Help Shawn raise money

Hey y'all!

This year I am running (jogging, briskly walking or crawling) the Falmouth Road Race! I am running in support of Soccer Without Borders Massachusetts. Below is a brief summary of who SWB is as well as a specific part of their program that is extremely close to my heart, Coaching Boys into Men. I will be raising money over the next few months and hope to think of some incentives to donate! All support is appreciated for this worthy cause! (Including running tips HAHAH)

Soccer Without Borders (SWB) uses soccer as a vehicle for positive change, providing newcomer youth a toolkit to overcome obstacles to growth, inclusion, healing & personal success. In Massachusetts, the program proactively engages and includes newcomers through a holistic, evidence-based model that combines soccer with academic and language support, civic engagement, and cultural exchange activities.

Newcomer youth are especially prone to feelings of stress and social isolation at times leading to risky behaviors, academic failure, and depression. Therapy, and taking care of one's mental health is limited in availability amongst newcomer communities, and it is very stigmatized. This hinders many newcomer male youth from learning the importance of being secure in their masculinity, asking for help, and having a willingness to open up about the struggles in which they are facing at home, in school, and in their communities. 

SWB is unique in that it takes on a whole-person approach to youth development that addresses the direct challenges of newcomer male youth. In particular, the organization utilizes a curriculum called Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM), which gives young male athletes the tools that they need in order to stand up for integrity, nonviolence, and respect. CBIM is the only evidence-based violence prevention program that trains and motivates high school coaches to teach their young male athletes in healthy relationship skills, mental health practices, and that violence never equals strength through weekly discussions on the field. CBIM transforms the culture of teams, schools, and communities.