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Today, June 20, 2014 is World Refugee Day. World Refugee Day was established by the United Nations to honor the men, women, and children who have been forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, violence and conflict.
Did you know?
According to the UN, as of mid-2013 there were 11.1 million refugees globally, which includes 600,000 additional refugees in the first half of 2013.
There are currently about 262,000 refugees living in the U.S. today.
More than 70% of Soccer Without Borders USA participants are refugees. Participants come from 45 distinct countries including Afghanistan, Burma/Myanmar, Iraq, Sudan, and Somalia, among others. These youth come to the U.S. with a wide range of language skills and formal education. They also come with great aspirations and, when supported, can achieve amazing things.
SWB has received national media attention for its innovative work supporting refugee and immigrant students:
LA Times
How Youth Learn
Baltimore Sun
Fox News Latino
More Spring Highlights
Coaches Hassell of FSF Granada, Hel Say and Omar, both of SWB Oakland, are currently participating at the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) Youth Leadership Camp.
Coaches Ye-Htet (Tet) Soe of SWB Oakland and Estefan (Techo) Bolaños of FSF Granada were selected to attend the Sony Global Youth Forum in Brazil during the World Cup. Tet and Techo are two of just 36 representatives from around the world selected for the forum.