Soccer Life
is a structured sports program that makes part of the development initiatives at the Mission Life’s centers. This program provides a positive, healthy and productive after school activity that not only teaches kids the rules of the game but it also gives them valuable life skills.
Dreaming to Play Soccer
Futbol (soccer in the U.S. and Canada) is the most popular sport in the world! If you ask children at our centers in Colombia and Rwanda what their favorite sport is, they will say “Futbol!” They dream of playing on a professional team one day!
Bringing a soccer program to Mission Life’s child centers has been a dream in the making for founder and CEO, Angel Galvis.
The Children
Soccer Life is an integral component of the after-school program at our child centers, serving as a powerful tool to reach and engage more children and youth with the message of Jesus. This program targets children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 who are at risk or have been victims of discrimination and violence, particularly those from lower socio-economic backgrounds in Colombia and Rwanda. Through soccer, we provide these young individuals with not only a safe and supportive environment but also an opportunity to build positive relationships, develop essential life skills, and learn transformational values and principles.
Soccer Life’s Mission & Vision
The vision for Soccer Life is to be a well-established sports training school in our Child Centers, starting with Nueva Colombia, Cartago, and any other partnership formed thereafter.
The mission is to provide the children in each of Mission Life Child Centers the opportunity to discover their athletic talents by providing them with a soccer training school that seeks to create in the youth habits based on discipline, effort, and family values as an extension to the Mission Life development programs.
In partnership with a local organizations and schools, Mission Life establishes short-term mission trips, for students to be involved and interact with the the Soccer Life programs, and provided equipment and resources to reach children in Colombia through sports.
Achieve a Better Quality of Life
Statistics show us that a large percentage of children between 7 and 18 years old in Colombia are using drugs. This gives us a clear and real picture of the need for a structured sport to occupy children in a positive activity. The impact of adding Soccer Life to our child center programs will be of a great magnitude since it is focused on working with socially disadvantaged populations and the most excluded in marginal areas of these countries. It will give them the capacity to become social agents and achieve a better quality of life.
Outside the physical health benefits, sports are vehicles to foster cultural inclusion and create opportunities for students in the U.S. to help and connect with children at our centers.
Skills for Decision Making
In addition to athletic training, Soccer Life helps with the positive development of their minds and bodies, leading to higher self confidence, well-being and self esteem.
Our kids at the child centers will have another tool to come into a safe environment to practice soccer and learn Christian values and principles.
Sport participation can affect adolescents’ happiness and mental health as they become adults, and we believe it will lead them to find purpose and to be productive citizens.