Soccer Without Borders partners closely with the Greeley-Evans School District to provide year-round afterschool programming to newcomer youth in Greeley and Evans in Weld County. This after-school programming integrates soccer, education and community to meet the needs of refugee and immigrant youth who are often marginalized from traditional sports programs and after-school programs due to language, cultural, financial, and logistical barriers to participation. SWB programs are designed to eliminate the barriers these youth face, and to build a safe, welcoming and inclusive space in which newcomer youth can find belonging, increase their engagement, and have fun.  SWB programs are evidence-based, integrating the bodies of research on positive youth development and trauma-informed practices, which inform our program design, implementation, staff training, and observation and evaluation. In addition, SWB Greeley is part of a wider network of SWB programs in 7 locations in the US and abroad, allowing our program to incorporate lessons learned and best practices from the diverse contexts within which SWB works with youth across the globe, while maintaining a locallyfocused approach to program design, implementation, and evaluation.  SWB has partnered with the Greeley-Evans School District since beginning programming in Colorado in 2012, but this proposal represents a new chapter in the partnership. With support from United Way of Weld County, SWB will work directly with 5 middle schools in the district, increasing our reach to include additional youth in our programs. In addition to the expansion of youth served, we will also implement a new component of our programs, responding to youth, family, and community feedback and the local context. SWB will launch a new middle school soccer league, inviting other schools and organizations to participate through entering teams in the league. We anticipate the league will serve over 100 youth in year one, and will continue to grow to meet the demand for local, inclusive sports programming in Greeley.

2020-2021 People Served by Area of Weld County

• Carbon Valley (Berthoud, Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Longmont, Mead, Northglenn, Thornton): 0
• County Seat (Evans, Garden City, Greeley): 157
• Outback (Briggsdale, Grover, New Raymer): 0
• Poudre River Corridor (Severance, Windsor): 0
• South County (Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg, Lochbuie): 0
• Thompson River Valley (Johnstown, Milliken): 0
• US-85 Corridor South (Platteville, Gilcrest, LaSalle, Kersey): 0
• US-85 Corridor North (Eaton, Ault, Pierce, Nunn): 0
• Outside Weld County: 0

Find out more about this program:
2019-2020
2020-2021

One of our participants, Rosa, recently graduated from high school, with plans to attend Colorado State University in the fall. Rosa also won the Cultural Leadership award at her high school, representing the leadership of newcomer youth in SWB programs!