Hope and self-confidence can change lives

Here's a column I wrote for today's Dothan Eagle. Martha and I found this documentary fascinating.

By Ken Tuck

Published: September 13, 2008

Sometimes, all it takes is a little hope and self-confidence for people to turn their lives around.

My wife and I have a ministry that works with the homeless throughout the nation, and over the years it’s been amazing to see how giving people hope can give them a different outlook on life.

The hope we offer them is Jesus Christ and the hope that some people really do care about them. We have seen people come off the streets and live productive lives.

Thursday night we saw something else that shows how important self-confidence is to people.

We watched the USA men’s soccer team defeat Trinidad & Tobago 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier match on ESPN 2. Following the game was a documentary called “Kicking It.” I was about to change channels when the narrator mentioned homeless people playing soccer. For obvious reasons, Martha and I kept watching.

An organization called the Homeless World Cup Foundation has developed an incredible program that brings homeless people together from around the world to play a soccer World Cup tournament every year. This year’s event, in Melbourne, Australia, Dec. 1-7, will be the sixth Homeless World Cup.

Many people may find it hard to imagine the homeless playing soccer. It certainly never crossed my mind. But, after watching the documentary, it makes perfect sense. If you have ever played a team sport, you understand how you learn discipline and teamwork, and how it can help develop a sense of self-worth. In other words, sports can help you gain self-confidence.

The homeless don’t play on a traditional soccer field. They play “street soccer.” The field is small and it’s four-on-four. It reminds me of indoor soccer, but the field is smaller and it’s played outdoors.

The Foundation has helped start local grassroots soccer teams in more than 60 nations with more than 25,000 homeless people participating. The homeless play soccer year-round, and eight players are picked to represent their individual countries in the Homeless World Cup.

Through watching the documentary, you can see the players gaining self-confidence. As they did, their attitudes changed, and many of their lives did as well.

The success rate of the organization is amazing. According to its Web site, following the 2006 Homeless World Cup:
92 percent of the players have a new motivation for life
73 percent have changed their lives for the better
93 percent of the players have successfully addressed a drug or alcohol dependency
35 percent have secured regular employment
44 percent have improved their housing situation
39 percent chose to pursue education
72 percent continue to play soccer

You have to remember the homeless are ignored by society and have no sense of self-worth, so these stats are incredible. It shows what can happen when people are cared for.

The Foundation hopes to support and fund grassroots soccer projects in more than 75 countries by 2012, and to involve between 100,000 and one million players worldwide.

Considering there are more than one billion homeless people in the world, those numbers are very attainable.

Ken Tuck is the managing editor of the Dothan Eagle. He can be reached at ktuck@dothaneagle.com or 334-712-7960.

On the Web:
http://www.homelessworldcup.org
http://www.kickingitthefilm.com