What Soccer Does Part 12

Meet Tori Ramataboee in part 12 of "What Soccer Does"!

As our Senior Associate for?Soccer for Success, Tori's amazing work ensures that our after-school program meets the unique needs of the communities we?work with,?delivering a lasting impact.?

Q: What is one word that describes what soccer has done for you either personally or professionally?

?A: Unified. I have connected with and learned from people very different from myself, all because the beautiful game brought us together - as fans, students, professionals, and global citizens. Both abroad and in the U.S., soccer has proven to be a unifying force in harnessing different experiences and beliefs that serve as a platform for social responsibility and positive social change.

?Q: Can you explain your main responsibilities as the Senior Associate for?Soccer for Success?

?A: I oversee training and curriculum for the?Soccer for Success?After School program, working to ensure all coach-mentors receive effective training and technical assistance to support the unique needs of the youth and communities they serve. This requires aligning training and curriculum options with local needs and resources to ultimately improve youth participants’ health and well-being through our soccer programming.

?Q: What has been your most impactful experience working on the?Soccer for Success?program?

?A: From 2019-2022 I was honored to lead a contingent of 20 community-based soccer organizations, most of which were?Soccer for Success?programs, through the?United for Girls initiative. Collectively (and through the pandemic,?no less) we strategized how to best attract and engage young girls and women coaches from underserved communities in soccer programming. It was inspiring to witness the resolve of organizations as they grappled with various challenges of the pandemic, staying committed to the cause, and producing a playbook of tools and ideas that could effectively support any sports organization looking to do similar transformational work.

?(Check out the?United for Girls?Playbook here:?https://bit.ly/3Zk6TkZ)? ? ? ? ? ?

?Q: What inspired you to pursue a career focused on youth development and community programs?

?A: When I studied abroad during the 2010 FIFA Men’s World Cup in South Africa, I experienced several ways sport could be used as a tool for youth and community development. Through my studies in the U.S., I unpacked my own experiences accessing youth sports and met impactful coaches who were foundational to my character and life skills as a young adult. This led me to want to create sports access and impactful programs that could meet the unique needs of different communities.

?Q: How did your experiences with the Peace Corps shape your approach to community programs?

?A: As someone who was very obviously an “outsider” in Lesotho, I spent the better part of a year developing my language and cultural competency in the context of community - building relationships, assessing needs, and learning from others before focusing too much on the impact, scale, and sustainability of my projects. It can be easy to “do” the work. It is harder to ensure that “doing” the work continues after you leave (Peace Corps is only a two-year contract). My experience in the Peace Corps taught me the valuable process of capacity-building, whereby the work continues whether I am present or not and ultimately stands the test of time. I like working with communities to ensure that there’s alignment on project needs, resources, and desired impact so I can best support the knowledge and skill-building for long-term impact.

?Q: Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing the most?

?A: Experiencing new things! Whether it’s traveling locally or abroad, new food, a musician or venue, sports, or something entirely unique. It makes me feel like I’m constantly learning and expanding my worldview.?

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This concludes part 12 of our "What Soccer Does" series.?Learn more about?Soccer for Success?After School here: ?https://bit.ly/43lI9sC

?In case you missed it,?read how soccer has impacted our Director of Corporate Relations, Paulo Luizaga :?https://bit.ly/3MK0uba