Playing (Soccer) For Change in Nicaragua

The Latest Edition of SWB Nicaragua’s TEAM Camp is Coming in July!

Soccer Without Borders (SWB) is thrilled to announce that the latest edition of our TEAM Camp is happening over a two-week period from July 14-28, 2024! Our TEAM Camp – a "Spanglish" acronym meaning "trabajando en equipo aprendemos más" or "working as a team we learn more" – brings girls together from across the Granada region to participate in completely free, specially designed team-building activities, leadership workshops, and (of course) lots of soccer! Each camp celebrates and amplifies the themes of teamwork, inclusion, gender equity, and so much more.

“Visiting a TEAM Camp is a life-changing experience. I’ve been lucky to participate in six and would recommend this experience to everyone and anyone,” exclaims Larkin Brown, current SWB Director of Monitoring and Learning and former SWB Nicaragua Director.

“When I first attended TEAM Camp in 2010,” Larkin continues, “I was struck by the scarcity of female-identifying athletic role models in Granada. The experience allowed me to learn alongside young girls who identified as athletes and were courageous enough to be that authentic version of themselves even without societal support or representation of women in sports.”

Fun and Festive Mother’s Day Celebrations at SWB Nicaragua

Throughout the month of May, participants from SWB Nicaragua were buzzing with excitement as they gathered together to celebrate the mothers who mean so much to them. The celebrations began with arts and crafts activities before the moms of SWB Nicaragua joined us for special games, prizes, and even a Zumbathon (a beloved tradition at our Nicaragua hub). The celebration ended on a high note as participants and coaches performed a Mother’s Day song for everyone in attendance.

Introducing the Fraternidad Cup: The Newest SWB Nicaragua Tournament

On May 11th, coaches, participants, parents, and representatives from the local community gathered together to inaugurate the Fraternidad Cup – the newest tournament organized by SWB Nicaragua – with a parade winding through the neighborhoods of Granada.

The tournament, which carried the motto “Strong and Empowered Girls,” included teams made up of participant girls from throughout the community. Not only that, but the tournament also kicked off with a special appearance by representatives from the Citizen Power Mayor's Office, the Alexis Arguello Sports Movement, and the Municipal President of the Granada City Football Federation.

Serving the Community for Earth Day 2024

Back in April, in recognition of Earth Day, SWB staff, coaches, and participants gathered together for a day of service at Lake Cocibolca, the tenth-largest freshwater lake in the Americas.

At SWB, we take a “whole person” approach to youth development; our programs help young people come into a greater, holistic understanding of their bodies, minds, and voices. This also means that we value public service opportunities like this one, where SWB youth not only get the chance to learn to care for the planet, the ecosystem, and their community, but also get their hands dirty by doing their part to clean up the places they call home.

Read the 2023 Soccer Without Borders Annual Report, Available Now

2023 was a monumental year for soccer and for Soccer Without Borders. It was a year that showed us that the world is catching on to the vision and mission of SWB and sharing our worldview that soccer creates a more equitable and inclusive world.

Dive into the impact and celebrate the highlights across all of SWB in our recently released Annual Report! You'll find inspiring stories, key achievements, and a detailed look at the ways soccer continues to be a vehicle for positive change in both Nicaragua and beyond!

Links:

• SWB Nicaragua is now on Instagram!

TEAM Camp 2024 Kicks off the New Year with Special Guests

From January 10th to 13th, Soccer Without Borders (SWB) Nicaragua kicked off the new year with their annual TEAM Camp. The “TEAM” in SWB Nicaragua’s TEAM Camp is a "Spanglish" acronym that stands for "trabajando en equipo aprendemos más" or "working as a team we learn more." Team work, inclusion, and gender equity – this acronym encompasses what our camps at SWB Nicaragua are all about!

The annual camp – which includes team-building activities, educational messages, soccer programming, and a beloved Zumbathon session – is always a special way to celebrate a new year of inclusive soccer programming for local girls. This year’s event was made even more memorable due to a visit by the staff team from our SWB Massachusetts hub!

Together, SWB Nicaragua and SWB Massachusetts joined forces to facilitate the TEAM Camp, attend informative workshops, and explore the beautiful city of Granada. Opportunities like this are designed to spark cross-hub collaboration, learn from one another, and strengthen bonds as colleagues, teammates, coaches, and friends. This is an important way to further equip SWB coaches with the skills, motivation, and knowledge necessary to best serve our participants, helping them reach their greatest potential on and off the pitch. 

Being a ‘Champion of Dreams’ to the Local Community

In December, SWB Nicaragua had the privilege of collaborating as an expert partner with Bimbo Bakeries and Fundación Colombia with a project called Champions of Dreams. Designed to strengthen social impact, the aim of the project was to serve communities located near local Bimbo bakery sites by training leaders, coaches, and sports instructors on how to use the game of soccer to promote the values of respect, justice, affection, trust, and gender equity. 

As part of the project, SWB Nicaragua coaches Lisbeth and Fatima made visits to a local school where they led a training about SWB’s inclusive coaching methodologies before getting the opportunity to help implement them on the soccer field. 

Collaborations with like-minded organizations like these ones allow us to deepen our impact within the local communities we serve, helping advance gender equity through the game we love. 

SWB Nicaragua’s Education Program Continues to Make an Impact

Along with soccer and community-building, education is a core pillar of SWB programming. The SWB Nicaragua Education Program was established to facilitate positive secondary school outcomes for participants of SWB Nicaragua through a system of financial, academic, and social-emotional support that empowers participants to overcome barriers to success.

Launched in 2014 in memory of Tom Pope – a young person who exhibited all of the characteristics of a well-rounded student-athlete: humility, dedication to school and team, integrity, hard work, and care for self and others – the program provides educational and financial support to girls in SWB Nicaragua who have dedicated themselves to learning, to their team, and to their futures.

Since its inception, the Education Program has awarded a total of 584 scholarships! In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, the program:

• Awarded 134 scholarships including 78 primary, 52 secondary, and 4 university level
• Sent SWB participants to 27 different schools
• Provided 3,417 school materials and uniforms

"When I was in school, if I didn't show up with a pencil, notebook, or the right clothes, there was no point in going to school,” recalled Fatima, FSF Staff Member and Coordinator of Emerging Programs. “You had to have the right things to participate in classes and you had to buy them yourself.”

Lisbeth, the SWB Nicaragua Education Program Coordinator, shared about the barriers facing girls in Nicaragua: “Our vulnerable society experiences major economic challenges and this in many cases does not allow Nicaraguan kids to continue with their studies. So, if girls cannot attend school, they help by working, cooking, watching after siblings, and if they have time girls come to the program to have fun. Once they are on a team, they see other girls studying and are motivated to study too. The SWB Nicaragua team investigates the general and economic situation of the girl and are able to offer her some type of scholarship so that she can return to her studies or continue with her studies, and get ahead.”

Thank you for being a part of the SWB Nicaragua journey and helping us create a more inclusve and equitable world through soccer, education, and community-building. As we like to say around SWB, "we're glad you're here!"  

Links:

• SWB Nicaragua is now on Instagram!