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SOCCER IN THE STREETS Newsletter -
WINTER 2002
"If I could be anything in the world, it would be to just be
a kid, and don't grow up too fast." - Brady, 12
In this issue, read more about:
KIDS ARE LEARNING LIFE SKILLS
FROM "POSITIVE-CHOICE" SOCCER PROGRAM.
"Positive-Choice" Soccer is bringing more than just soccer to "at-risk"
kids.
New soccer facilities are
changing the face of low-income urban communities .
The most innovative development for soccer since goal nets has to
be the new project by Soccer In The Streets called the "Street-Box".
SOCCER STREETS KIDS DISCOVER
PROFESSIONAL SOCCER.
Numerous events throughout the 2002 season give kids and their families
an opportunity to see high-level soccer action.
DALLAS KIDS "GRAB LIFE BY
THE HORNS" .
Thanks to the generous support of Dodge and Univision , hundreds
of Soccer In The Streets kids were treated to Positive-Choice Festivals.
PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE
.
Frederick Sloan is a parent that is volunteering in the East Point
community.
FOCUS ON YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT
.
At the age of 12, DeAndre Harrison went through the 18-hour course
to become a certified referee.
IN OTHER NEWS.
Soccer In The Streets welcomes two new board members.
HOW YOU CAN HELP.
Wouldn't you like to see the success stories continue?
Kids are learning life
skills from "Positive-Choice" Soccer program.
"Positive-Choice" Soccer is bringing more than just soccer to
"at-risk" kids. By matching life skills with soccer skills, kids
learn to make better choices in life.
While most kids decide to learn soccer to have fun, one insightful
youngster's reason is "so you can be somebody when you grow up."
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| APS kids get their kicks at the final
event at Lakewood Stadium |
Low-income kids from four Atlanta Public elementary schools and
now the kids at the Street-Box facilities are benefiting from Soccer
In The Streets' innovative life skills soccer curriculum, Positive-Choice
Soccer. Important life lessons, such as teamwork and self-control,
are taught using comparisons to basic soccer skills, such as dribbling
and passing, which helps to illustrate the importance of education
and a healthy lifestyle.
Kids who attend the Positive-Choice sessions are able to express
their ideas about what helps them be successful. Brady says that
successful people get to where they are "by working hard and listening."
Nicolas says that "courage and never giving up" will help him succeed.
Graduating from Positive-Choice is both fun and carries a life-changing
message. By encouraging kids to think about goals by scoring goals,
they can learn the important life skills, and how their choices
can help them lead a successful life. Theodore's parents, coaches
and friends can help him achieve his goals "by showing that you
can do it." Drashawnna's immediate goal is "to be a good person."
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| East Point Positive-Choice graduates |
Parents and teachers are praising the "Positive-Choice" approach.
Billette Owens-Ashford, Director of Health, Physical Education
and Athletics for Atlanta Public Schools, expressed her appreciation
for the program and hope for adding more schools in the coming year.
"Our students learned about character education values, teamwork
and confidence-building skills, as well as the game of soccer.
This program was a proven success for our students."
One parent, Valencia Smith, expressed her "sincere gratitude" for
bringing the program to her daughters' school. "Although they learned
an extreme amount about the game of soccer, the real messages that
the coaches instilled were and continue to be invaluable. They
learned how to work together as a team, as well as listening and
staying focused while learning."
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| New soccer players at Allen Road Street-Box |
New soccer facilities are changing the
face of low-income urban communities .
The most innovative development for soccer since goal nets has
to be the new project by Soccer In The Streets called the "Street-Box".
The Street-Box(tm) is a modified soccer field - roughly the size
of a tennis court - complete with all-weather playing surface, permanent
goals and durable waist-high plastic perimeter boards. It is designed
for use in urban areas and will give kids who live in these communities
a place of their own to play soccer and a way to build more positive
lives.
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| Checking in at the East Point Street-Box |
Lawrence comes to the Street-Box "because it keeps me in shape
and it's really fun for me. And my mom says I'm good at it." Bernard
started playing soccer at the Street-Box "to try another sport."
"To be a good soccer player" is why Orkesha keeps coming to the
Street-Box. Viviana comes to the Street-Box so she "can learn the
skills involved . kicking, sharing and working as a team."
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| Coach Phil and the "little kids"
at East Point |
Kids have been flocking to the new facilities in East Point and
Sandy Springs. Soccer In The Streets introduced the Street-Box
to these two communities in 2002. The idea stems from the need
to build urban soccer facilities in the heart of low-income communities
so kids can reach them on foot.
Many of the Latino kids at the Sandy Springs Street-Box have soccer
in their blood. After the kids finish playing, the fathers take
to the court and play until dark.
The concept has proved to be very popular and a number of additional
Street-Boxes are planned for 2003 and beyond.
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| The East Point - East Washington Street-Box |
The Sandy Springs - Allen Road Street-Box |
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| East Point kids @ the Atlanta Beat |
Soccer Streets kids discover professional
soccer.
Numerous events throughout the 2002 season give kids and their
families an opportunity to see high-level soccer action.
When the largest event in women's professional soccer, second only
to the Women's World Cup, comes to town, you've just got to be part
of the action. And thanks to many generous sponsors, over 100 Soccer
In The Streets children and their families were able to experience
the Women's United Soccer Association's Founder's Cup II Championship
match at Herndon Stadium in Atlanta.
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| Soccer Streets kids at Fan Fest @ Centennial
Olympic Park |
Kids and their families were invited from the Atlanta Public Schools,
Athens Boys & Girls Club, East Point Parks & Recreation
and Clayton County's Keystone programs. Eleven Soccer In The Streets
kids were selected to escort the players of eventual champions,
Carolina Courage, onto the field during the opening ceremonies.
(Maybe Soccer In The Streets was just the good luck charm that the
Courage needed to beat Mia and the Washington Freedom.)
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| Erica and Jamarcus waiting to escort
the team onto the field |
The Soccer In The Street "Soccer-Bus," kindly donated by the Atlanta
Silverbacks men's professional soccer team, made an appearance at
the "Fan Fest" held at Centennial Olympic Park, prior to the big
match. Soccer In The Streets kids were treated to cool freebies,
lunch at the stadium, interactive games and their very own Founder's
Cup T-shirt.
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| Autographs and pictures with Kylie Bivens
and Cindy Parlow |
Leading up to the daylong Founder's Cup festivities, girls from
the Atlanta Public Schools Positive-Choice program were treated
to an exclusive clinic hosted by Gillette and the Atlanta Beat at
Centennial Olympic Park. According to one of the elementary school
teachers, Angela Carmon, "The girls are still talking about the
Gillette training program! The memories include the smiling faces
of all the girls as we pulled up to Centennial Park !"
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| Cindy Parlow gives a few pointers to
the kids during the Gillette clinic |
Dallas kids "Grab Life By The Horns" .
Thanks to the generous support of Dodge and Univision , hundreds
of Soccer In The Streets kids in Dallas were treated to Positive-Choice
Festivals, featuring a soccer clinic by professional coaches. 
As reported by Roy Ramos, director for the Dallas Soccer In The
Streets program, "The kids really enjoyed the professional coaches
that conducted the clinic. And Dodge did a great job with the vehicle
display. Everyone was pleased with the program."
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| Dallas Soccer In The Streets kids make
a "Positive Choice" during the festivals sponsored
by Dodge. |
The sponsorship promoted the Positive-Choice message, "No Drugs,
No Crime . Just Soccer", as well as provided equipment, such as
balls, cones and PUGG Goals, which will be used in Dallas on a permanent
basis. Univision provided publicity and local news coverage of
the events.
Making a difference in the community .
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| Coach Frederick is recognized at the
graduation party |
Frederick Sloan is a parent that is volunteering in the East Point
community. His interest started out as curiosity, then encouraging
cheers, and has since moved up to weekly involvement, including
recruiting children from his own neighborhood and bringing them
to the Street-Box Positive-Choice Soccer sessions and pick-up games
in the East Washington neighborhood of East Point. He tells us
that "when the truck with the soccer ball logo [pulls up], the kids
know what time it is. It's time for soccer practice. We truly
forget about what goes on everyday in our community . like car chases,
the cars with the loud music and the sirens from the police cars.
The kids know that on Thursday it's time to have fun and just be
a kid."
Coach Frederick now has the opportunity to build on his enjoyment
of soccer and expose a new generation to the game. "I have really
learned a lot about coaching and teaching kids about a sport that
hasn't been in our community."
Soccer leads to achievement for Jonesboro
youth .
When DeAndre Harrison first started playing soccer with the kids
at Keystone apartments, he wasn't ready to follow the rules and
promptly quit. But a short time later, he realized that he was
missing out on a lot of fun. He collected up his sister's unused
soccer gear, showed up to practice, and talked to the coach about
coming back. Since he was welcomed back with open arms, he has
played on a real team in a real league, has been charged with the
responsibility of bringing the practice goals to practices and is
now a certified referee.
At the age of 12, DeAndre went through the 18-hour course to become
a certified referee at the beginning of the fall 2002 season. He
passed the test and now officiates matches every Saturday. Even
though his mom doesn't have reliable transportation, he finds a
way to the soccer complex to fulfill his referee responsibilities.
He also uses his earnings to save and contribute to his church and
household.
DeAndre said that "it was sort of hard to get certified. But
I'm glad I did it. I've learned a lot since I started refereeing."
Because of the lack of transportation, DeAndre made the decision
to referee instead of playing on a team this season. However, he
hopes that he will be able to play on a team again soon. His younger
brother, Donnie, 6, is also getting ready, with DeAndre's guidance,
to play in the spring season.
In other news .
Soccer In The Streets welcomes two new board members. Colleen
Brannan, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications for Cox Enterprises,
Inc. and Boris Jerkunica , Co-Chairman and Owner of the Atlanta
Silverbacks men's profession A-League soccer team. Both of these
individuals bring with them tremendous experience, as well as a
shared passion for using soccer to better the lives of children.
As a reminder, Soccer In The Streets has a new home in the offices
of the Georgia State Soccer Association building, located at 2323
Perimeter Park Drive NE , Atlanta , Georgia , 30341. The new main
phone number is 678.993.2113 and the fax number is 770.452.1946.
The website is www.soccerstreets.org and the general email address
is info@soccerstreets.org.
How you can help .
Wouldn't you like to see the success stories continue? Your contribution
would mean so much to so many kids. Soccer In The Streets has the
ambitious plan to reach over 3,000 more kids in the Atlanta metro
area alone over the coming year. Make you tax deductible contribution
TODAY at www.soccerstreets.org/how_can_i/donation.html.
"ON THE BALL" is the quarterly newsletter of Soccer In
The Streets, an Atlanta based nationwide non-profit organization
that develops soccer, educational and life-skills programs for "at-risk"
kids in urban communities.
Copyright 2002 by Soccer In The Streets, Inc. All rights reserved.
This message may be forwarded to individuals if this trailer is
included, but may *not* be reposted publicly or reprinted in any
form without explicit permission.
Soccer In The Streets, Inc.
2323 Perimeter Park Drive NE
Atlanta , GA 30341
Phone: 678.993.2113
FAX: 770.452.1946
Email: info@soccerstreets.org
Website: www.soccerstreets.org
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