For the past seven years, I have been running Football Unifies with my brother in Istanbul, Turkey. The intention of this NGO was to unify the growing and diverse young football players throughout the city and of course, since Turkey hosts the largest Syrian refugee population in the world, they became the most valuable recipients of our organization. 

With each passing weekend, more than teaching young girls football skills, they taught me the harsh reality of life. Many started their new lives in Turkey in refugee camps and, with time, transferred to the city in hopes of opportunities and getting one step closer to their dreams. Tragically, I learned they lived in shanty houses and time spent with me on the football field was a luxury. Learning their stories and honing our skills together was filled with laughter and some weekends were flooded with tears. But we continued to thrive through our optimism and love for football. Thus, I began to think about impact and how I could help shape a new generation of young women who are ready to enter society despite the odds. Knowing that diversity, equity and inclusion were popular online buzzwords and even woven into government initiatives, I wanted us all to embody these concepts and ensure they continued to yield fruits within Turkish society and subsequently the girls new home. 

Admittedly, the football field was not the place to use an innovative approach such as technology; rather, it was a place where we confronted emotional challenges while swiftly kicking the ball. I taught the girls that the football field was full of life lessons and a place to explore their mental and physical capabilities. Passing the ball, the girls learned that collaboration was the best way to get things done and had the ability to build trust. The girls who assumed the rotating role of goalkeeper learned to set up boundaries and metaphorically kick negative energy to the waste-side. Effective communication between team players was the way to constantly keep things transparent to execute the next move on the field. And each goal scored allowed the girls to galvanize, meaning that their goals can come to fruition if we remain collectively conscious, we are all humans, and we are trying to live in the best way possible.

Nil Mızraklı