Tenacity is a Boston-based organization that works with children in public schools to develop both athletic and academic skills. They've been up and running for 11 years now, and have helped over 20,000 students through the city of Boston's public school system-- so they know what they're doing.

Recently, I had the chance to catch up with Alli Weis. Alli is a biologist, an athlete, a musician, a passionate social activist, a good friend of mine, and an all-around fantastic human being. This year, Alli spent some time volunteering for Soccer Without Borders, where she had the opportunity to help teach soccer, literacy, and life skills to girls in Granada, Nicaragua. Check out what she has to say about volunteering for SWB:



[Above: Alli (the taller one) with the girls]

So how did you get involved with Soccer Without Borders?
I moved to Granada, Nicaragua in June 2009 with the intent of volunteering with an organization teaching biology to kids. After a month I wanted to transition to a volunteer program that was a little more integrated in the community of Granada. I heard about SWB from a volunteer whom I had lived with for my first two weeks in the city, and the SWB office was two blocks away from my hostel. I went by the office one day and met Daniela Molina, the program coordinator, and an incredible group of Nicaraguans, teens through 24 year olds, who are all dedicated to playing soccer, empowering girls, and improving their country.

I was instantly impressed by the organization. The volunteers were smart and excited, and the Nicaraguans involved with the project were welcoming and thrilled by my involvement. They embraced me, taught me about their culture and language, and made me feel part of a family in Nicaragua.  From then on I was completely absorbed with the organization and spent all of my remaining time in Nicaragua with the SWB community, coaching and playing soccer during the day, teaching reading and writing in the evenings, and having an extraordinary amount of fun.

What was it like to volunteer?
An average day would involve waking up in the morning and buying fresh fruit for everyone for breakfast from the fruit lady on the corner next to our office (my favorite part of the morning!), and then starting on business: gear and supplies might be on the agenda, renovating our supply room was a big project one of the weeks, we plan our practices during the day as well as upcoming events and activities. Right now we are building a curriculum for our girls in the evenings, mostly involving reading and writing skills, so we have spent a fair bit of time researching literacy programs in order to implement a sufficient one of our own.

We are currently investigating the education system in Granada, and sometimes we would go to public and private schools, visit the health fairs, and spend time forming relationships with the local government in Granada.

In the afternoons volunteers can play soccer on a local barrio (neighborhood) team, and some afternoons I would meet up with my Spanish teacher for lessons. We offer all sorts of activities in the evenings, among them being: teaching reading and writing, teaching health care and leadership, team building activities, and career nights for the older girls.

Saturday is our largest practice day. All of the girls (currently about 50) come to the field in the morning for a full practice of running, stretching, ball skills, drills, and scrimmage. Our futsol league is about to start at the end of October, where we will have games and more practices during the week.

If it is a Sunday, then it is generally a break day, where we travel to a local beautiful spot, usually as a group of volunteers, staff, and youth leaders, and learn about Nicaragua and its land and culture.

At the end of the day, almost without fail, we would have a dinner of some sort with the volunteers and staff involved in the program. Right now I can still taste the gallo pinto (beans and rice), fried plantains, and Nicaraguan cheese, and I can still hear the Spanish slang words, ‘salvaje’ (cool), and ‘entonces’ (then) amid laughter and salsa dancing in the hot Nicaraguan nights.

What do you like the most about working with this program?
I love how gratifying it feels. Every day the little girls in the program come spilling into the office or onto the soccer field with huge smiles, eager to participate in any activity that we have for them. Their enthusiasm makes them easy to teach, and when they do something correct (a good pass, a goal, a header, writing a sentence with an adjective, etc) each girl bursts with pride in her accomplishment. It is amazing to be part of a program that provides both a space and a community that is focused around the improvement of these Nicaraguan girls, and reminds me that we, the volunteers, really can make a difference in their lives.

What was one of your best moments working with SWB?
My most vivid memories, where I felt the most alive in years, are those of teaching reading and writing to the little girls in the office. The girls are so sweet, and as I said earlier, so eager to learn that it is an absolute joy to give them the educational attention that each one deserves. One moment in particular I was working with one of the little girls on a letter describing Granada to an American, and after about half an hour working on three sentences, she looked up at me and smiled, and I could tell that something had shifted in her thinking. She wrote the next sentence on her own, and then started confidently on the art portion of the letter. For that moment in time, she had accomplished something real, something tangible, and I had helped her. It was an amazing experience, and happened several times each night at the SWB office.

Are you going back to Nicaragua?
My plans right now are to go back to Nicaragua in January and continue to volunteer with SWB. I’m not sure how long, but at least a few months, and I am very excited.

How can others help this cause?
There are all sorts of ways to help SWB. From fundraising, equipment drives, donating, sponsoring or partnering with us, to volunteering in Oakland or in one of the countries that we have camps in, we love any and all support!  

Anything else you'd like to add?
This program has opened my eyes to the incredible opportunity that exists in creating social change through sports. The passion for playing a game like soccer can bring fun to marginalized youth around the world, and, when harnessed, can become a driving force for hope, empowerment and education to the participants. To me, this is the most effective tool for youth activism that I have ever seen, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it, and to share it.

Thank you, Alli. Let us know how it goes when you return to Nicaragua :)

If you want to get involved, go to Soccer Without Borders.

"It takes just a little bit from all of us to make a change." - Kaleen Adami, Soccer Without Borders Volunteer

Kaleen Adami (left) and Zoey Bouchelle (right) played soccer together at Penn State. Their assistant coach, Ann Cook, also happened to be a co-director for a program known as Soccer Without Borders in Granada, Nicaragua. After hearing Ann's stories about international trips to help organize girls' soccer and literacy programming, Kaleen and Zoey decided to travel to Granada to volunteer during their spring break. After just a few days of volunteering, Kaleen and Zoey fell in love with the program and knew that they wanted to devote more of their time to Soccer Without Borders. When the spring semester ended last May, the two athletes spent the summer working and saving money to return to Nicaragua. They flew back to Granada last September, where they have been working and living on site. Kaleen and Zoey are the organization's first long-term interns in Granada, and expect to stay until next summer.

So what's it like to volunteer for Soccer Without Borders?

KA: As a full time on-site volunteer, the work here is demanding in many different aspects.  We host "girls nights" four nights a week in our office where we concentrate on life skills and careers with our older group of girls, and reading and writing skills with our younger group.  Saturdays consist of either practice sessions or league games in our new futsal league.  We work on developing our youth leaders in their skills as coaches, but also in their abilities to communicate and provide leadership among the girls.  

ZB: Right now, we are having a series of career weeks, inviting a guest speaker on Wednesdays. Typically, we feature a successful woman in the community who has managed to beat the odds.  Last week a lawyer told her story and we received great feedback from the girls.  Many say they aspire to go to University, to become a doctor or a lawyer, a nurse or a small business owner.  Their education is essential to reach these goals and we want to give them more of an opportunity to develop outside of their schools.

What has been your most memorable moment with SWB?
KA: One of the most memorable moments in the short time down here has been being able to spend time reading with our younger group of girls.  Every Wednesday evening, we "choo choo train" over in a line to a nearby reading room leaving the office a safe place for the older girls.  We carefully select a book which is read by one of our volunteers or an enthusiastic visitor.  Scanning the room during the story, I cannot help but get goose bumps on my body and a giant smile across my face.  Every girl is fixated on the storyteller at the front of the room, waiting anxiously for each new page of the story.  I realize I may have taken for granted this experience as a child (being the daughter of a Kindergarten teacher).  I am thankful every Wednesday evening when I am reminded just how important and precious something as simple as a bed time story is in a young child's life.   

However, it is extremely difficult to sum up my experience in just a few sentences.  Every day is a new challenge.  It is the knowledge I am gaining and the relationships I am forming here that I know will last a lifetime.

ZB: We are constantly learning, everyday, which I love.  How to light a stove, prepare traditional meals, and do laundry in a new kind of machine.  How to navigate the bus system, hitch hike, barter, and network in the community.  How to communicate in a new language, bridge cultural barriers, and operate effectively under a whole new set of rules.

Even simple things.  The first week we were here, Kay made a mistake that had our family laughing at us for days.  We sat down to have cafe con leche with our breakfast.  Kay picked up a bag of "crema" (cream) and dumped a bunch into her coffee and began mixing it with some sugar.  Two minutes later, the milk still hadn't dissolved.  Our house mother caught on and began laughing so hard she was crying.  Kay had dumped "crema" typically served with Tortillas, rice and beans, or tacos into her coffee thinking it was leche.  No wonder the Nicaraguan equivalent of sour cream hadn't yet dissolved...

She still gets flack for that.  You live and you learn.

Will you tell us a little bit about your background with sports?
KA: I have played soccer since I was four years old.  The sport brought me the opportunity to play for and attend Penn State University and now I am continuing my involvement through my work here in Granada.

ZB: As a kid, sports in general were always important to me.  Every night I was off to a different practice with my mom or dad, or shipped off in the car of a teammate, and it was where I learned to love being outside, active, working well in a team, and making friends.  Sports are a vehicle to meet new people, challenge yourself, learn what it means to be committed, and travel if you're lucky.  I have been fortunate to travel with soccer from a young age, and I think those trips as a kid gave me the courage to jump into this new adventure in Nicaragua right out of college.

What about your background with volunteering and social activism?
KA: I have always been interested in volunteer work and social activism, however, this is really my first big step into the field.  For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of what I am doing is having the opportunity to give back to the sport that has shaped me into the person I am today.  My involvement with soccer has provided me with the physical and technical aspects of the game but more importantly has instilled in me the intangible aspects of discipline, hard work, teamwork, dedication to a healthy lifestyle and to a team, leadership, etc.  To be able to deliver these types of messages to the girls I am working with here in hopes that they will have the opportunity to better their lives is truly the reason I am here.

ZB: In high school, I spent a week with Habitat in Mississippi and loved the experience.  In college, Kay and I danced for THON (the largest student-run philanthropy in the world) to raise money to fight pediatric cancer.  Since 1977, THON has raised more than $61 million for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children's Hospital.  Check it out.  It was one of the best things we've ever done.

In the past few years, my family has gotten involved with fundraising for Lou Gehrig's disease.  This summer, our team for the John's Hopkins Packard Center for ALS Research Fiesta 5k Race was able to raise over $35,000 to go toward research.  In every experience I've had with volunteering and fundraising for a cause, I've found that if everyone does just a little bit, the product can be astounding.  It's not about one person doing it all, it's about everyone doing their part.

What are your plans for the future?
KA: I plan to continue my education in the field of development and education.  In the near future, my hope is to coach and have the opportunity to get more experience on the field while also pursuing a master's degree.  Ultimately, I would love to continue working in the field of education in developing countries.  I truly believe that education is the key.

ZB: At Penn State, I majored in Economics and minored in Business and Spanish.  I find myself applying what I learned in college to what I see happening with the economy here...however I do not plan on becoming an Economist.  Rather, I have become a lot more interested in development, both through the work of international non-profits, and companies like Kiva who work to promote development through microfinance.  One day, I will go back to school.  Just need to figure out what exactly I want to do first.  Thankfully, I have 8 months here of adventure, work, learning...I have about 5 minutes everyday to try to plan my future.

Thanks, ladies! For more information, check out Zoey and Kaleen's blog (um, it's really funny and you get to learn about Kaleen and Zoey's crazy laundry skills, or lack thereof), or visit Soccer Without Borders, Granada.

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