Sunday, April 23, 2023 | Special Advertising Section 1 R 40 SPONSORED CONTENT PROVIDED BY KANDELIA Soccer, (or fútbol/football, as it’s known to many), is currently the most popular sport in the world and has risen above boundaries, ironed out differences, and connected people with a common passion. In Seattle, parents and guardians continue to sit out in the rain so they can watch their kids play a game they love. Besides being fun, soccer teaches life lessons including to make strategic decisions, to get back up when you fall, that teamwork is key, and positive encouragement motivates better than negative comments. What better way to connect a group of diverse individuals than on the playing field? Kandelia, a local nonprofit organization with the mission to remove barriers to immigrant and refugee success, recognized the lure of soccer to their students early on. “Because of its international popularity, soccer is one of our most requested programs with high participation,” says Aissa Perez, development manager for Kandelia. Since school attendance is mandatory to participate in soccer, students are also more engaged in school. Anyone can join the soccer team, she says. Beginning players can take workshops and clinics to improve their skills and Kandelia hosts competitive teams for more advanced players. The advanced teams play “friendlies” with league teams and high school teams. At first, not all students who wanted to could stay after school for soccer or other programs offered by Kandelia, like Homework Help or English Conversation Club, because they either didn’t have transportation home or had to work to put groceries on the table for their families. Through grant funding, Kandelia was able to secure Making connections through soccer builds community Kandelia is a community organization providing direct programs, opportunities, and tools to address systemic inequities so immigrant and refugee families and communities can thrive without having to compromise values, heritage or ethnicity. Learn more at Kandelia.org. reliable and safe transportation so students could attend afterschool activities. To provide food for their families, Kandelia also developed their Food Access Program. Since its inception three years ago, the food program has grown to where it now, serving 80 families with a culturally relevant bag of groceries every week. “This has allowed more students to join afterschool activities, including soccer, and removed the barrier of needing to work to afford groceries for their family,” says Perez. On the soccer team, students build community with other players and their coaches, and learn valuable lessons about working with others. One student shared that soccer taught him to “respect each other, treat everyone equal and make everyone feel welcome.” “Our community has shown tremendous resilience despite having to endure both systemic and overt forms of racism, violence and the ongoing fear of deportation,” she says. “Kandelia, as an ethnic-led organization rooted in race, social justice and the refugee experience, has the cultural expertise and historical insight to engage with, and support, diverse refugee and immigrant communities.” Two alumni who attended Kandelia programs as students have joined the staff as Youth Program coordinators. They hope to ensure that students who are new to the U.S. feel safe and welcome, says Perez. “YPCs meet with students directly to learn about their interests and how they define success,” she says. “We are proud to utilize a youth-led approach where young people define their own success.” Kandelia’s programs are based at Seattle World School, a Seattle Public School intended as an entry point for immigrant and refugee children. This nonprofit works with about 350 students from many countries that speak more than 30 languages. Because English isn’t their first language, they can face significant barriers handling their new environment, as well as barriers that can prevent or limit self-sufficiency, including language, culture, poverty and trauma. Kandelia’s integration of academic support, family engagement, food access, and active programs like soccer – many of these activities in the students’ home language – eases the language barrier and helps youth and their families find success, however they define it. Donate today!
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDIxMDU=