Atlanta Soccer Community Sticks Together
We recognize in times like this we have to adapt. The needs of our youth, their families, and communities have significantly shifted.
We recognize in times like this we have to adapt. The needs of our youth, their families, and communities have significantly shifted.
We've talked with parents, players, and community leaders and identified two main areas of need: education and food security. These needs are the rationale behind our three current response projects "At Home Skills", "Slices and Strikes” and the “Food Corps”.
Our At-Home Skills project pairs fun creative learning activities like reading, writing, and drawing with soccer skills. Lessons are taught by SITS coaches in one-on-one sessions with their players. This has been successful as we engage with the youth players and keep them active during this time. Over the last six weeks, our instructors have taught 512 sessions with 103 kids. We will continue to work with the kids and keep up the positive energy!
“I know each week when he is on the phone with Coach Justin, he gets a sense of excitement and motivation,” said Vine City Parent, Ms. Aziz. “I can count on him to be focused and attentive when he is working on his writing and soccer skills.”
With our Slices and Strikes project, we are providing free hot meals and soccer balls to youth in East Point that most need our support. Over the past five weeks, we have provided over 470 meals and soccer balls to families and we recently launched the project in the Clarkston Community!
“Globally, soccer is the most popular sport, and I’m sure pizza is its most popular post-game meal. So, it makes sense to combine two things that everybody loves,” said East Point Parent, Joshua McCoy. “My son is a member of the East Point Club and during these times, it’s been comforting for him to keep up his weekly post-soccer diet and practicing soccer skills. As well as seeing his coach every week has been a reminder that things may be different, but we’ll get through it together.”
Lastly, we have launched our Food Corps project to support organizations delivering groceries to families in need. On the Westside we are partnering with the Westside Future Fund and through 5 weeks of work we have packed over 950 bags! In Clarkston we recently started working with Envision Atlanta. Over the last 2 weeks we’ve packed 150 bags for delivery.
“We are wanting to take care of the residences in our Soccer in the Streets community like Westside and Clarkston”, said SITS Director of Programs, Tony Carter. “We have been bagging hundreds of goods for families every Thursday with our coaches and know we are making a positive impact during this time.”
We know during these uncertain times that we need to stick together and stronger than the soccer community in Atlanta. We are thankful to have partners like Atlanta United, Arthur Blank Foundation, and the Chestnut Family Foundation that have given us tremendous support during this time with our COVID-19 relief projects.
Check out our data dashboard below from the relief projects!
Clarkston Program Alumni Graduates From Georgia State University
Congrats to one of our own Soccer in the Streets, Clarkston Program Alumni Muhoza K. Valence on graduating from Georgia State University!
We are very proud of you, what an accomplishment!
Congrats to one of our own Soccer in the Streets, Clarkston Program Alumni Muhoza K. Valence on graduating from Georgia State University!
We are very proud of you, what an accomplishment!
From Muhoza:
When I came to America in 2010, it was a country that was new to me. With not able to speak the language yet, one thing that I spoke was the language of soccer. One day a friend of mine knocked on my door and said, let’s go to the community center and play soccer for the Soccer in the Streets team. I didn’t know what Soccer in the Streets was yet, but I decided to go.
It was the best decision I could have made. Soccer in the Streets ended up having a big impact on me growing up. I was able to play soccer with my friends almost every day, and that helped me stay away for any troubles that could have jeopardized what I wanted my future to be
He also adds-
Apart from soccer, there also focused on us doing well in school. As I grew older in the program, Soccer in the Streets provided me with the opportunity to be able to ref soccer games and eventually ended up being a coach for them. Being a coach taught me the importance of leadership and discipline. I am forever grateful to Soccer in the Streets.
A Young Boy Benefitting From The At Home Learning Program
One coach may not realize the impact he or she has on a kid. A coach who has now turned into a male role model to a young boy, helps him navigate how to stay positive during this time. Vine City youth player, Hasan Aziz, has seen just that from his coach, Justin McCarroll, as he is navigating through this difficult time in life as a ten-year-old boy in Castleberry Hill neighborhood.
Youth Players Benefitting From The At
Home Learning Program
One coach may not realize the impact he or she has on a kid. A coach who has now turned into a male role model to a young boy, helps him navigate how to stay positive during this time. Vine City youth player, Hasan Aziz, has seen just that from his coach, Justin McCarroll, as he is navigating through this difficult time in life as a ten-year-old boy in Castleberry Hill neighborhood.
After two weeks of being involved in the At-Home Skills project, Aziz has seen much improvement in his skills and confidence. The players and coaches set up weekly calls to discuss how their writing and soccer activities are going. And the coach is there throughout the process to provide support and help the kids stay on track.
“I enjoy being able to chat with each player one-on-one over video chat”, said McCarroll. “I am able to walk them through writing activities and soccer skills with no distraction so they are staying motivated.”
Coach Justin demonstrating soccer activities via video chat to youth players
The writing activities which are new for the youth players seem to be helping the kids think outside the box. For example, the first writing assignment was to write what their community meant to them and create a poem about their community. Aziz has a niche for writing and saw this activity as something fun.
“I have always enjoyed writing in my spare time,” said Aziz. “Just like soccer, I am able to express myself in a way that gives me confidence and helps me be creative.”
As the project has benefited the kids, it has also given the parents a sense of encouragement. Aziz’s mom, Halimah Aziz, is a single mother of two kids and is also having to work from home during this time. With the kid’s schoolwork and trying to keep organized, the At Home Skills project has been the most beneficial for her and the kids.
“I know each week when he is on the phone with Coach Justin, he gets a sense of excitement and motivation,” said Ms. Aziz. “I can count on him to be focused and attentive when he is working on his writing and soccer skills.”
Soccer in the Streets is responding and adapting to the current pandemic so we can continue providing value to the communities we serve. While shifting our programming to new At-Home Activities comes with challenges, we've been able to adapt. For example, some of our players lack access to the internet so we worked closely with our coaches to ensure they can provide the same lessons to our kids with no more than a simple phone call.
This project has been a blessing in disguise for the youth players as they try to keep positive while not being able to be on the fields with their coaches. Each week we are working on making the soccer and writing skills that much better for the kids. During the first week, we worked with 40 kids. By week two, we were working with 72 kids. Our goal is to impact over 200 kids as we continue to grow our at-home skills program
