So what is Grassroot Soccer? Well, let me tell you...

Alright, I think I’ve been putting this off long enough. Finally, it’s here… my Grassroot Soccer post!!! Please read, ask questions, click on links and get excited! I know it’s long and information-heavy, but it’s really cool stuff so try and read it if possible. I’ll include links too incase I suck at explaining things. You’ll finally be able to understand what I’m doing, who I’m working with and why I’m so excited about it all the time.

So Grassroot Soccer (GRS) is a non-profit organization started by four professional soccer players that uses the power of soccer to educate kids about HIV/AIDS. Soccer is a universal language across the world and is something that gets people of all ages excited and interested. Everywhere you go, no matter how rich or poor, you can always find people playing soccer… even if the ball is made of bundled up grocery bags and fishing line (which was the case in Kenya). In the words of the great Michelle Obama, “soccer is the hook.”

GRS facilitates the learning of life skills and HIV knowledge through interactive soccer-based activities. Topics covered in interventions (or “practices”) vary based on the age group and the curriculum being implemented. Our main programs are SKILLZ Core, Generation SKILLZ and SKILLZ Street. SKILLZ Core is our original curriculum that targets kids ages 12-14 and mainly focuses on HIV knowledge and reducing stigmas surrounding the disease. These kids are pretty young still so the program is trying to catch them before they develop risky behavior. Generation SKILLZ is for kids ages 15-19 and addresses the main contributors of the spread of HIV: multiple concurrent partners, intergenerational sex and gender based violence.  In a really cool (for lack of a better word) study conducted in partnership with GRS, we found that 29.1% of grade-nine boys reported having perpetrated rape, while 37.6% reported having committed intimate partner violence. That means almost 30% of 16yr old boys have raped someone. It’s so hard to wrap your head around. Gender norms and GBV are such huge issues that we’re trying to address. This brings me to SKILLZ Street, our all-girls program. SKILLZ Street addresses girls aged 12-16 and focuses on empowering girls with HIV and sexual and reproductive health knowledge. SKILLZ Street lets girls know that their opinion is just as important as a man’s and they have the power to say no. This program is so incredible and important that in 2012 it was named by Women Deliver 50 “one of the most innovative ideas and solutions that is being delivered for girls and women around the globe.” All these programs are facilitated by local youth role models who are trained as GRS coaches. Using people from the community makes the program sustainable and relatable.

Example of a practice activity:
In an activity called Risk Field, participants dribble a soccer ball in between cones representing HIV-related risks - multiple partners, drug/alcohol abuse, etc. If one player hits a cone, he and his teammates must complete 3 pushups, showing how the consequences of one person's risk can not only affect him, but also his friends, family and community. 

We have other programs as well that target different age groups or that have specific outcomes, but I think you all get the idea of what we do and how needed these programs are. Also, GRS is pretty awesome at doing what we do. Let me brag a little, here are some of our awards:

• ·      Charity Navigator Four-Star Rating (highest rating) (2011 and 2012)
• ·      Charity Navigator Top Ten List of Charities Expanding in a Hurry (2011 and 2012)
• ·      CommPro.biz list of “Ten Leading Socially Engaged Nonprofits“, 2012
• ·      GRS South Africa: Finalist, Sport for Health Category, Beyond Sport Awards, 2011
• ·      Winner, Nike/Ashoka Sports for a Better World Collaborative Competition, 2008 (GRS was named one of the three most innovative, effective, and sustainable organizations in the Sports for Development Field, out of 382 organizations entered from 69 countries)

Pretty impressive, right? We also are funded by some amazing organizations including The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Nike, Elton John Aids Foundation, USAID, Barclays, FIFA, M.A.C. AIDS and UNICEF… just to name a few.

Another thing I think is really unique and awesome about GRS is that we have a monitoring and evaluation team and a research and development team who are continually making sure our programs are working. They administer pre and post-tests at every intervention to make sure that the kids are learning and to see if there are any areas we should improve on. This level of data collection is almost unheard of for a non-profit to do and has enabled us to present our findings at conferences around the world.

So as I’ve mentioned before, I’m the Business Development intern and get to have my hands in a lot of different areas. I get to help find cool organizations to give us some $$$ like the ones above, as well as write concept notes and grant proposals about our curriculum. I’m even helping to create new marketing materials and plan events. It’s a lot, but I love it and the work keeps me motivated. As one of the coaches in Khayelitsha told me, “we’re in the business of saving lives.” Damn.

Sorry for rambling on, but I hope you made it this far in the post and maybe learned something new. I realize I should have done this right when I got here, but I know way more know than I did at the beginning... and better late than never right? I'm totally not doing all we do justice either, so I encourage you to go on the website and look around for yourselves.

Here is the link to the website: http://www.grassrootsoccer.org
And hey, check the interns and me out! We're on the website too :) http://www.grassrootsoccer.org/who-we-are/our-team/current-grassroot-soccer-interns/