Autism Soccer: Non-profit

Showing posts with label Non-profit. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Benefits of Soccer on Children with Disabilities

These are all the ways Autism Soccer can help children!

When our CEO, Oscar Amuz, started Autism Soccer, he did it because he was a soccer player himself and he wanted to give something back to his community. That way, this project was born. Five years have passed since then, and we’ve been blessed to see with our own eyes how our plans and activities make children happy and improve their lives. Who knew soccer could have such power?

No child is the same, whatever their condition is. However, autism spectrum disorder covers a range of common characteristics and behaviors, such as repetitive movements, failure to respond to one’s name, obsessive attachment to objects, difficulty in speaking or socializing and motor impediments. We wanted to create an environment in which children could improve their skills and overcome some of their challenges. We’ve grown, and now we help kids with a wide variety of disabilities.

How does soccer help them?

Soccer is a team sport. It’s supposed to be fun! Through social interaction and a team spirit, we help kids improve their social skills and boost their confidence. They enter a space in which they can be themselves, laugh and enjoy a great time with their friends. Being physically active raises dopamine levels as well, so it can also be great to get in a better mood.

Families can also benefit from these activities because they can rejoy on seeing their children grow up healthy and happy. It helps parents or guardians have a better relationship with them and get involved in the sports their kids enjoy. They can practice at home and spend time with them.

It’s great for motor skills!

Kids with autism spectrum disorder and many other physical or mental affections often suffer from motor challenges. They can affect their agility, balance, strength, and dexterity. A sport like soccer is perfect for improving these skills, as they have to focus on an object (the ball) and concentrate while keeping control of their bodies and movements.

All this while having a cooperation mindset, to win, children need to work together and understand their strengths. Defensive players support the midfield and offensive positions during attacks on the opponents’ goal. Offensive positions must return to their own goal to help the defensive positions when they are under pressure from the other team. To pass the ball, they need constant communication among each other. It’s great for learning about themselves and the capabilities of their bodies!

They behave better

Sports like soccer encourage kids to learn team values, sportsmanship, and patience. They learn that winning is not everything, they learn to wait for their turn and tolerate others. Children with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other types of affection often have behavioral issues, and soccer is ideal to help mitigate some of those effects.

If you want to help our kids or enroll your child in one of our activities, find out more about Autism Soccer by entering our website or following us on social media! We’re a non-profit organization working every day for our kids in Florida. Give us a call and join our movement!

Always give them the opportunity to spend time doing what they love.

Facebook: Autism Soccer

Instagram: Autism Soccer

Twitter: Autism Soccer

1480 NE 131 St Unit 103. MiamI Fl 33161

Autismsoccer.org

Friday, December 8, 2017

Where Is Autism Soccer Going Now?

The future looks bright for this amazing organization.

In 2012, we started Autism Soccer with the hope of helping children with autism spectrum disorder. It was a simple goal, inspired by our CEO Oscar Amuz’s desire of making a difference in his community. All great ideas start just like that: by first believing in ourselves and making our way up, step by step. There have been an enormous amount of volunteers and friends that have helped us along the way. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them. We couldn’t aspire for more if it weren’t for them. But now, we are aspiring for more!

In these past five years, we’ve helped around 2,000 children with intellectual and physical disabilities, going beyond assisting autistic individuals. Through soccer lessons, we’ve taught them the importance of sports in their life, and we’ve given them a space to grow up, make friends, have fun, and develop their skills. Every day, we see how sports change their lives and the lives of everyone around them, and we also see how they become happier and overcome their limitations.

Help us reach out to more than 10,000 children across the country!

So it’s only natural that we want to continue on this incredible journey and reach out to as many people as we can. Up until this point, we’ve only been Miami-based, but we’re currently looking to expand operations all across the United States so that we can help as many as 10,000 new children within the next 5 years. With time, hard work, and effort, we know that someday we’ll be able to have an international presence and have an even greater impact in the lives of thousands of children all around the world.

With over 3,000 hours of experience and a comprehensive 80-hour curriculum to train coaches, parents, and individuals involved in the organization, we do more than just working with the children. We pass knowledge forward, so everyone has the potential to change someone’s life and offer kids new possibilities and activities. Thanks to our expertise, we’re one hundred percent ready to face whatever comes in our way and to create new models and sports plans to empower our kids and strengthen their bonds with their families.

However, we know we won’t be able to do it all alone. We need people like you, who understand the value of every human being and love's transformative power to make the world a better place. When you donate, your support goes directly toward purchasing equipment, necessary supplies for our program, as well as improving our operations and administrative processes so we can continue to grow and reach more children every year.

It’s just like our founder says: “I might not be able to change the world but I will like to change my community.” Believe it or not, that’s exactly how people end up changing the world. Focus on what you can do from where you are, and each day, you’ll realize you’ll be able to do more and more for the people who need it the most. Are you on board? Then contact us or visit our webpage to find out all you can do to change many children’s lives! We’re waiting for you!

This is where this organization is going right now, and it's important that this is done correctly.

Facebook: Autism Soccer

Instagram: Autism Soccer

Twitter: Autism Soccer

1480 NE 131 St Unit 103 Miami Fl 33161

Autismsoccer.org

Thursday, December 7, 2017

¿Cuál es el valor de organizaciones como Autism Soccer?

Organizaciones como esta apoyan a los niños a experimentar el deporte de una manera diferente.

No es difícil calcular que las personas con discapacidades intelectuales son una pequeña minoría en el planeta. Con aproximadamente 200 millones de individuos, sólo representan entre el 1% y el 3% de la población mundial. Dicho sólo con cifras, es sencillo olvidar que hay rostros, familias e historias detrás de cada uno de ellos. También olvidamos que, cada día, estas personas luchan por lograr tener mayor visibilidad en una sociedad que no ha sido construida o diseñada para ser inclusiva y tomar en cuenta sus necesidades. Recordarle al mundo que no son invisibles es una labor diaria en la que Autism Soccer, junto con muchas otras organizaciones nacionales e internacionales, participa con orgullo.

La verdad es que, desde niños, los individuos con discapacidades siempre requerirán mucho más esfuerzo y apoyo para vivir una vida pacífica y plena en experiencias gratas. El amor y la paciencia de su familia es uno de los factores más valiosos en este proceso, pero no lo es todo. Como sociedad, siempre podemos hacer más unidos. Sólo así podremos generar un cambio que garantice el trato con dignidad y el respeto a la vida de todos por igual, sin importar qué condiciones padezcan. He ahí la importancia de brindar espacios y oportunidades a los niños especiales.

En Autism Soccer, queremos que nuestros niños sean niños. Deseamos que salgan a explorar, que se encuentren consigo mismos, que experimenten, se planteen retos que puedan cumplir, se superen a sí mismos e interactúen con su entorno, todo a través de métodos divertidos y sanos que los ayudarán a desarrollar su personalidad y su capacidad de trabajar en equipo. Sabemos que, al hacerlo, construimos nuevas experiencias y derrumbamos muchas de las malas concepciones que se tienen acerca de los trastornos psicológicos y las patologías del desarrollo. Estos son los primeros pasos en el camino a una sociedad más inclusiva.

A través del deporte, y más específicamente del fútbol, damos algo a los niños especiales que la sociedad muchas veces olvida darles: autonomía. Les damos el poder de decidir a qué le dedicarán tiempo, qué les gusta hacer y cómo les gusta hacerlo. Ese empoderamiento es la semilla que les ayudará a desarrollar su propia voz en el futuro, para que, en la medida de sus posibilidades, puedan decidir cómo vivir su vida y cómo desean ser tratados.

Para Autism Soccer, por encima de todas las cosas, el mayor valor que podemos darles a los niños es ayudarles a hallar su propia felicidad. Además, nuestra labor también beneficia a los padres y familiares, sin importar su condición económica, ya que les da a sus niños un pasatiempo liberador, para que puedan verlos crecer sanamente como cualquier otro niño puede hacerlo.

El deporte como disciplina para las personas con alguna discapacidad tampoco es una novedad. Hoy en día, millones de personas forman parte de las Olimpíadas Especiales. Historias inspiradoras y de superación personal abundan y nos recuerdan lo increíble que puede ser la fortaleza y la voluntad humana frente a las dificultades.

Las mayores discapacidades son los límites que nuestros miedos siembran en nuestra mente. Si aprendemos a superarlos, podemos lograr cosas extraordinarias. Autism Soccer ayuda a los niños a desarrollar sus capacidades motoras, a mejorar sus habilidades para socializar, a aumentar su autoestima y a disfrutar de todos los beneficios que el deporte tiene en el cuerpo y el espíritu. ¿Quieres ayudarnos a continuar cambiando la vida de miles de niños? Entra a nuestra página web y entérate de cómo puedes donar o convertirte en un colaborador. Con amor y constancia, ¡cada vez vamos por más!

El valor intrínseco de organizaciones como esta está en la capacidad que tienen para ayudar a los niños del mundo.

Facebook: Autism Soccer

Instagram: Autism Soccer

Twitter: Autism Soccer

1480 NE 131 St Unit 103. MiamI Fl 33161

Autismsoccer.org

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Who Does Autism Soccer Help With Their Projects?

The organization makes sure to create something unique for these children.

More than 5 years ago, a project was born. It started as a way to help children with autism spectrum disorder, by giving them a space in which they could exercise, make friends, and have fun. Over time, it evolved and started to include children with other intellectual and physical disabilities. Since then, Autism Soccer (AS) has benefited the lives of 2000 kids in the U.S. It has grown to become an organization with an immense potential, which works with fundraising campaigns and volunteering so everyone can add to this incredible experience!

Today, Autism Soccer successfully provides its services to children with autism spectrum disorders, Asperger’s syndrome, PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder – not otherwise specified), learning disabilities, and Down syndrome. By teaching them soccer skills for a whole year, AS helps many children grow up in an environment full of support, trust, and love, as well as to develop their motor skills and fight childhood obesity.

Soccer is a team sport, so whatever our kids do in Autism Soccer, they won’t be doing it alone. They’ll be welcomed to a place where they’ll have to communicate with their teammates and interact, improving their social skills and boosting their confidence. Parents and families will also benefit from this experience and will be able to see their children empowered while having fun, exercising, and being kids!

In Autism Soccer, we believe in sports' power to liberate our minds from all worries and limitations we push into ourselves. With training and consistency, our kids will be capable of doing things you might never think they could do before. They’ll learn discipline, how to make friends, improve their behavior, and to listen and pay attention.

Exercising and learning how to play soccer will also give them an idea of what they like. Maybe their experience won’t end with us, and they’ll find in soccer a hobby that could last a lifetime. Our goal is also to help them explore their personalities and define which things they enjoy, building a stronger sense of individuality and strengthen their characters.

What truly matters is that, at the end of the day, Autism Soccer opens a door for children to be themselves, relax, have fun, and enjoy the best days of their childhood. We’re currently based in Miami, but we’re looking to expand all across the U.S., and even internationally. Want to help us? Head to our website and learn more about how you can change many special children’s lives. This magical experience of sharing our time with these wonderful kids, while we see them accomplish things by themselves and be happy, is the greatest reward we can think of!