SWB Summer Highlights

Soccer Without Borders-Summer 2011 Highlights

Issue No. 5

Dear Friends,

The sounds of school bells ringing and referees' whistles blowing means that fall seasons are upon us, officially bringing summer to a close. We'd like to welcome the colder, crisper months by sharing some summer highlights and exciting SWB news. With new staff members on the domestic side, new interns internationally, a new office in Boston, and hundreds of new faces on the field, it was a busy summer! As always, we are so grateful for your ongoing support; we could not work toward positive change without the kindness and generosity of so many.

Sincerely,
The Soccer Without Borders Team

www.soccerwithoutborders.org

SWB Welcomes New Interns and Staff

For the second year in a row, SWB brought together its international intern class for a week of training, while serving as coaches at the Oakland Refugee Community Camp. In addition to learning that Brittany is better known as Babs (she loves elephants), that the Alex's will turn anything competitive, and that Travis and Nick intend to challenge facial hair records while living in Uganda, the group enjoyed a jam-packed week of training in Sports-based Youth Development, Coaching and Team-building activities, Program Management, and strategies for working and living abroad. The group traveled to their new homes in Granada, Nicaragua and Kampala, Uganda in August. Stateside, thanks to the the generous support of Up2Us, SWB has hired Prospero Herrera and Danny Kim as two new coaches in Oakland, and Lindsey Whitford as a full-time AmeriCorps VISTA in Boston. Read more about the new SWB staff!

SWB Summer Camps Serve Newcomer Refugee and Immigrant Youth in Three California Cities

Coach Reyzinho and Camper

Building on the success of the Oakland Refugee Community Soccer camp, which recently completed its fifth year, SWB hosted camps in three California cities this summer for newcomer refugee and immigrant youth. At Cesar Chavez Field in Oakland, SWB hosted four weeks of camps in partnership with the Oakland Unified School District Transitional Students and Families Department, providing more than 175 students with a safe, fun environment for summer learning and play. For the second year in a row, SWB teamed up with Refugee Transitions in San Jose, CA to host a two week program for refugee youth in the San Jose area, running soccer, yoga, health education and team-building activities for youth from Iraq, Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia. In Los Angeles, CA, SWB board member and former U.S. World Cup star John O'Brien organized and ran the first ever Los Angeles Refugee Community Soccer Camp in Glendale, CA in partnership with the International Rescue Committee of Los Angeles.

SWB Holds First Seminar and Culture Exchange for High School Students in Granada, Nicaragua

From July 9-17, 14 high schoolers from seven states around the U.S. participated in the first annual HS Sports-Based Youth Development Seminar and Cultural Exchange in Granada, Nicaragua. The week was ripe with unique program activities that saw the SWB Granada teams work together with the US high schoolers around the theme of "World Cup". Additionally, the trip participants had thechance to immerse themselves in Nicaraguan culture

Exchange Participants outside the SWB office in Granada!

through home-stays, language and cooking classes, and local field trips. The trip also made space for investigation and reflection, as the Seminar leaders Myra Sack, Becky Poskin, and Alexa Kokinos led seminar-style discussions around the topic of international sports-based youth development. All in all, it
was a great week of collaboration, learning, and exchange!

Ambassador Spotlight: Julia Blanco

We wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the tremendous efforts of SWB Ambassador Julia Blanco. Since the winter, Julia has hosted two major events in her area, including a clinic for under-served youth in Pasadena with a visit