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September 16, 2022
In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month in the US (Sep 15 – Oct 15), today we’re spotlighting network member The Sports Creative (TSC) and their Coach Jennifer. Both spoke to us about their work in Latinx communities, the challenges of inclusion for their participants and the power of soccer to break barriers.
With a mission centered around the power of community-led sports and storytelling, TSC creates sports and arts programs for youth, supporting their physical, social and emotional wellbeing. Working primarily in Central and Latin America, their programs support the goals, voices and choices of participants on and off the field.
“Children’s access to safe play in their community is increasingly under threat through situations of violence, poverty, an avalanche of health issues and an increased lethargy in a virtual world,” said Founder Joe Hewitt. Therefore, the TSC’s programming is focused on the themes of inclusion; equal access and opportunities for all; socialization; fostering connections; learning, development and storytelling; and developing writing and public speaking skills to empower each young participant.
Alongside partners love.fútbol and Manchester City, TSC delivers free football activities for kids in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the US with FC Max Myers, a community soccer club for youth. As representatives of the Cityzens Giving program in the US – Man City’s global charity initiative – FC Max Myers teaches soccer and activities focused on identity, teamwork and community. The program welcomes up to 100 participants per session aged between 9 and 14 and has a 50/50 split between serving Muslim and Latinx/Hispanic youth – a vast majority of whom are immigrants.
With the belief that soccer is a global language, Program Manager Lisbeth Custodio shared that the program aims to ease some of the challenges that participants face around adapting to a new environment and learning to keep up with the language as most either speak very little or no English at all. “Our program is focused on inclusion over talent. It doesn’t matter their skill levels, they are allowed to fully participate in all our sessions. Even though our coaches support with live translations during the practices, participants are encouraged to practice their English despite their knowledge level.”
“In addition, it’s our aim that our programs serve as a platform for young voices. Our curriculum tackles the lack of confidence in their own voices, sometimes as a result of a sudden change of background and creates a safe space for young people to develop and amplify their voices.”
The participant’s nationalities vary from Mexico, Syria, Iraq and Guatemala to name a few, as do the coaches of the program. One of them is Coach Jennifer, a refugee from El Salvador. First discovered by TSC when they were recruiting new coaches, Jennifer has now been a coach for the program for eight months. “She’s been of great impact to our Latinx players by supporting TSC with new participants or co-leading some sessions in favor of Spanish speakers with other coaches,” said Custodio.
Coach Jennifer believes that Hispanic Heritage Month is important as it gives visibility to a community that played an important role in the progress of the US. “I’d like to encourage the Hispanic and Latinx community to not feel ashamed of their roots, but be proud of all the amazing things, no matter how little or how big they seem, they’ve done for many years against the odds.”
Coach Jennifer lived a “normal and chill life” in El Salvador, Central America before she moved to the United States following the country’s turmoil. “It was a good life up until the moment corruption and violence knocked on my family’s door and we were forced to leave the country to save our lives, to save my life. I felt really sad, frustrated and angry at the fact that I had to leave all behind so abruptly.”
It was at high school in America where Jennifer played soccer and developed her skills, a sport that she said was reserved for males back in El Salvador. In high school, her coach pushed her to challenge herself as a player and a person. He helped her find courses and extra credit opportunities to expand her skills – including the opportunity with FC Max Myers. She describes soccer as a safe outlet for her emotions and a great tool to find new friends and learn life skills such as persistence and discipline. After joining the club, Jennifer’s passion for being a coach and showing how helpful soccer can be became reality.
She works with 7- to 11-year-old girls who are from varied backgrounds and explains that the biggest challenge for them is the language barrier, which has a hand in stunting their adaptation process in school and when making new friends. “I believe spaces like these programs are crucial to help them navigate this new reality with a sense of belonging, safety and fun.”
Some of the issues that Coach Jennifer wants to tackle through soccer address equity within the sport, including improving the visibility and opportunities presented to girls. In addition, she expressed a desire to contribute to the inclusion of immigrants using the “universal language” or soccer and raise awareness of the struggles they face. Coach Jennifer wants to continue as a coach on and off the field and is exploring a career linked to education, social work and sports.
Building upon their existing work, TSC will be teaming up with Coaches Across Continents to create a play-based curriculum that “harnesses the power of story to offer a transformational process for each participant and the community in which they live.”
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