It is exciting for us to announce that in our third year of Play Soccer So They Can (PSSTC), the Vancouver Whitecaps Foundation is continuing their support with a commitment of prizes and encouragement for participants.

North Vancouver FC (NVFC) has led the way in PSSTC participation and is at it again this year with increased enthusiasm from their board members. The commitment from the Whitecaps of prizes, including a visit from an MLS player or coach to a training session or two of one lucky NVFC team, is a testament to their efforts in raising support for war-affected youth in northern Uganda. Furthermore, their efforts have also encouraged West Vancouver FC to organize a fundraising event during their photo day in October.

The dates for PSSTC this year, as always, are during the last weekend of September (24-25) and the goal is to have even more soccer games being played in support of war-affected youth than we did last year.

Last year, the funds raised from NVFC helped empower a locally-led soccer league for peace in northern Uganda. Coordinated by the Gulu-based organization, the Youth Coalition for Peace, (and monitored by OA Projects) the league involved over 400 war-affected children as players as well as 32 youth leaders as coaches. It ran for about 3 months and included a parents day, where both the mothers and fathers were able to participate in friendly matches with the female and male coaches, respectively.

Please visit our photo album (link is here) on our Facebook page to see pictures from the league:

We would like to thank NVFC and all other PSSTC participants for their efforts in 2010 and wish them a successful and engaging time in 2011.

If you are not involved in a PSSTC event this year, please take a look at our Play Soccer So They Can page to learn if it is something that you would considering participating in.

More updates from the program in northern Uganda and from the success of PSSTC in the weeks to come!

Gavin

Thanks to Aeroplan’s “Beyond Miles” program, we gave away a round-trip flight to/from anywhere in North America at the end of Feb. A huge congrats goes out to the winner: @karen_s_johnson. The contest was simple: you had to buy a One for One tee sometime between Jan 1 and 24th and post a photo of yourself in the tee before Feb 26th, on our Facebook page or tweet it with “@OAProjects” in the 140 characters.

We also said “If a lot of people talk about this on Twitter and Facebook, we may (read: “definitely”) be able to get another flight voucher from the generous team at Aeroplan.” Although it was borderline, there was some good chatter and we feel that another flight should be given away.  Therefore, we are announcing a second (and much easier to participate in) contest for existing and soon-to-be shirt owners. (a big kudos to those who chatted online).

The new process is more simple: post a photo of your tee on on our Facebook page and get at least 2 likes or tweet a photo and get at least 2 rewteets of it. If you do this before April 15th, you will be entered into a draw to win the 2nd Aeroplan ticket voucher.

The contest requires no purchase of a tee, unless you don’t have one already.  The longer version of the rules is here:

You gotta:

1. own or get a One for One OA Projects Tee

2. post a pic of your tee on (1) Twitter and use @OAProjects in your tweet or (2) on the OA Projects Facebook Fan page

3. (1) get your tweet retweeted twice (or more) or (2) get your pic “liked” twice (or more), or both.

4. zap us an email (oa@oaprojects.org) once you’ve tweeted or posted your pic just to make sure we don’t miss it

Other info:

• Tees can be bought online or in our partner stores in Vancouver (Sitka on 4th ave), North Vancouver (Second Wave on Lonsdale), and Victoria (HtO on Broad st.)
• Pictures must be posted online before April 15th
• Random draw will happen on April 16th
• Any Questions should be tweeted (@OAProjects) or emailed (oa@oaprojects.org) or posted on Facebook (OA Projects Fan Page)

The Finale:

Those who own a new or old tee, and posted their pic online and got it some attention, will be entered into a draw to win the free Aeroplan flight voucher for a round-trip ticket within North America (sorry, Hawaii doesn’t count).  The draw will happen before April 18th in order to give everyone enough time to do what they gotta.

The Reason:

To get more support for soccer-based, grassroots peacebuilding in northern Uganda. Your support will contribute to mending social fault lines that might otherwise last for generations.

The Extra Challenge:

For each factor of 2 you get in likes on Facebook or retweets on Twitter, you will get another entry in the draw. 2 likes on Facebook = one entry; 2 retweets on Twitter = one entry; 4 likes on Facebook = two entries; 2 retweets on Twitter + 4 likes on Facebok = three entries; and so on up to a max of 4 entries per tee owner.

Background:

The people of northern Uganda suffered severely from over 20 years of war that raged on between the Ugandan Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army. After a ceasefire was signed in late 2006, peace and stability are slowly creeping back and there is a need to provide long-term support to the local groups and leaders involved in grassroots peacebuilding.

OA Projects works in partnership with the Youth Coalition for Peace (a Gulu-rooted community based organization) and other local groups on a program called Gum Marom (”Equal Opportunity” in Acholi). The program leverages the power of soccer to unify youth and engage them in activities and discussions on long-term peace, gender equity and cultural traditions that have been damaged by the years of conflict.

One for One Explained:

Our Buy One Give One campaign is designed around raising funds to purchase equipment and supplies locally. This provides you with a unique opportunity to get something real and to support something real. Through buying locally, you (via we) support the local businesses and people that will last longer in the community than a soccer ball, or even a project.  In our opinion, it’s the only way that a Buy One Give One campaign should be run. Moreover, the shirt you buy is original, made with organic cotton, and actually cheaper than most quality tees these days.

Here are some photos of the tees in action, in northern Uganda.

Thanks to Aeroplan’s “Beyond Miles” program, we have a round-trip flight to/from anywhere in North America up for grabs. If you buy a One for One organic Tee (where for every shirt sold, we buy a soccer ball in northern Uganda for use in grassroots peacebuilding activities) between January 1st and 24th, you are in the running to win the flight.

Ok, so what do you actually have to do to get in there with a chance? (I.e., what are the rules?)

You gotta:

1. get a One for One OA Projects Tee between January 1 and 24th (more shirts = more entries)
2. post a pic of yourself wearing your fresh new tee on (1) Twitter and use @OAProjects in your tweet or (2) on the OA Projects Facebook Fan page (this is to confirm that you are indeed the owner of the tee)
3. zap us a note (oa@oaprojects.org) once you’ve posted your pic just to make sure we don’t miss it

Other info:

• Tees can be bought online or in our partner stores in Vancouver (Sitka on 4th ave), North Vancouver (Second Wave on Lonsdale), and Victoria (HtO on Broad st.)
• Pictures must be posted online before February 20th
• Random draw will happen sometime between the 20th - 24th of Feb
• Any Questions should be tweeted (@OAProjects) or emailed (oa@oaprojects.org) or posted on Facebook (OA Projects Fan Page)

The Finale:

Those who got a tee during Jan 1 -24th and posted their pic online, will be entered into a draw to win the free Aeroplan flight voucher for a round-trip ticket within North America (sorry, Hawaii doesn’t count).  The draw will happen before Feb 25th in order to give everyone enough time to do what they gotta.

The Reason:

To get more support for soccer-based, grassroots peacebuilding in northern Uganda. Your support will contribute to mending social fault lines that might otherwise last for generations.

The Extra Challenge:

If a lot of people talk about this on Twitter and Facebook, we may (read: “definitely”) be able to get another flight voucher from the generous team at Aeroplan.

Background:

The people of northern Uganda suffered severely from over 20 years of war that raged on between the Ugandan Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army. After a ceasefire was signed in late 2006, peace and stability are slowly creeping in and there is a need to provide long-term support to the local groups and leaders who are involved in grassroots peacebuilding in the region.

OA Projects works in partnership with the Youth Coalition for Peace (a Gulu-rooted community based organization) and other local groups on a program called Gum Marom (”Equal Opportunity” in Acholi). The program leverages the power of soccer to unify youth and engage them in activities and discussions on long-term peace, gender equity and cultural traditions that have been damaged by the years of conflict.

One for One Explained:

Our Buy One Give One campaign is designed around raising funds to purchase equipment and supplies locally. This provides you with a unique opportunity to get something real and to support something real. Through buying locally, you (via we) support the local businesses and people that will last longer in the community than a soccer ball, or even a project.  In our opinion, it’s the only way that a Buy One Give One campaign should be run. Moreover, the shirt you buy is original, made with organic cotton, and actually cheaper than most quality tees these days.

Here are some photos of the tees in action, in northern Uganda.

We are very excited about the upcoming weekend as it is the first time that a large youth soccer club is making all of their league games, during the weekend of the 25/26 of September, as a platform to build support for war-affected youth in northern Uganda.  As a part of Play Soccer So They Can, North Vancouver FC is asking that all of their 3200 players donate $2 or (4,000 Uganda Shillings) to our soccer-based peacebuilding program in northern Uganda. This is the exact type of partnership that we envision allowing Play Soccer So They Can to grow to a much larger level across Canada and the US.  Since its launch in 2009, Play Soccer So They Can has raised over $10,000 from games across North America. From Florida, to Hollywood in the US and from Victoria to Kingston in Canada.

Bobby Lenarduzzi of the Vancouver Whitecaps has given the partnership his endorsement, check out what he thinks here.

The North Shore Outlook has also given this weekend’s events a little boost (click here for the online piece).  And, two OA Projects team members will be present in North Vancouver on Saturday to take it all in and accept the donations on behalf of the program in northern Uganda.

We will be sure to post a complete report on the outcome from the weekend and the impact that it will have in northern Uganda.

And, we want to wish all of the players and coaches of North Van FC good fundraising in these last few days!

A few months back, we received a note from James Milligan of Social Conscience, who wanted to know how we could work together to support more soccer-based peacebuilding activities in northern Uganda.  Since then, his network has raised almost $2,000 to buy soccer balls, and other soccer equipment, for our project with the Youth Coalition for Peace, in Gulu and Amuru.

James had this to say about working with us:

“Our aim in working with OA Projects is to support their framework whereby youth who have been negatively impacted by conflict are helped to reintegrate into society using soccer as a platform to connect. Social Conscience is excited about this first partnership with OA Projects and working with them more in the future.”

A Fair Trade Soccer Ball from Social Conscience

We are proud to work with James and Social Conscience and would like to give a huge thanks to all of those who donated through their campaign. Stay tuned, here, for updates with the balls in action.

Info on Social Conscience:

Social Conscience is a social entrepreneurial business that is using the Fair Trade concept applied to sports balls to connect with impoverished workers and people, ideally youth, in developing nations and here at home. Through the making of Fair Trade soccer balls, Social Conscience is helping workers earn more money to support their families and thereby send their kids to school instead of the factories, while encouraging awareness locally in Canada.

On January 9th, two soccer players from Richmond put on a Play Soccer So They Can event in their hometown.  The game was a a mix of international level players and first-timers, and everyone had a good time and their share of shinning moments. Team Sari ended up defeating Team Masumi by one goal, but the final score wasn’t what truly matter as people came together for a common cause and new friendships were built — all through a simple game of soccer. In total, the group raised over $800 to support soccer-based peacebuilding in northern Uganda.

Group shot after the game. Masumi Turnbull

By Gavin Hollett

We are very excited to report that Play Soccer So They Can successfully launched this past year with participants from all over North America. From a pick up game by medical students at Queens University in Ontario ($100 raised) to a full scale tournament in Hollywood, California (over $500 raised), many people came together to play soccer so that war affected youth in northern Uganda can too. (The group in LA even produced a video, check it out here)

Although some groups that wanted to participate were unable to for various reasons, the Play Soccer So They Can community raised over $2,600 and continues to do so. Over the holidays, a grade 12 student in Victoria, BC, ran a soccer camp for younger students in her school to build support for soccer-based peacebuilding.  Additionally, a former University of Kentucky men’s player hosted a game this weekend in Richmond for soccer players wanting to support the youth in northern Uganda — they raised over $800 (pushing the total over $3,000)!

(students from Queen’s medical school after their game — credits to C. Newcombe)

Some of the other participating teams/games in 2009 were:

• Gordon Head Blazers (Victoria, BC)
• Bays United U14 Girls Team (Victoria, BC)
• Bays United Over 30 Women’s Team (Victoria, BC)
• University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Women’s varsity soccer team
• NorthShore U14 Girls Caps (Vancouver)
• Richmond Men’s Premier Teams — Dragons vs. Ante Up (Vancouver, BC)
• Mall of America LUSH (Minnesota)
• University of Alberta Men’s soccer team in a game vs UVic Vikes (Edmonton, Alberta) — 1st recorded event
• Bays United Mens Div 1 (Victoria, BC)
• Boys and Girls Club (Nanaimo, BC)
• Cordova Bay Men’s team (Victoria, BC)

The funds raised by your collective efforts will be put to use during a 4-month project expansion in northern Uganda this year. Between April and July, OA will be working with our partner, the Youth Coalition for Peace, to continue to help establish a locally driven peacebuilding framework that connects war affected youth with local youth leaders to play soccer and to discuss important post-conflict issues related to community reintegration, peacebuilding and gender equity. The full project expansion proposal is available now here.

Click here for a short video that will give you a visual of how your funds will make an impact on the ground, during the upcoming project.

More photos and updates will come in the next few days as will more information about Play Soccer So They Can’s plans for 2010 and our budding partnership with a large youth soccer association in Vancouver, Canada.

A huge thanks to all who participated and helped kick start the community.

Play Soccer So They Can is still in it’s infancy but there has been an amazing amount of energy put in by a few committed individuals and groups. There will be a few more updates happening in the coming weeks but we wanted to let you all know about an upcoming Play Soccer So They Can tournament in Los Angeles. Becca, Jill, Dave, and Luke and a team of volunteers are putting on a 5 v 5 tournament on Saturday, October the 17th. From 2pm to 5pm, there will be a 6-team tournament at 13741 Mulholland Drive, Beverly Hills.

There is still space to get involved and support their efforts by either playing in the tournament, making a matching donation of a player or team, or by just spreading the word to teams/players in the area. Teams or individuals, or both, are invited.

This is the first ever Play Soccer So They Can event in Los Angeles. Would be awesome to have as much support as possible from those in the area.

Thanks so much.

(photo credit to Devin Holterman)

Just a quick note about the upcoming launch of the community Play Soccer So They Can, which aims to bring together people at least once a year to play soccer so that war-affected youth can too. Clubs, teams, and groups are invited to host a soccer game in their own community to build support for soccer-based community building in war-affected northern Uganda.

In our first year, and as it’s short notice for this year’s dates, we are suggesting that people host their game during the 25th-27th of September (the official dates) or on a weekend that is more convenient than for them. In the future, we will give enough notice so that teams participating across North America can host their event during the same weekend.

So far we have groups in Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Regina, Winnipeg, LA, Minnesota, Kingston (Ont.), and now in Kentucky and Mississippi! Some will be participating this weekend and some a bit later on this fall. Though, the first official game of Play Soccer So They Can happened last Sunday in Edmonton when the U of A men’s team invited their opponents (UVic) to join them to play soccer so that war-affected youth can. They raised about $400 and nobody (not even the organizer) broke a sweat.

This is what Matt Wilson (the organizer) said about his involvement:

Our goal is to eventually have every team across North America playing soccer so they can on the same weekend. This year our goal is $10,000 (4, weeklong, Soccer Camps for Peace for over 300 children) and we are still looking for some energy and love from individuals who want to host a simple game ($100 to $500 or more) in their community. I have attached a How To document that gives a ton more information on everything. If you can’t host a game, please pass on the info.

If you are organizing an event, please take photos so we can share your efforts with the rest of the community.

Email gavin@oaprojects.org if you have questions or to find out what to do after your event!