Friday Inspiration: A Strong Kase for Play
From the Youth Noise website:
Making a KASE for Girls SoccerPosted by:trinachi on 08/21/08
Today I’d like to recognize a collaborative sports effort that pushes for gender equality, teaches about AIDS/HIV prevention, builds life-skills for at-risk youth, and provides educational opportunities for women and girls in Kenya.
The team began with a few primary players: CARE (a humanitarian organization that fights global poverty) and their Sport for Social Change Initiative, Nike Let Me Play (a youth-directed program to fight global poverty and oppression through sports), and the Mathare Youth Soccer Association (dedicated to empowering impoverished youth in Kenya through sports and community service projects).
Once these three players got together to kick some ideas around on the playing field, they realized that they were unstoppable. They chose a team name—the Kenyan American Soccer Exchange, or KASE—and scored goal after goal empowering women and girls in Kenya.
The KASE Girls USA Tour brought Kenyan teams to the States to build relationships and play soccer. KASE also hosts workshops to train Kenyan coaches, build political and economic support for women’s sports in Kenya, and assist Universities in developing women’s sports programs.
The Kase crew, in the midst of a multi-city tour, made it out to Portland in April; I remember seeing some news coverage of their visit. Beautiful cross cultural connections were made that could result in longterm friendships...and perhaps, change.
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- Paulo Coelho » The classic book 'The Alchemist' was my entrée to the world of Paulo Coehlo. Then, through Google Alerts, Paulo reached out to me to thank me for giving his book to my audiences. Now, we plan to collaborate on projects that inspire the world.
- African Sports Outreach International » "My Nike colleague and fellow soccer fanatic, Paul Goodrich’s program which provides uniforms, soccer match play and hope to youth in Southern and West Africa.
- Idea Sandbox » “Paul Williams is a former Starbucks creative and the founder of the Idea Sandbox, an international marketing firm specializing in better ideas through Remarkability, Creative Problem Solving, and Brand Building.”
- Priscilla McIntire » "Priscilla McIntire, formerly Priscilla Palmer, is a life coach specializing in personal development who I was introduced to through the blogosphere.
- Tom Peters! » Tom is the "uber-guru" of management and inventor of the enormous "management guru industry." I was introduced to Tom through his books and his article in Fast Company magazine, 'The Brand Called You.'
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