8/5/2004

This summer eight girls from Afghanistan are visiting the United States to learn soccer techniques and leadership skills so that they can organize school and city teams when they return home.

The team, sponsored by the Afghan Youth Sports Exchange (AYSE) is attending a three-week soccer camp from July 2 until July 27 at The Ethel Walker School to prepare for the International Children's Games in Cleveland, Ohio, which run from July 28 through August 2, 2004.

The Afghan Youth Sports Exchange (AYSE) is a non-profit dedicated to preparing Afghanistan's youth with leadership skills required to promote athletics in their schools and communities. AYSE is accomplishing this mission by sponsoring a soccer camp for girls age 11-16. At the camp, the students learned the rules and techniques of soccer as well as various other sports. The program also consisted of leadership seminars where the students discussed with one another how to best approach the task of starting youth sports programs at their schools in Afghanistan and how AYSE can best provide the resources to them.

AYSE was founded by Awista Ayub, an Afghanistan-American who lives in Waterbury, and who is committed to helping the people of Afghanistan.

By working directly with student leaders, AYSE hopes to create lasting social change by giving them the power to make a difference in their schools and in their society.

"Today's children are the future leaders of Afghanistan, and they need to be prepared to lead their nation," stated Ayub. "In order for a movement to have a lasting effect, it is important to empower the young generation with the tools necessary to create positive change, and athletics can be that one tool. Participation in athletics can help students academically by instilling strong leadership qualities such as perseverance, and assertiveness."

The Ethel Walker School was chosen as the site of the soccer training camp in February and the girls arrived in early July to begin preparing for the Cleveland Games and learn skills they can take back to Afghanistan. Ten guest soccer coaches from the Simsbury area worked with the girls over their three-weeks at the camp. "They are amazing girls," declared Alan Blanchard, a soccer coach form the Simsbury Soccer Clinic. "They are very visual learners and they watch intently. They are smart and pick up each new skill very quickly. They arrived knowing very little about the sport and now they are playing soccer. It was a great experience working with them." They girls spoke little or no English and a ninth player, a14-year-old Afghanistan-American soccer player from Virginia, was recruited to play as she speaks both Farsi and English and was the team interpretator.

"It is remarkable to watch these girls who have come halfway around the world to a culture that is vastly different from their own," observed

Susanna Jones, Head of The Ethel Walker School. "They will take home with

them a broader perspective of the world, which can only help in the reshaping of their country. We are delighted they are here and to be part of this program." The School provided free lodging for the camp and hopes to continue its relationship with the AYSE