Scenes from last weekend’s Homeless USA Cup in Washington, DC:

Ted Leonsis holding the special edition, KC Soccer/Red Rubber Ball (aka the Sport for Social Change ball)!

From Street Soccer USA:

Here are the final standings. Call them the Street Soccer USA National Rankings:

1. Minneapolis, Minnesota (Youthlink MN)
2. Los Angeles, CA (Jovenes)
3. Charlotte, NC (Community Works 945 of the Urban Ministry Center)
4. Ann Arbor, MI, (Port)
5. Atlanta, GA (Homeless Task Force)
6. San Francisco (Spitfire Soccer Acadamy)
7. Washington, DC (Street Sense, National Coaliton for the Homeless)
8. Richmond, Virginia
9. New York, (HELP USA)
10. Austin, TX (Lifeworks, The Arch)
11. St. Louis, MO (Peter and Paul’s)

Congratulations, Minneapolis!  And good luck, Team USA. 8 players are selected to represent the United States at the Homeless World Cup each year. These players are chosen not only for their soccer abilities and success off the field but for their capacity to fullfil their role of goodwill ambassadors and to serve as advocates for people who are homeless.

Team USA

And on this Independence Day…

Be Safe and PLAY!!

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

Thursday Shoutout is our time to feature those who have given us love on their websites or blogs.  This is our way of saying: Backatcha!

From the Living, Loving, Learning blog of Brandon Middleton:

Chasing Red Rubber Balls

…Learning:
I met and spoke with a man named Kevin Carroll the Katalyst this weekend and all I can say is WoW (Flavor Flav style)!!! A quiet giant in speech and manner, he shared his story and ignited a spark of hope and belief that was just great. Also as a part of this weekend I went to a Rodeo for the first time. My group was the minority (amazingly) at this event but I had a blast . . . up until the part where the clown guy who chases the bull away from the cowboy got his face tackled into the solid iron guard rail . . . this happened about 48 hours ago and I bet you he is still bleeding (that’s how hard he got hit y’all). So these new experiences allowed me to learn and embrace diversity so very much that I can’t wait until I do it again.

Raise your glasses to, you guessed it

Living

Loving

Learning

;o)

Here’s to your continued living, loving (including blog love) and learning, Brandon, and have a wonderful holiday weekend!

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

Stefan Bucher’s Daily Monster is our Wednesday staple of creative, hairy fun.

Stefan has gone BIG...as in canvas big.  No more letter sized monsters for him, oh no.  Mr. Bucher has now graduated and we have some of the preliminary results:

Looks complete to me but if there are any flourishes added, we’ll keep you posted.

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

Ncobille has had a very difficult time:

“She was born in the province of Mphumelanga in a town called White River...Ncobile has two holes in her heart, she has very high pressure in her lungs due to this and when I met with the family yesterday, Ncobile was obviously “blue” - the mucous membranes inside her lips and mouth were blue as were her fingernails. She is an urgent case and we cannot refer her to the provincial hospital as their staff are currently out on strike...She has been put to the top of our waiting list and hence received your donation which will be used to heal her heart, give her hope and a chance to say...’when I grow up I want to be.’ She will be admitted into our care on Tuesday next week and her operation is scheduled for Wednesday morning. I will keep you all posted on her progress. Have a fabulous weekend everyone.
Best regards,
Mrs. Lynda Bleazard
Chief Executive Officer,
Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa

We’d made a whirlwind trip to South Africa in May/June of ‘07 and in the course of our journey, visited with Lynda and Dr. Hendrik Mamorare, a highly skilled cardiac surgeon.  I was so moved by the work that WSPCC does - treating youth from the entire continent, many with little or no money - that I had to do something.  Lynda contacted me shortly thereafter and told me that my donation would be used to help a little girl named Ncobile.

We’d get updates from Lynda about Ncobile’s progress: 

“Dear Kevin, hi there, greetings from the WSPCCA! Little Ncobile had her surgery yesterday - the procedure is called: Pulmonary Artery Banding. Dr Kinsley will close all the holes in her heart when she is older - possibly age 2. Needless to say, her mum, Maureen, was very anxious throughout the operation but seeing her little girl and the remarkable recovery she is making has her smiling today!”

And here’s the latest email from the wonderful Mrs. Bleazard:

“Dear Kevin, hi there, long time no hear! I hope you are very well indeed and still bouncing the red ball.

I had little Ncobile in with us for a check up today - 14months old!! Can you believe it. She got an ‘A’ for check up and is only due back in a year’s time.

Enjoy and thanks once again for the sponsorship to save her life.

kindest regards,
Lynda
WSPCCA”

Ncobile, today, at 14 months:

Do you believe in miracles?

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

From My ESPN blog:

“Eugene, Oregon aka Track Town, USA and the storied oval of Hayward Field will be host to the 2008 USA Track and Field Trials beginning today. The 2008 Beijing hopefuls will strive to hear the crescendo of encouragement and the applause of admiration bestowed upon them for a race run well and/or a field event effort worthy of kudos from the track and field savvy crowd assembled in the famed grandstand of the track that Pre and Bill built…

(Burning at a high school track meet)

After a 28 year hiatus, the track and field trials have returned to a neo-nostalgically improved Hayward Field. In a recent article, for the New York Times, John Brant wrote, “Hayward Field, often referred to as the Carnegie Hall of American track and field, has undergone an $8 million facelift, with expanded seating (now 16,000, up from 10,500), new lighting, and a high-tech scoreboard. Though the ubiquitous Nike swoosh is emblazoned on the upper right-hand corner of the scoreboard, next to the words “Historic Hayward Field,” the stadium doesn’t seem to have sacrificed too much of its intimate retro charm. BLOGNOTE: My old boss at the Swoosh aka Nike, Tinker Hatfield the designer of the sneaks donned by MJ, helped with a great deal of the design efforts that will be on national display this weekend...”

Historic Hayward Field:

(Photos by Kim Carroll)

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

From Time.Com:

“Sport has the power to change the world, the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way that little else can. Sport can create hope ... It is an instrument for peace.”

Nelson Mandela

“...A new global initiative whose board I will chair will draw together the most inspirational people, projects and organizations in sport. Beyond Sport will celebrate their achievements, identify why they succeed, and use them to inspire others. The Beyond Sport Awards will recognize and reward those individuals, projects and organizations that have created positive social change through sport. Our message will be championed by our ambassadors — from sporting heroes like Lucas Radebe, South Africa’s most capped footballer and Lord Sebastian Coe, London 2012 chairman, to media visionaries such as American Idol creator Simon Fuller. Through the UNICEF Child Rights Award, Beyond Sport will recognize the vital role that sport can play in helping to fulfill children’s rights, as laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

We all have much to learn from the great programs and projects running all over the world. Now is the time to make heroes of individuals and organizations that use sport to really make a difference. Now is the time for sport to show how much it can achieve beyond sport.”

Tony Blair
Britain’s Prime Minister from 1997-2007

Play is the great universal!  Sport for fun, exercise and competition is great; adding a social or political objective to the mix: helping to feed (Free Rice) or to inspire (Homeless World Cup) is, to quote the great Duke Ellington, “beyond category.” The more that sport incorporates a social conscience, the greater potential for positive change globally.  Whatever your sport or game is, no matter how insignificant you fear it might be, it can, with a little creativity help another suffering human being.  I know this because it happened to me.

PS. If you’re in or near our nation’s capitol this weekend, please go down to 11th and H Streets NW to watch the Homeless USA Cup and cheer on teams from across the country attempting to represent the US at the Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Australia. 

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

(Soup kitchen workers playing soccer)

From the Street Soccer USA website:

The Homeless USA Cup 2008 in Wash. DC
June 27-29th

AND, the film ”Kicking It” premieres tomorrow in DC so if you are in town, be sure to check out the film and the action on the pitch!

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

Stefan Bucher’s Daily Monster is our Wednesday staple of creative, hairy fun.

Stefan’s new book, ”100 Days of Monsters,” is flying off the shelves.  There is so much enthusiasm for his creepy oeuvre that book reviews are randomly appearing on YouTube.  For example:

Monster Fever is upon us.  Catch it!

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

(Kastles Stadium site for Homeless USA Cup)
Dateline our nation’s capital, Washington, DC:

“Street Soccer USA of the Urban Ministry Center is hosting the second and largest ever Homeless USA Cup in Washington, DC.  The three-day tournament will name a national champion and determine who travels to represent the US at the 48 nation, Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Australia.

Over the course of a weekend 100 homeless individuals will compete on behalf of their city for the US Cup. Teams will come from Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Richmond, Phoenix, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington DC.

“Being homeless means being isolated. Soccer is great because it connects players not only to their teammates and coaches, but to a billion people who play around the world,” says Lawrence Cann Founder and President of Street Soccer USA (SSUSA) and director of Community Works 945 at the Urban Ministry Center where the first US street soccer program originated.

Each of the participants have faced the reality of being homeless at least within the past year and organizers point out that over 70 percent of participants from previous tournaments have improved their lives by quitting drugs, moving into jobs, getting an education and even reuniting with their families.”

There are those who scoff when some of us in the ‘sport for social change movement’ say that a ball can change someone’s life.  I’ve seen it because I’ve lived it. Having attended two Homeless World Cup tournaments - Cape Town in ‘06 and Copenhagen in ‘07 - I have seen the global face of homelessness, but also the universal appeal of sports as a tool for change.  The hope, the passion, the dedication, the discipline triggered by competition, by participation in the world’s most popular sport - the beautiful game - can produce life shifts of major proportions.  How do I know this?  Because I’ve seen it!

If you are anywhere near Washington, DC, please check out this weekend’s HWC qualifying tourney (June 27-29th 2008) and see miracles in action for yourself. 

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

An email from my good friend, Marshall Cho:

“sup kevin,

am about 1/2 day away from flying out of Senegal back to the States. It’s been an eye-opening trip here so far and I really am hoping that the right doors can open that will give me an opportunity to get involved with the work out here. I had an opportunity to address the kids here today and got to talk a bit about the “A” in the D.R.E.A.M. Some of the players had played poorly earlier in the day and displayed some really poor attitude that needed to be addressed.

The coach in the first photo is from Italy and I’ve had the good fortune of overlapping my time with him here, as he works out Moussa Seck, a 22-year old kid who just began playing ball for the first time 20 months ago (could he be the tallest kid to sport the DREAM band?). He actually gave them a much needed talk on the players improving their attitude and having a sense of urgency regarding their work because the window of opportunity will close on them sooner than they think.

Anyhow, will chat more about the experience back in Portland. Be well.

Marshall”

Pics from “Mozambique” Marshall’s SEED Academy visit:

We’ll be bringing you more about Marshall’s visit to and work in Senegal with SEED in the near future so stay tuned!

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

Theater as a tool for change

By Jennifer Holder, TC Daily Planet
May 27, 2008

“The theater [can be used] as a tool for personal and social change,” said Jan Mandell, teacher and director of the Central Touring Theater (CTT) Program at St. Paul’s Central High School. For the past thirty years, her CTT students have used theater for change: creating, performing and touring original theater throughout the Twin Cities. They delight, inspire and motivate diverse audiences with their artistic expressions of social issues.

“The students work together, play together inside and outside of the theater, and have formed a very positive group for each other and those around them – and that’s great,” said a parent at CTT’s final performance for the 2007-08 school year.

CTT’s printed program claims the title of “Minnesota’s premier youth social activism theater troupe.” Its students come from a variety of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and are “engaged in vigorous theater training that helps them to learn about each other and to transform their communities.”

Two years ago, Mandell asked her students, “How do we lower the achievement gap?” Closing the achievement gap between student groups is one of the goals set forth in the St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS) current Strategic Plan. CTT students responded with the creation of Seeds of Change.

Achievement Gap

Twin Cities Compass recently reported on disparities in the seven-county metro area:

• About 9 of 10 white third grade children in the Twin Cities region meet or exceed reading proficiency standards while only about 6 of 10 third grade children of color do.

• In 2007, about 42% of white (non-Hispanic) students in the region met or exceeded Minnesota’s math proficiency standards compared to 17% of students of color.

• The on-time graduation rate for white students is about 34 percentage points higher than the rate for students of color.

St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS) administration describes Seeds of Change as “both a production and a support network that aims to lower the achievement gap between African American males and other student groups.” At its start in 2006, nine students (six black males, a black female, a white female and an Asian male) participated in the development of the play. That number has since grown to twenty.

Students meet weekly and receive one-on-one academic tutoring, homework help, and a mentoring relationship with a Concordia University student, who serves as a positive role model for the students. Mandell describes the program as highly successful. In this group, the achievement gap has been lowered – their grades have improved and, with the exception of one dropout, they all plan on attending college.

(Follow the link below to read the entire article.)

Combine a pressing human need with a desire to address it; then find a talent, a skill, or a game that can engage the latent abilities of people who need just a little bit of help firing their imagination....and PRESTO...you’ve got Seeds of Change.

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

Thursday Shoutout is our time to feature those who have given us love on their websites or blogs.  This is our way of saying: Backatcha!

From ”Mosaic Culture” the blog of Edgar Cabello

“Follow the Bouncing Ball
Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Kevin Carroll is a ‘katalyst’. He worked as an Air Force man, an athletic trainer for the Philadelphia 76ers and eventually an in-house motivator/innovator and idea man for Nike. He travels to speak to thousands using the platform of sport to convey his message ‘to find your passion and pursue it.’ Not a new message, I know, but just a reminder that timeless thoughts can be revived when a fresh stroke of genius is applied to the canvas of everyday life. Here is a short excerpt from “ Rules of the Red Rubber Ball.” Desire comes from the heart and not from your head. It will not always seem like a rational pursuit. It will not be a path you can justify to others or yourself. Doubt is to be expected, but not obeyed. Because you will have doubts, and because people will call you crazy, pursuing your red rubber ball requires real commitment. Which reminds me...Tomorrow night the children of our church, Mosaic Kids, begin construction on a crazy project. They are building a 70 foot ark! Has that ever been done before? Not by kids, it hasn’t. I think a few people called Noah crazy! Have you heard of this guy or his book? Are there too many books like this? What do you think?”

A 70 foot ark, crazy?  Not if those kids have a serious D.R.E.A.M. and are - dedicated to the cause, responsible enough to manage the numerous details of a project this large, have the requisite education necessary to make building a 70 foot ark not only possible but a technical certainty; maintain a positive, can-do attitude; and IF they are motivated to stay the course (think Tiger Woods from this weekend past...ANYTHING is possible

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

Stefan Bucher’s Daily Monster is our Wednesday staple of creative, hairy fun.

Last week we brought you an homage to Stefan’s monster work by one of his friends, Matthew Colclough.  Today, the inspired tributes continue, this one by Valentin:

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

From the San Francisco Chronicle: 

Women boxers challenge Afghan culture
By Nick Meo, Chronicle Foreign Service

“Kabul, Afghanistan—Concord resident Tareq Shawl Azim says he always knew he would one day return to his parents’ country to make it a better place.

Azim, whose parents left Afghanistan in 1979 after the Soviet invasion, boxed as a heavyweight at Fresno State, and has represented Afghanistan at the Asian Games, South Asian Games and Pan American Games. Azim believes he is an agent of reform by training females to box.

“I wanted to show the world that Afghanistan is ready for positive change through sports and the most male-dominated activity - boxing,” he said. “There needs to be belief in all humanity in order for a country like Afghanistan to stand on its two feet. One foot being male and the other being female.”

The sight of some 30 determined girls, many clad in head scarves, sparring and shadowboxing, is an extraordinary spectacle in a country where women are routinely harassed for taking part in sports and where some Islamic clerics have spoken out against any female performing in public as an athlete or entertainer.

The idea for the program occurred last year after several female soccer players expressed interest in the sport after watching American women box on television. Later that year, sports officials formed the Afghan Women’s Boxing Federation, whose directors say their major obstacle is not conservative males but a shortage of cash. The girls, who train in the cavernous, dingy gymnasium of Kabul’s National Stadium that was once the site of Taliban executions, has only four punching bags, three of which are homemade.”

We’ve told you previously about Awista Ayub and her Afghan Youth Sports Exchange.  Awista has been one of the main players in empowering young Afghan women through sport, specifically soccer.  She likely worked with and undoubtedly influenced the “female soccer players” who expressed an interest in the sport of boxing. The great importance of her work as a “sport for social change agent” is clear: she helps remove the psychological glass ceiling within people living in an oppressive culture.  While others say “why,” her work insists, “why not?” Sport and unlimited possibility go hand-in-glove.

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

From My ESPN blog:

Happy Father’s Day - Preston Playground!

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!