Partnership Story

Edmonds Community School

We are so excited to share with you about one of our local initiatives and partnerships. Over the past few months we have been working alongside Edmonds Community School in Burnaby, BC with university athlete volunteers to help start a soccer academy. Many of the kids involved are experiencing organized sport for the first time since coming to Canada, and have longed to be involved in organized sport. We are so grateful to Edmonds Community School and our local volunteers for helping create this opportunity with us.

Over the past 8 months, as an organization we have started to increase our focus on local partnerships with organizations and communities that want to provide transforming opportunities for kids in various communities. While we love our international partnerships, growing new key partnerships domestically has been really awesome.

Travel restrictions haven’t limited the opportunities to foster these transforming opportunities. The pandemic caused us to shift focus and instead of dwelling on what we can’t do, we asked ourselves what can we do? A number of local initiatives and opportunities began opening up and we knew it was our time. So instead of hopping on a plane, we headed a few miles down the road to serve in the neighbourhoods of our own backyard.

“On international trips in the past I would always start asking myself ‘why can’t we do this back home? Now with Edmonds we have a cool opportunity to give kids chances to play sport and with that build into their lives and communities through the relationships we build. It’s awesome to see the joy it brings to the kids and also how impactful and enjoyable it is for the volunteers that we’ve had come out to help.”

- Tyson Hunter, TeamUp Local Volunteer

In partnering with Edmonds Community School, we are running a soccer program to keep kids engaged and provide a place of hope and belonging. These kids are learning many technical skills and understanding the tactical side of sport, but more than that, they are learning life long skills of sportsmanship, discipline, and what it means to be a great teammate in the value of community.

Love sport? Want to get involved?

We are always looking for new volunteers to get involved and engaged in our local initiatives and Edmonds partnership.

If you or someone you know is searching for volunteer opportunities or ways to give back to the community, don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us!