WHAT WE’RE ALL ABOUT.

Program Fundamentals

1. SOCCER :
Soccer is not only a globally fun sport that can bring kids from different parts of the world together, but it is also a great way to teach kids important values: teamwork, leadership, fair play, hard work and the importance of fitness. Through soccer, students can learn from the emotional challenges of winning and losing where kids learn to win with grace and lose with dignity. Our soccer philosophy is based on the notion of sports-based youth development where we provide a fun and safe learning environment so that kids are free to learn new skills and be themselves in a low-pressure environment.

2. PEACE EDUCATION :
Peace Education is an academic field as well as a form of teaching and learning. The purpose of peace education is to teach for peace (learning skills an dispositions to create and maintain peace) and about peace (learning the knowledge of peace). In the PE&SCIA program, we want to teach about the ideas and concepts of peace as well as the skills and attitudes to actually practice peace. 

3. POETRY :
We incorporate poetry in our readings and as a way to reflect after each day’s lesson. We ask kids to write a poem related to the topic of the day as form of reflection. Then we ask the students to come to “the author’s chair” at the front of the classroom where they get to read and share their poems out-loud. Through this activity, we empower the participants to use their critical thinking skills, imagination and their voice to express their feelings and thoughts concerning the lessons that day. Furthermore, this activity fosters a sense of connection, identity and commonality among the students.

4. TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES :
We incorporate fun team-building activities in our daily activities to cultivate and promote communication, cooperation, self-esteem, leadership, working with others from different cultural backgrounds, problem solving and critical thinking? Team-building activities enhance the level of connection between the participants from different countries to make for easier cross-cultural mixing and collaboration in all activities throughout the day. 

5. SERVICE- LEARNING PROJECTS :
In collaboration with the school community, we will select projects based on specific needs within the school. Projects will vary depending on the community and the country. The students from the PE&SCIA program will work together with the students from the community, PE&SCIA staff, and ​other local community members. In an effort to differentiate ourselves from the archetypal “volunteerism” model, we are seeking ways to make this experience more of an exchange and less of a gift from “us” to “them.” In addition to offering a service-learning project in each of our destinations, we will have the opportunity to be students in local classrooms. Schools that we will visit will be encouraged to prepare a lesson sequence for us, providing us with an opportunity to learn about local history, culture or any theme the school chooses. Our students will return home with the satisfaction gained from helping others and the knowledge gained from shared experiences in classrooms abroad.