@easportsfc asked me to give some budding future stars some real-life training, on how to BOSS #FC24
This April, we are raising funds for The Arsenal Foundation to support our Coaching for Life programme, run in partnership with Save the Children in the Zaāatari refugee camp in Jordan.
Coaching for Life uses the power of football to build a sense of belonging and impact the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of children who fled their homes since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011.
When Coaching for Life started in 2018, just a handful of girls took part. Today, an equal number of girls and boys graduate from the programme, and we continue to move towards a gender-transformative approach in the camp, where girls and boys work together to address deep-rooted stereotypes.
Our vice-captain, Leah Williamson, visited Zaāatari in August last year, and got to meet young girls and boys taking part in the programme, as well as their families and those who are helping to deliver sessions in the camp.
Speaking to Arsenal Vision podcast, Leah shared her experiences of what being part of our Arsenal family means for the young girls and boys in the camp.
āYou take a football club halfway across the world, and I have the exact same feeling as I would when I talk about Arsenal here, or when I visit the Community Hub here.
āWhen you play for Arsenal, or youāre a supporter of Arsenal, or you just live in the community, you understand that itās just a bit different. Itās always felt different to me. The fact that you can feel it when you get over there just blew my mind.
āThe way they talk about Arsenal is with love, itās not just a partner. They feel a part of it, and thatās really important to me.
āWe donāt just go there to drop in and leave. We go there to give them a sense of belonging.ā
For Leah, Coaching for Life is more than just a programme of learning. Itās about equipping those in the camp with the tools to grow.
āItās about giving them responsibility. Theyāre not only involved in the programme, but they have an input. They can influence how that experience is for them.
āThatās what Iād want to know if I was donating. Iād want to know that something was actually having an impact on peopleās lives. That longevity is worth buying into.ā ā¤ļø