Greece / Athens-Thessaloniki
Key-stakeholders involved:
- Athens Comics Library
- US Mission in Greece
- Sports Diplomacy/State Department
- City of Athens’ Culture, Sports and Youth Organisation
Brief description
Implementation of the practice
Impact
Lessons learnt/recommendation
Contact details
The Athens Comics Library and the U.S. Mission to Greece teamed up with U.S. soccer stars to empower women and defeat discrimination. On November 8, 9, and 10 Tara Koleski and Jennifer Grubb visited youth academies, schools, training centres, and civil society organisations that use soccer as a platform for social development. The U.S. players also engaged with women’s and youth soccer teams in Athens and Thessaloniki, and had the opportunity to share their experience and expertise with the Greek public through sports clinics, workshops, lectures and training activities. As part of their program in Greece, Tara Koleski and Jennifer Grubb participated in a friendly match joined by former and active football players, sports journalists, and representatives of human rights organisations in Greece.
The program started in Thessaloniki. Tara Koleski and Jennifer Grubb had the opportunity to facilitate:
- A Sports Clinic and Mentoring session for soccer coaches at the YMCA Sports AcademyYouth Association with the participation of 6 coaches.
- A visit and meeting at the NGO ARSIS — Association for the Social Support of Youth where they engaged with a group of teenagers with a refugee background who are participating to sports programming (a group of 10 people)
- A Sports Clinic with Local Schools – American Farm School (AFS) and Anatolia College where they engaged with the girls soccer teams of the schools and their coaches (approximately 40 people participated).
The Athens’ program included:
- A Sports Clinic with The American College Greece (ACG), where the Envoys engaged with the girls and boys soccer teams and their coaches (approximately 40 people participated)
- A Sports Clinic with AEK FC Academy, where the Envoys had the opportunity to discuss and exchange know how with the leading coaching team of the Academy (5 people were engaged)
- A Sports Clinic with Local Public School in Petroupoli (2nd High School), where the Envoys spoke and interacted with 300 high school kids both girls and boys
- A Sports Clinic with local NGO ActionAid Hellas, where the Envoys discussed methodologies of using soccer as an inclusion tool with coaches and facilitators (5 people engaged)
As part of their program in Greece, Tara Koleski and Jennifer Grubb participated in a friendly match on Thursday, November 10 at City of Athens Rouff Stadium “Dimitris Giannakopoulos”. The two U.S. players were joined by former and active football players, sports journalists, and representatives of human rights organisations in Greece. The match highlighted sports as a tool to counter discrimination and social exclusion and was organised with the kind support of the City of Athens’ Culture, Sports and Youth Organisation. In the football match 50 people participated as players representing various groups and organisations such as Unicef, ActionAid, Organisation Earth-Hope Sport, AEK women’s soccer team, Akratitos women’s soccer team, Asteras Vironas Academy, Hellenic Olympic Committee, Hellenic Olympic Truce, General Secretariat for Unaccompanied Minors, Shedia Street Magazine and many more.
Through the program the two guests had the opportunity to engage with more than 350 children (100 with refugee status), 25 coaches, 10 organisations that use soccer as tool for social development and 15 female football players, as well as other stakeholders, highlighting the importance for the inclusion of everyone in and through sports. After their visit, the two Envoys maintained communication with the children from Arsis inviting some of them to the US and offering them coaching and support to follow their dreams. In addition, their presence raised awareness for supporting more women, coming from vulnerable groups, to join football teams.
Although the program was successful and the hosting organisation tried to create opportunities for various communities to participate it was evident that we needed more time in order those meetings to become more impactful.
Athens Comics Library
Lida Tsene, PhD
contact@athenscomicslibrary.gr