NIKEBIZ : NIKE RESPONSIBILITY : OUR COMMUNITY INVESTMENT

Homeless World Cup Inspires Many
Changing Lives, One Game at a Time
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Our Community Investment

At the core of the Nike brand is passion for sport and the role it can play in life. It’s a belief that sport plays a critical role as a source of empowerment to help people reach their full potential.

In particular, we see sport as a means of challenging racism, resolving conflict, building leadership and teamwork and enhancing life skills for youth. Used positively, sport becomes a powerful tool for youth inclusion, helping them fully participate in the social and economic opportunities in their communities.

Play is not an option for millions of young people around the world. There are no safe spaces to play, no coaches, no time, no equipment, no inspiration. It’s time to change how we make an impact by using sport as a tool for social innovation and inclusion.

The Homeless World Cup took place in Melbourne, Australia on December 1-6 and proved to be a truly incredible event for everyone invovled. The event brought people from all over the world together to prove the power that sports has on changing lives. Below is a reflection of the event from Caitlin Fisher, an international developement employee with the Nike Foundation.

The Hope Cup

The 2008 Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Australia just ended. My mind is racing as I try to cling to the images, the sounds and the conversations that took place over the course of the past seven days. I am going to need days to fully absorb and process what I just experienced as assistant coach of the Paraguayan Women’s Soccer Team at the first Women’s Homeless World Cup.

My experiences playing professional soccer in Brazil and Sweden, and now working in the field of international development at the Nike Foundation have helped me recognize sport as one of the most powerful tools for positive social change and empowerment. I have witnessed the power of soccer to teach life skills, challenge gender norms, redefine machismo and create a shared sense of belonging. My understanding of the ability of the world’s most popular sport to turn around lives and bring the socially excluded out of isolation was brought to whole new level this week at the Homeless World Cup. This was one of the most uplifting and unifying events that I have ever experienced.

The coming together of nations, cultures, languages, and colors was only half of it. It was even more amazing to see people from every corner of the world step onto the field, representing their country after overcoming so many barriers.

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FEATURES
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