Urban Soccer Symposium
The U.S. Soccer Foundation promotes the importance of active and healthy lifestyles to children, families and communities. We are excited to share this vision with Together Counts to inspire as many people as we can to live an active and healthy life.
The health and wellbeing of communities is important to the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and thus, we host an event called the Urban Soccer Symposium every year. The Symposium is a unique conference that gathers community leaders and speakers from around the country who are dedicated to improving the field of sports-based youth development. During this three-day event, participants learn best practices for improving the lives of children in their communities through sport. The event features interactive workshops focused on maximizing organizations’ impact in the community, to ensure community leaders are doing all that they can to improve the health of their citizens.
For the Symposium’s 10th anniversary in 2016, we celebrated “A Decade of Change,” honoring the growth of the sports-based youth development field. Sarah Pickens, Director of Programs at the U.S. Soccer Foundation, is a pioneer in the field and one of the creators of the Symposium. While reflecting on the past 10 years of the event, she said, “Although the event has continued to grow in size and sophistication, the people that attend the Symposium never seem to lose sight of the ultimate goal of giving opportunities to the youth served.” This goal is an inspiring and motivating reminder for us all to do what we can to improve the lives of children across the country.
Whether you are able to help a community embrace a healthy and active lifestyle, or you encourage your family to live this lifestyle, keep up the great work- you are making a positive and lasting impact on their lives! Don’t forget to check out the Together Counts resources for tips and share them with your friends and family!
The mission of the U.S. Soccer Foundation is to enhance, assist and grow the sport of soccer in the United States, with a special emphasis on underserved communities. We view soccer as a powerful vehicle for social change. By supporting the development of places to play, places to grow and places to learn, our goal is to ensure that children in underserved communities have easy and affordable access to quality soccer programs that support their physical and personal development.
The U.S. Soccer Foundation’s programs are the national model for sports-based youth development in underserved communities. Since its founding in 1994, the Foundation has established programs proven to help children embrace an active and healthy lifestyle while nurturing their personal growth beyond sports. Its cost-effective, high-impact initiatives offer safe environments where kids and communities thrive. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Soccer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information visit www.ussoccerfoundation.org or follow us on Twitter at @ussoccerfndn and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ussoccerfoundation.
For more healthy and active ideas for the family take a look at these other posts from Together Counts!