Coaching around a foreign arena

At the beginning of this calendar year, I was taught a song called “One People, One Color”. This song stresses the importance of abandoning segregation and encourages the integration of all groups of people to unite as one. Africa has seen apartheid, civil war, and genocide on multiple occasions. It is my job as a SWB member to continue to push the youth further and further away from such a negative outcome. Educating the youth through football (soccer) and life skills allows for myself, as a coach and teacher, to catalyze positive change within the hearts and minds of the youth everyday. 

Feeling the sense of accomplishing something larger than I have ever completed in my life, carries the greatest sense of joy and happiness. A little goes a very long way here - especially with the amount of times I merely walk down the street and hear 'mzungu, Hiii' ('white person' in Luganda), or the moment you make eye contact with a child, to then see their face light up with great jubilation.

Knowing I would be here for nearly eight months, there were many objectives I could set out and complete in that timeframe. Being able to interact with over one hundred kids throughout my time here has allowed me to realize there are many people that need help. My biggest expectation was making sure all of the kids, knowing my name or not, would learn at least one thing from me. Kids are not expected to remember everything you teach them, but with many coaches in the program, having them remember something from me would be ideal.  

The biggest challenges myself and the program faced, came from on the field. Throughout my initial months here, most of the kids had trouble integrating with the Ugandans (i.e. sharing the ball, conversing amongst everyone, treating everyone with respect)  – a majority of our youth participants are either Congolese or Rwandan refugees. Facing this hardship, especially at such a young age, could not have been more daunting for the kids as they tried to develop their soccer skills.

There are a myriad of skills I have been working on with the kids, but the three more prominent ones are communication, creativity, and respect. Communication is essential on and off the pitch and because there is such a large language barrier, communicating is vital to make sure the kids are on the same page as you are, all the time. Additionally, there is a strong need to make sure the kids have a strong understanding of the coaches while instructing them on and off the field. Creativity is key due to the constant need of keeping the kids interested in the message the coach is attempting to convey. Creating a safe and fun space in the center, and while playing, is critical to keeping the children entertained and honed in on what the staff is trying to communicate. Knowing that kids have a ten-minute attention span, getting them involved in creative games and activities are pivotal for the daily programming. Respect is necessary if one demands a certain level of admiration from the others around him. With the program being quite diverse and representing a few nations, the notion of respect is high on the staff's list of things to convey to the children. Numerous times, the Ugandan kids have perceived the Congolese kids as inferior to them. Even though there have been a few incidences where shoving had been an issue, verbal abuse or complete neglect had been most common. Over the previous seven months, this seemingly endless learning process has significantly improved, with nearly all of the SWB participants setting their premature notions aside and enjoying “the beautiful game”.

From now until I depart my ‘second home’ (on June 15^th), there will be no evaluation period for myself to measure the growth of knowledge and skill each kid attained. However, I can proudly say that if there was to be an evaluation tomorrow, each participant has risen to each challenge myself and the rest of the coaching staff has given them. Undoubtedly, all of the kids will be missed due to their constant warm greetings and affectionate personalities. But moreover, witnessing the youth’s willingness to learn, listen, and overcome adversity will be far more unforgettable when I reflect on this unparalleled chapter of my life.