Summary
Organization name
Soccer Without Borders CO
other names
SWB
2005
Category
Youth Development
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
1031 33rd StDenver, CO 80205
Weld County, CO, US
Aurora, CO, US
Thornton, CO, US
Denver, CO, US
Soccer Without Borders believes in the power of soccer, the world's universal language, to create positive change for individuals, families, communities, and the world.
Our mission is to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change, providing newcomer youth (refugee, asylum seeking, and immigrant youth) with a toolkit to overcome obstacles to growth, inclusion, and personal success.
Our programs are designed for young people to develop agency, a sense of belonging, and the skills to contribute, building social capital and strengthening positive identity development.
Testimonials
"SWB has been part of my family since I came to the USA. I really met great and amazing friends and until now I'm still friends with them, so I'm so glad that they found me and let me join this community."- Lovely, SWB Colorado Participant
Mission
Soccer Without Borders uses soccer as a vehicle for positive change, providing newcomer youth with a toolkit to overcome obstacles to growth, inclusion, and personal success.
Background Statement
In 2011, Soccer Without Borders Colorado (SWB CO) was founded in Greeley, CO, as a collaborative volunteer effort between coaches and players of local soccer clubs, who came together to provide a space of support and belonging for approximately 80 Somali and Burmese refugee youth who had resettled in the area. The program quickly gained momentum with the refugee community and services continued to grow year-over-year.
Since 2011, SWB CO has grown steadily to serve more newcomer youth, now offering programming in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, and Weld counties. In 2023, SWB CO led 438 program activities serving a total of 755 newcomer youth (46% female identifying, 54% male identifying) who have resettled in Colorado from 29 different countries of origin speaking over 22 unique languages. The countries from which the largest group of our participants originate include Myanmar, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Mexico, Guatemala, and Afghanistan.
The urgency for services that are able to welcome newcomers to the state of Colorado could not be greater as forced displacement around the world continues to bring more youth to communities across Colorado seeking asylum and belonging. Soccer Without Borders Colorado is proud to be a part of the effort locally to meet those needs.
SWB’s impact has been recognized by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Sports Award, the FIFA Diversity Award, the Lipman Family Prize from the Wharton School of Business, and the US Soccer Foundation’s Impact Award.
Media gallery
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Organization Data
Denver, CO 80205