T.E.A.M. Camp 2011

Down here in Granada Larkin, myself and new intern Anna are still trying to recover from the annual T.EA.M. Camp that was held the second week of January. 20 volunteers from the United States and Guatemala converged upon the city and teamed up with our local staff to make the camp a huge success. We had soccer practice every morning, an activity in the office every afternoon and countless dinners and workshops with the American volunteers.



The theme of the camp was unity (unidad en español) and throughout the week both on and off field activities focused on creating team unity among each of the age groups. During the camp, and as the rest of the year unfolds I will be working with a new age group aged 11-15. Previously in the Soccer Without Borders world we only had two age groups, the grandes and the pequeñas. The week of camp was the first time the new mediana age group was introduced and for that reason was the first time that many of the girls this group had every worked or played together. The beginning of the week was definitely a struggle. Adolescent girls are awkward and made even more awkward when they don't know their teammates well. Luckily, we had a strong turnout throughout the week and after working together consistently, the mediana group began to shed some of their awkwardness and come together as team. Proof of such was that we ended up winning the overall unity contest for the week and were rewarded with a trip to Eskimo, the local ice cream shop.


The week leading up to camp, and all of camp itself was a complete whirlwind. Larkin, Anna and I along with the other SWB staff were kept extremely busy not only planning and executing sessions but also ensuring that all 20 of the volunteers were comfortable, fed and hydrated. To get a better idea of the excitement, chaos and fun that camp brought, check out these video blogs that director Mary made (there are five videos in total, you'll need to scroll down the page to find them all).

The medianas!!

The camp was really fantastic. There was high energy and spirit throughout the week. The girls enjoyed themselves completely and now participants and coaches alike are geared up to start the season!



Thanks to Kristin Gladney, camp volunteer for these photos!

Todos Pueden Jugar!

Here's a shot of the final product of our November mural project, "Todos Pueden Jugar" (Everyone can play). We're hoping to make mural painting a more consistent season-ending project. Stay posted for another one in May!

¡Necesito una pared!

The Fútbol sin Fronteras year is quickly wrapping up down here in Granada. We only have two weeks left of official programming and practices before the office closes for December! Before we shut down at the end of this month, the girls, with the help of the staff are going to plan and paint a public mural that promotes youth and women in sports!

My main task in the last few weeks was to find a wall, and find some city official who would be willing to donate said wall to us for our community outreach project. The subsequent search led me through multiple offices in the mayor's office, had me talking to the committee in charge of the highest quality local sports complex and writing multiple drafts of multiple official letters. The entire process took a long time, but was a lot of fun and provided a great way to get to know how different city programs and offices run.

After a few failed requests with employees within the mayor's office, we found an in with the assitant of another official. After an initial meeting with her and her boss, she quickly became my ally, revising letters, inviting me to meetings and telling where and when I needed to be to get permissions signed. In the end Larkin and I went to a meeting at Granada's Children's Wellness Fund where we met with a commite in charge of the local baseball complex, multiestadio. The committee is made up of older men who are very protective of their baseball fields and the leader (and most senile) of the group especially doesn't seem too concerned with promoting girls sports in the city. Thankfully, our ally from the mayor's office helped me navigate the presentation to him. In the end, the group gave us permission to use a portion of the wall in the multiestadio complex. The only catch is that there MUST be some image of baseball somewhere in the mural.