Young people growing up in Latin American and the Caribbean’s vulnerable communities face numerous challenges when trying to enter the formal workplace. Youth unemployment is a serious problem in these countries, particularly among those who are burdened with caring for children or other family members, face workplace discrimination or lack basic job training.

The A Ganar (Spanish for "to win") program seeks to improve the opportunities available to young people in Latin America and the Caribbean through an innovative combination of life skills coaching, vocational training and team sports such as soccer. This cutting-edge approach empowers youth between 16-24 to learn entrepreneurial trades, find jobs or reenter the formal education system. Targeting youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who are highly motivated to learn and get a job, have an interest in sports, and demonstrate potential to be positive leaders in their community, the program combats youth unemployment through the integrated job training program in which young people transform lessons and intellectual skills, developed through sports, into marketable job skills.

This project funds the materials and travel grants that allow the youth to participate in the program. Thanks to this project, at-risk youth have the opportunity to use soccer and team sports to develop marketable job skills.

The A Ganar program offers a unique educational experience, training youth in skills in areas where they otherwise lack employment opportunities. This empowerment demonstrates that negative stereotypes of young people do not reflect their potential as individuals nor their value to a community or business. A Ganar is helping youth to build positive futures and become productive and contributing members of their communities and societies.

The A Ganar Program works with youth who face a variety of problems:
• Violence, fear, and temptation from gangs and drug smugglers
• Poor quality education, leaving them unqualified to find basic employment
• Racial, gender, and age discrimination coupled with ignorance about labor rights
• Negative self-esteem and low expectations for their futures
• Low literacy and numeracy skills
• Informal living arrangements and general lack of structure

There is no typical A Ganar participant, each youth faces their own personal challenges. The program has served: young parents, developmentally disabled youth, minor-league soccer players, non-athletes, married, widowed and single.

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Direct Impact of Your Project

This project provides materials and travel grants necessary for 200 youth to participate in the program. Given the low income, remote and often dangerous environments in which the youth live, it is unlikely the youth could participate without this support.

Youth graduating from the A Ganar Program receive a number of benefits:

• Basic skill training in the areas of communication, discipline, respect, teamwork, focus on the results, and continuous self-improvement.
• Market-appropriate vocational training
• Practical Experience: apprenticeship/internship placement
• Mentorship: Youth are mentored by local professionals, giving them career guidance throughout the program
• Membership to an alumni association: A vibrant support network of like-minded former participants

Over 70% of youth graduating from the A Ganar program achieve formal employment, start their own business or return to school.

Extended Impact on Your Partner Community

Youth who graduate from A Ganar use their first job as a stepping stone towards their individual career goals, which often include using their earnings to pay for college or more advanced education. Families and communities benefit from increased incomes and increased local buying power and businesses and employers benefit by hiring highly motivated youth who succeed in their jobs.

Participants are also empowered as citizens. As a requirement of the program, the youth organize and participate in a service learning project that fill a local need. In this way, A Ganar helps develop individuals into community leaders. A Ganar youth demonstrate to employers and communities that investing in at-risk youth pays dividends for businesses.