February is only halfway done, and GOALS has already moved forward in leaps and bounds. The month has been full of exciting developments, including a news article, additions to our intern crew, and donations of brand new soccer equipment.

With all this progress, what is most exciting? That’s easy – the incredible pace at which our participants are developing strong leadership skills.

Dream Team presidents and vice presidents present on deworming

Today, the GOALS Dream Team recognized its first class of youth leaders in a ceremony, and welcomed the new class to its ranks. The Team now has 23 teenagers who help manage the afternoon program, lead service projects, and volunteer in neighboring areas. These team members are eligible for scholarships through The School Fund.

The Team does much more than talk about leadership. This month, they independently organized and completed a project to improve our courtyard area. They recycled old tires as public seating and created a fresh new community space that serves our program and local residents. The space now serves as a focal point during our town meetings and public events.

The Dream Team space was packed for the deworming seminar

It’s hard to emphasize enough that these young adults changed their community through this project independently – they organized themselves, planned a work schedule, and completed the work without outside help.

The new space is already in full use. Last week, GOALS welcomed a public health speaker from Tevel B’tzedek who ran a de-worming seminar for all local adults and children. The Dream Team helped deliver the presentation, and as a result, over 300 people have taken deworming medication, many for the first time, in the Destra area.

Getting up close and personal before a match

With GOALS, leadership is about action, and the Dream Team is our finest example of our program’s successes to date. We will keep bringing you news on our outreach programs across the region, an upcoming local tournament, and our newly formed neighborhood soccer club in Carrefour Croix.

In the meantime, check out our newly posted photos on Facebook and follow us there. Lastly, are you or someone you know trying to figure out your summer plans? GOALS is looking for a volunteer English teacher who wants to work with a group of incredibly bright, passionate kids this summer.