Soccer + Life Skills for Hundreds of Youth

After celebrating International Women's Day in fashion this year, everything changed. We quickly pressed pause on our programming in Cameroon and in the USA in response to the threat of COVID-19. After taking a moment to process, we responded in two different ways. 

In Cameroon, we partnered with a local TV station and began broadcasting a weekly TV segment that included awareness about precautions that youth could take to prevent the spread of coronavirus and keep themselves and their families healthy and reduce risk of infection. In addition to educational messaging, the TV segment included exercises and soccer skills that kids could do in their own homes while practicing social distancing and shelter in place. After a few weeks, Youth Leaders joined the TV program to share their experience and serve as role models and educators to their peers. 

In Pittsburgh, we produced a 4-week virtual program and continued dialogue with our Youth Leaders from Northview Heights. Last month we hosted a week-long 5-day workshop on setting goals and building good habits. Coach-mentors facilitated conversations with youth participants, set and track personal goals they identify themselves, and featured an amazing guest speaker, Clara Kitongo, who share her experience and journey from attending a challenging, all-girls high school in Uganda to college at Chatham University, floating around in different jobs before pursuing a master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University and finally landing her 'dream job' at Tree Pittsburgh, combining her passions, environmentalism and social justice. 

We're grateful to continue inspiring and engaging youth through (even virtually, in ways we never thought possible) through the global game of soccer. Thank YOU for supporting us along the way!

Links:

• Have you read our 2019 Annual Report?