GRS philosophy and values

Last Friday we had our weekly development session, where the staff (interns and site coordinators) meet with our peer educators (we call them Grassroot Soccer coaches) to discuss how programs are going and to help them effectively fulfill their important role in engaging the youths we are working towards reaching in the community. This particular week we discussed the very essence of our organisation. Siya one of the site coordinators led the charge here, with an activity I was happy help to plan and implement.

After playing a game derived from our curriculum we had a group discussion led by Siya. The discussion was geared towards seeking to find out how our coaches defined their personal values and how these values fit into the culture and philosophy of Grassroot Soccer. Everyone agreed that their roles as peer educators are the result of the HIV/AIDS crisis currently affecting the country.

Although most of the discussion was in Xhosa (the predominant language used in the communities we work in) I could tell that the activity struck a nerve with the coaches. It was an inspirational moment as I once again realized how crucial the coaches our to the organization. Teaching behavior change and healthy habits is best done by people who are actively living that lifestyle. I won't claim that the coaches are perfect role models but Friday I heard stories of coaches talking about how their role as peer eduators had changed them and improved their own situation. Being a role model pushes you to look at your own value system, the choice to change or stay the same is left to the individual. By being given an opportunity to inspire others they have inspired each other.

I was happy to witness this moment, and I am confident that we have a strong team doing great work in the field.

Below is an outline of the basic principles of our organisation that I extracted from our website for the activity:

Our values and philosophy, where do you stand?

Mission: Grassroot Soccer uses the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilize communities to stop the spread of HIV.

Philosphy – Our curriculum is based on the Social Learning Theory. The program combines three powerful principles of education:

- Kids learn best from people they respect. Role models have a unique power to influence young minds. Young people listen to and emulate their heroes. Grassroot Soccer uses professional players and other role models as HIV educators and spokespeople. - Learning is not a spectator sport. Adolescents retain knowledge best when they are active participants in the learning process, teaching others what they themselves have learned. Grassroot Soccer graduates are trained to become peer educators and advocates in their communities. - It takes a village. Role models can change what young people think about, but lifelong learning requires lifelong community support. Grassroot Soccer fosters community involvement through youth outreach, long-term partnerships and special events like graduation ceremonies for graduates

Vision: A world mobilized through soccer to prevent new HIV infections.

Strategy (Reality): To achieve our mission, we continuously improve our innovative HIV prevention and life-skills curriculum, share our program and concept effectively, and utilize the popularity of soccer to increase our impact.

Tactics – Way forward

1. To continually improve our innovative, culturally sensitive and fun ‘Skillz’ curriculum.
2. To effectively share our curriculum and concept with local implementing partners, allowing us to achieve scale in a sustainable way while making use of local capacity and infrastructure.
3. To empower local community role models (professional soccer players, youth sport coaches, teachers, peer educators, etc.) with the tools to educate the youth in their communities.