coaches the actual tools to take care of themselves.

U.S. Women’s National Team and San Diego Wave Defender Naomi Girma recently joined SWB for a storytelling event where she spoke about community, activism, and continuing to make positive change in soccer. In 2019, Girma captained Stanford to win the Women’s College Cup, and in 2022 was the first pick in the NWSL draft and named Rookie of the Year. Her accolades, however, extend far beyond the pitch, as she has used her platform and voice to advocate for positive and necessary changes both in the soccer world and beyond. The Storytelling Event was part of SWB’s annual Play It Forward campaign, which raises funds for SWB’s free, year-round programming for newcomer youth. This year, the Play It Forward Campaign is highlighting different individuals and groups that are making positive change across the soccer world. The event showcased SWB’s work, interviewing staff alongside Girma to talk about initiatives that SWB is involved in to make soccer spaces more inclusive — from Switch the Pitch to Play Proud to developing equity as a core value. On how she got her start in soccer “As you mentioned, I’m first generation, my family’s from Ethiopia. That’s actually how I started playing soccer. My dad started this thing called Maleda Soccer in the Bay Area and it was pretty much Ethiopians getting together on Saturday and playing soccer and having a barbecue. Soccer definitely wasn’t the focus, but it was a way for the kids and parents to get together to have that shared community as we were all going through the same experience. So that’s how I started playing soccer and I think that’s when I really fell in love with soccer. It was really for fun — there were no stakes, no pressure, just me playing with my brother and our friends and having fun. On her experience at Stanford [Stanford] was a dream for me, especially growing up in the Bay. To get a scholarship there was such a huge help for my family and just a big opportunity for me to challenge myself in a way I'd never been challenged before. It showed me opportunities I didn't know where possible and exposed me to a whole new world. Even the opportunity to be a professional soccer player, I didn't know that was there for me, or play for the national team, or start a business, both on and off the field. So I think Stanford really tested me and stretched me and really shaped who I am today. On the support of her communities over time I think one of the most special things about the communities I’ve been a part of is that they’re still with me now. As I left Maleda, they were always cheering me on. I would try to go back when I could, just to play. Then as I went on a lot of my club friends and teammates have come to games in San Diego and same with Stanford. So it’s just been great to have those communities continue to support me and I try to support them as much as I can. On the moment that she realized that the game could create real change I think the biggest moment that stands out to me was 2020 during BLM [Black Lives Matter] and a lot of protesting. As a team we just got on a Zoom call and said, “We have to do something, we have to say something.” We ended up putting a statement out on our Stanford women’s soccer Instagram and Twitter, which I don't think a team had really done before. It’s always from the admin, never from the players saying what we wanted to say. And I think we realized that that’s our power, that’s our platform and people are following these things to hear from us… People still listened and wanted to hear from us and us doing something, saying something still made an impact. And so I think that was the first time I realized how powerful soccer and sports can be beyond winning on the field. We ended up putting a fundraiser together and for me, the most interesting part was seeing how receptive people were to it. We always knew we had these things, but we never thought people would listen or want to hear it. But I think a lot of athletes during 2020 kind of found their voice and realized that not only do we have the opportunities, we also have a responsibility to use these platforms that are given to us now to create change. On creating positive change in and through soccer There’s a lot of good and bad that happened, especially this year. I think it being my first year as a pro I learned a lot. One of the main things that I took away, this generation right now kind of feels the responsibility to keep pushing the game forward and pushing for change. Now being a part of the national team and going to our players association meeting, the things we talk about are never about soccer, it’s about equal pay or how to keep pushing the standards for other federations, not just in the US. And just really making sure that we’re driving things forward. So I think that's been really inspiring for me, just to see older players teaching me this is how it’s done, this is what we do. And I think it’s really important that they’re passing their wisdom onto us, because soon it’ll be us that will be pushing the change. On the role she sees herself playing in that change The main role I see in the upcoming year is that I'm part of the U.S. Soccer Safety Task Force and I’m on the Response and Reporting Subcommittee. It’s a group of athletes, lawyers, and admin, and an older athlete asked me to be on it and I think I was honored that they asked me and I’m honored to be a part of that because it’s one of the main responses to the Yates report. And it’s in the beginning stages but it's exciting to see the leadership from Mana Shim and the work that they’re willing to put in to just make soccer a safer sport across the U.S. and really put these protections in places so that starting all the way from youth soccer to being a pro you’re protected and you’re focusing on your game. So that’s the main way I see myself being involved this year, and then I'm hoping to just continue learning from the older players and as years go on continue pushing for change and making sure we’re not getting complacent in what has happened so far. On advice she has for her younger self I think as a soccer player: Don’t compare yourself. I think because I didn’t play [in one] of the larger clubs where a lot of people were playing college, I doubted myself alot instead of being confident in myself and showing up as I am and playing how I play. Having confidence in the work I put in even though it didn’t look like everyone else. Off the field I would tell myself to use my platform earlier. A lot of times I feel like people don’t want to hear from me or dont’ want to listen, but I think just telling myself that there’s a power in speaking out. And there are people you can impact, and even if it impacts one person it's a win. No matter how big or small you think that platform is, it’s still powerful. On her parents’ reaction to her becoming a professional athlete My dad re-watches my games! And my mom is just so excited, she would drive me everywhere but at first she didn’t really understand. She didn’t know offsides. I feel like me and her learned everything together. But she’s loved it, she’s been to most games in San Diego because it’s an hour flight. And she went to her first National Team game that I was playing in in November, it was in New Jersey. She includes herself, saying “we won!” or “we lost.” It’s pretty great that they’re experiencing it with me, too. You can watch the full recording of the event here!

Soccer Without Borders (SWB) Co-Founder and Executive Director Mary Connor was recently featured in Soccer America, the oldest soccer-specific media publisher in the United States. In light of the recent 2022 Men's World Cup, the article, entitled "Mary Connor on Soccer's Power to Create a Sense of Belonging", connects the global impact of the game with SWB's mission: "For millions of people around the globe, borders mean something much different. Facing pressures of politics or poverty, they leave the land of their birth for an uncertain future. The journey is especially wrenching for children. Arriving in a new place, they must learn a new language, make new friends, learn new customs. Soccer can be a crucial bridge. The field is where they meet people, are active, and – perhaps for the first time in their lives – get to be kids." From moving to Germany as a child to lacing up her boots as a professional soccer player, the article by sharing the Mary's journey from player, coach, to co-founder of SWB. "As a player and a coach, Connor kept track of statistics. Now she understands that 'soccer is not about numbers. It's about connections. That's what makes the world of soccer so meaningful.' And although it's a world with borders, her organization proves that soccer can move far beyond them." >> Read the entire SoccerAmerica.com article here

What do Ted Lasso and Soccer Without Borders (SWB) have in common? There is no mistaking the fact that the beloved fictional coach of AFC Richmond and the SWB community BELIEVE in the power of soccer to create positive change around the world. As a Ted Lasso co-creator, writer, and actor, Brendan is already shaping the conversation on how to coach with empathy, welcoming, fun, and inclusion. Together with co-star Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, the coaching pair see the humanity and potential of each of their players and staff, supporting them to overcome fears, move past ego, and build one another up. They make a strong case that the how of coaching is more important than the what. At Soccer Without Borders, we share that belief, and articulate our coaching culture through six mantras: We're glad you're here Leave your shoes at the door Get them the field Celebrate the pass more than the goal Know the thingy thingy You play best when you're smiling The connection does not end there, though! We are thrilled to announce that on January 19th, Brendan "Coach Beard" Hunt will be playing Celebrity Jeopardy! in support of Soccer Without Borders. Learn from Brendan himself by watching the video linked above! >> Visit the Celebrity Jeopardy! Website >> Follow Soccer Without Borders on Instagram

On December 19th, Soccer Without Borders (SWB) was to chosen as one of Mogul's Top 100 Companies with Inclusive Benefits, a distinction recognizing those who are making enormous strides towards building more inclusive, equitable, and diverse workplaces. As a youth development organization, we know how essential it is to practice what we preach. Every aspect of the culture of welcoming, inclusion, and belonging that we implement within our programs with youth, we also incorporate into our staff culture. Our six mantras define this culture and were designed by a representative group of program practitioners from across our hubs. They are: - We're glad you're here - Leave your shoes at the door - You play best when you're smiling - Get them to the field - Know the thingy thingy - Celebrate the pass more than the goal With staff from 9 different countries speaking 16 different languages, our team has a wide range of lived experiences in addition to being racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse. As an LGBTQ+ co-founder, we have prioritized inclusive and welcoming staffing practices since the very beginning, enshrining these in our core values of authenticity, process-orientation, equity, and a whole person approach. One example of living these values through our policies is our compensation benchmarking process, which ensures pay equity within the organization across locations, including equitable pay for our international teammates in Nicaragua and Uganda whom capitalist markets drastically under value and exploit. Our compensation philosophy and guidelines set wage ratios between levels and ties executive compensation to the mean compensation of full-time employees. Ultimately, the best indicator of a healthy workplace is our retention, which has remained over 90% year-over-year on average for the last 5 straight years, including a 97% retention rate during Covid-19. We attribute this not to exorbitant salaries (we don't have those) but to listening to what staff value most, and being a workplace where everyone can bring their whole selves, every day. Most recently, we conducted a "Stay" Survey as a part of our Compensation benchmarking process, to determine what benefits staff say "keep them working here". Of ten indirect and direct benefits listed, staff ranked team culture, enjoyable teammates, inspiring leadership, and opportunities for professional development and growth above salary, time off, and other benefits like health care. Thank you Mogul for selecting us and thank you to everyone in the SWB Community for doing your part to make SWB a truly inclusive place, both on and off the pitch! Learn more: https://blog.onmogul.com/top-100-companies-with-inclusive-benefits-2022

Joy is contagious. There is nothing that beats the feeling of being together with teammates and mentors, laughing and learning together. Yet the number one reason that kids quit sports is that it's not fun. Creating joyful and fun sport spaces starts by understanding that players are whole people who come to the field with complex stories, feelings, experiences, and stressors. Our mantra "You play best when you're smiling" isn't only about fun and joy, but also about how we incorporate self-care and care for others. Many of our participants have experienced acute trauma through forced displacement; many also experience chronic trauma from exposure to community violence, poverty, and unsafe schools and neighborhoods. We incorporate trauma-informed coaching strategies like opening and closing circles, patterned, rhythmic, repetitive behaviors, and predictable, consistent transitions in order to create a sense of safety and promote healing. This year, our annual Play It Forward campaign celebrated 32 stories from 32 Men's World Cup countries, each detailing how soccer is creating belonging and uplifting communities around the world. Below, we have highlighted five stories which have captured the spirit of our "You Play Best When You're Smiling" mantra.

At Soccer Without Borders, we serve youth participants from over 70 countries of origin who speak more than 50 languages. It's impossible to know, understand, and practice every cultural norm within our diverse community. But what we can do, every day, in every program, is embed respect and cultural humility between participants, coaches, volunteers, staff, and families into the fabric of our organization. In many cultures, it's a show of respect and cultural humility to "Leave your shoes at the door." For our participants, this looks like not only sharing aspects of their own culture - foods, words, holidays, and music are all great ways - with others, but also being curious and open to learning about teammates' cultures. Through mutual empathy and openness, teams start to feel like family, and SWB feels like home. This year, our annual Play It Forward campaign is celebrating 32 stories from 32 Men's World Cup countries, each detailing how soccer is creating belonging and uplifting communities around the world. Below, we have highlighted five stories which have captured the spirit of our "Leave Your Shoes at the Door" mantra.