On my last day in South Africa, I got the chance to go with my sister to the first day of a Skillz Holiday Camp (Grassroot Soccer’s school break camp that combines soccer and life skills) in Soweto, Johannesburg.
Soweto has a long, conflicted history in South Africa and is one of the most visible symbols of how apartheid impacted–and how its legacy continues to shape–the country. The name is an acronym for the full designation of the area: South West Township. Though the site has a long history of housing black South Africans, it officially became Soweto in the 1960′s. You can find great histories of the region online, but the short summary is that the white-led government decided to create specific areas–located in less desirable places without resources or services–for black people to live. To do so, they evicted millions of people and forcibly removed them to places like Soweto. Both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived in Soweto, and it was also the site of a massive uprising of young people in the 1976.
Today, Soweto is home to over one million people, and is a study in contrast. Some residents–the population is still overwhelmingly black–live in corrugated metal shacks, while others have built huge mansions. The emergence of a stable middle class and a small but powerful elite in Soweto is an indication of the strong community that has been built in this area. Dealt a horrible hand by their own country’s government, the residents of Soweto have had to develop their own services, institutions, and routines of daily life.
I hope that brief history can provide some context for my day in the community, which was one of my favorite parts of my trip! We arrived early to a primary school within site of the Orlando Pirates stadium (the hugely popular soccer team from Soweto) and started to get set-up. The camp runs for 5 days a week from 9am-3pm, and the kids eat two meals, play soccer, and participate in activities that teach about HIV/AIDS. The coaches are all members of the Soweto community, and they serve as powerful role models for the young people involved in the program.
The highlight of the day was helping run soccer activities in the morning as kids arrived. We were out on the blacktop, with 10 cones and 4 balls (one with a hole in it!) for about 50 kids. Here at SCORES we love soccer in whatever form it comes–especially when it takes extra effort to think about how you’re going to keep every kid engaged and active! My sister and I ran dribbling and passing activities, with some heading and chest passes (the chest pass is popular since all the pro players have been using it here in the World Cup) thrown in for good measure. Dressed in my SCORES shirt, I was so proud to be running and playing around with kids who love soccer so much. It’s winter here in South Africa, so we were all a little chilly, but nothing could dampen our spirits! We finished with a lot of high fives and thumbs up, the universal symbols of a job well done:)
Then it was time for the HIV/AIDS education part of the day. We went through activities that challenged the kids to work as a team, break-down the myths of HIV, and hear from their coaches about how the virus impacts families, schools, and communities. It was inspiring to sit amongst these young people–many of whom, in a country where almost 30% of the population is HIV-positive, have first-hand experiences with the disease–while they shared their opinions, learned more facts about how to be safe and healthy, and bonded as a team. I felt humbled and honored to be welcomed as a guest into this very special place.
By the end of the day, I couldn’t have imagined leaving South Africa without visiting Soweto. I love soccer and could watch elite-level games forever. At the end of the day, though, for me it’s all about practicing Messi’s latest move with a few kids on the blacktop with a busted soccer ball, or celebrating with a team after their brilliant goal–scored not into the net of a stadium, but instead through the cones of their schoolyard.
And that’s what we do here at SCORES. We celebrate that there are people doing the same work around the world, just as we celebrate the World Cup in all its glory. We cheer on the children we get to work with who start out loving soccer and end up being poets, leaders, scholars, and all of the other amazing things that we see our students do.
We do what we do for them. I hope you will join us.
Best,
Caitlin
PS Sorry about the lack of pictures…I was so engrossed in camp that I forgot to take out my camera!
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