Skillz Street

So I’ve been meaning to write about Skillz Street for awhile and it seems that I’m finally getting around to it. First, I have to give mad props to my roommate, Lindsay for implementing the first ever Skillz Street league in Kimberley. It’s also the first girls-only league, which, I must add, is awesome. Although the intended target has always been girls, until now, the model has failed to come to fruition as boys naturally dominate the soccer scene. She has done an amazing job organizing it and even stepping in as a coach when one of our beloved coaches dropped out the morning of the first practice (Unfortunately, in the words of our site coordinator, Mandla, “We’re facing a bit of a challenge” when it comes to coaches. We currently have only 6 coaches in Kimberley and need to reach 5,000 kids with our program this year. The Training of Coaches we have in early January cannot come soon enough). All of the girls were thrilled to see that Lindsay was one of the coaches on the first day. Their faces lit up with excitement and I even saw a fist-pump from a girl assigned to her team.


Skillz Street at its simplest is an organized soccer league for youth after school. However, it provides much more than just a safe space to play twice a week. For example, one of its major tenants is the incorporation of Fair Play rules, which are based on respect and self-officiating. Before starting their matches, the two teams gather together in the “Skillz Zone” to agree on three additional Fair Play rules. The most popularly chosen rules are helping an opponent up when she falls and having both teams celebrate when a goal is scored. I was initially hesitant as to whether these rules would actually be followed. When’s the last time you saw a twelve year old celebrate when they were scored on? But to my surprise, this rule has been beautifully adopted. I’m often astounded at the celebrations in which both teams take part after a goal is scored. They’re often so loud that teams on neighboring fields turn to watch. Players on the sideline run onto the field with coaches to exchange high fives and hugs. I tried to capture the essence in some of these pictures, but they really don’t do the experience justice.



In addition to the emphasis on Fair Play, every practice has a theme. They have included such vital topics as teamwork, gender, and self-efficacy. Lindsay creates questions for each theme and the teams discuss them in the Skillz Zone for ten minutes after the game. These topics are important, yet too often unaddressed. The idea is for the girls to feel comfortable talking about such issues at Skillz Street. It offers them an intimate space where they can express themselves and ask questions. Thus far, the discussions have been relatively successful. Although some questions need to be reworked, the girls actively participate and contribute insightful thoughts. I love seeing these girls, who are limited in so many ways, take charge and find solutions to the inherent problems they face.

We also decided to add Skillz Core to Skillz Street (Skillz Core is the 8 practices that teach about HIV and AIDS). It was advertised to the girls as an optional component of Skillz Street, but to our blissful amazement, nearly all of the girls who had not already graduated from Skillz Core decided to attend these sessions before their games. Even girls who had graduated from the program came back to do it again. Such a positive turnout was a necessary reassurance in the initial days of the league. The other great part of Skillz Core with Skillz Street is that we get to see our assistant site coordinator, Thuso Jones, teach all the lessons. He’s usually too busy with office duties to be a coach as well, but seeing him in action is nothing less than beautiful. Although normally shy and reserved, Thuso bursts into a new energetic persona when he’s coaching. He teaches the lessons as they were meant to be taught, emphasizing key messages and keeping the girls engaged. It seems as though he was meant to be a Skillz Coach. After practices, the girls swarm him, joking and just trying to be near him. If only all of our coaches could be like him…

Playing Find the Ball - the girls pass the pall behind their backs and the other team has to guess who has it when Thuso says "stop". It's usually tough to figure out who has the ball. The ball is labeled "HIV" and is supposed to signify a person who has HIV. The message of the game is that you cannot tell just my looking at someone whether or not they have HIV, just as you cannot tell who is holding the ball just by looking at them.


Since attending and assisting Lindsay with all of the logistical duties of Skillz Street, I have managed to amass a personal fan club that ranges anywhere from one to fifteen kids on a given day. They love to hold my hand, braid my hair, sit with me, climb on me, ask endless questions, and generally help me with anything and everything. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoy it. I’ve also become the unofficial photographer and the kids love having their picture taken. I included some of their fun pictures here. I can’t get over their beauty and saucy personalities. Just when you think one of them is shy, they bust out a sweet dance move or dramatic impersonation. I love that they are so much more comfortable with themselves and outgoing than American kids. Every time, someone new joins and I instantly become attached. I could seriously just play with them all day. Alas, I have to make due with the snippets I get on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.


My favorite girl is on the far right. Although she's normally shy, she got a little attitude for this picture.

Yesterday, we celebrated Thanksgiving! We delayed the holiday until Saturday so that we would actually have time to prepare our delicious feast. It officially marked my fifth consecutive Thanksgiving away from home. Sad, yet, it felt much more like the 4th of July than Thanksgiving with the 95 degree heat. Our menu was so extensive that Lindsay had to go out and buy three extra pans so that we would be able to cook everything. My favorite dish was the sweet potato casserole, which my mom makes for all the holidays. We also had mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds, scalloped corn, stuffing (and gluten free stuffing for Lindsay!), chicken (couldn’t find turkey), pecan pie, and pumpkin san crust (i.e. sans gluten). After the sun had set, we dusted off our dining room table (read: black plastic) outback by the bbq pit and Hooter lit a fire. We set the table and had an amazing, candlelit, Kimberley Family Thanksgiving. The warm night felt great. Since we rarely eat at the same time and I usually eat on the floor, the table feast made it feel like a true holiday. It was one of my favorite nights thus far.