Research has shown that Generation Z and Generation Alpha are the most anxious generation. Anxiety and Depression diagnoses have significantly surged over the last decade and will continue in that direction post-pandemic. Thankfully, there has been an increase in the willingness to communicate and share about mental health and wellness.
Soccer in the Streets’ demographic consists of underserved and lower-income neighborhoods that tend to feel these challenges more intensely. Our organization values the importance of the kids' overall development. With each new season, our team has a fresh opportunity to create and sustain positive relationships between youth and adults that improve soccer ability, support emotional and mental health, and collaboratively build stronger communities throughout Atlanta.
A priority for our team this year is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Previously considered as Emotional Intelligence, SEL is a unique program that taps into youths’ overall emotional and mental wellness. This process will help our players acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
This fall season will include over 900 players working together to grow in their leadership abilities on and off the field. Using soccer as a medium, trained coaches teach skills and life lessons, such as personal responsibility, self-confidence, and self-management.
Our coaches establish physically safe spaces at state of art soccer facilities where players are a part of an intentionally structured schedule for the youth. For example, two of our Southside coaches, Coach Conrad and Coach Cunningham with the 10U boys team help instill this by ending training sessions in intentional huddles. At their sessions, they focus their conversation circle around self-awareness and taking every chance to listen and learn from each other.
“The Soccer in the Streets program is phenomenal. It gives young athletes an opportunity to be a part of a team,” said Coach Cunnigham. “I enjoy being able to be a mentor for our boy’s team. It’s not only about soccer, it’s about the off-the-field life lessons too. It’s about learning and giving 100 percent effort. This program is top-notch. I am thankful for being able to lend my support.”
The impact these coaches are making is on full display when you watch their team. These young leaders are constantly supporting each other and uplifting one another.
Our team will use multiple strategies such as conversation circles, check-in meetings, and an SEL curriculum to help cultivate a culture of empathy and courage for our players and our parents. We will continue to innovate and improve our programming as we utilize evaluation tools such as HelloInsight surveys provided by Laureus Sport for Good.
In addition to creating an inclusive and meaningful experience, we will also continue to partner with community organizations such as Degree Breaking Limits Program. Players that were surveyed last spring confirmed that authentic relationships and engaging authentically with adults were essential to their overall development.
As we navigate through this need in youth development, we are bringing light to Suicide Prevention Month. This is especially important to our organization as we help kids live a healthy lifestyle on and off the field. The time spent with the kids at practice means more than just playing with a soccer ball it means building a quality relationship. A relationship with their coaches and teammates.
Our goal with the program is to promote emotional and mental awareness. This program will continue to grow as we keep track of the surveys conducted by our program managers. These surveys will guide us in the direction to successfully tap into the youth players