Soccer Without Borders

Soccer Without Borders' mission is to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change, providing underserved youth with a toolkit to overcome obstacles to growth, inclusion, and personal success.

We support underserved and newcomer youth in increasing their feelings of belonging, confidence, and sense of self so that they can make meaningful contributions to their communities—including their families, schools, neighborhoods, and more. Programs are free-of-charge, all equipment is supplied, and transportation is provided. Our program framework includes three main pillars:

1. Soccer play and instruction: We provide the equipment, coaching, and transportation needed to help participants of all skill levels pass, dribble, score, sweat, win, lose, learn, and celebrate together in organized practices and games.
2. Educational support: We provide academic and English language development support, high school and college preparation, as well as workshops on nutrition, wellness, mindfulness, healthy relationships, and any other topics that are most important to them.
3. Community building: We think of community in concentric circles, and create meaningful relationships at every level from team, to school, to neighborhood, to the world. We utilize deliberate team-building strategies, connect our participants to the local and global community through themed events and team service projects, and emphasize dialogue, understanding, and friendship across cultures through intentional activities.

Key outcomes:

• In FY24, SWB supported over 7,700 participants with over 5,600 different activities. Participants represent 80+ countries, speaking 45+ different languages.
• 95% high school graduation rate for SWB participants, compared to 66% average graduation rate for English language learners in the same states.
• 90%+ participant retention rate in FY23, whereas 70% of U.S. youth quit sport by age 13.
• Our annual youth survey indicated strong perceptions of belonging, fairness, and resilience. Eighty-six percent of respondents said "it is important for me to work hard in school," there was a 16% increase in participant confidence in using English beyond SWB because of their practice at SWB, and a 20% increase in youth's understanding of how to use their interests and skills to make their communities better.

Further, SWB launched SWB Assist, a program designed to support partners and like-minded organizations to advance gender equity and social inclusion through three avenues: capacity building, design and strategy consulting, and exchanges and collective impact initiatives.