2011 - what does Hope mean to you

New years bring excitement, new goals, passions and moving from the old into what we Hope will be better. Stand up 4 Hope is none the different, looking back on all of the exciting things that happened last year spurs

Late last year we realised that our next stage of what we were doing with the homeless people needed to be with an understanding that before anyone can help the them into jobs or places off the streets, a structure needs to be put in place in their thinking and way of life. If they were put into a job situation, would they be able to be at work on time, stick to the rules, respect the manager, and not steal if the temptation arose. Facing this we realised that we needed something that would draw in the community, both residents and homeless, and use it as a tool to help enable the growth of life skills in the homeless. We began a programme called "Soccer Life Skills" which uses the power of soccer as a tool to draw them into learning more about life and how to interact and grow within it. This programme will become our main focus this year as it is a complex and multi faceted one, and one that if it is not rushed will bear exciting fruits with the people we meet with and enjoy the beautiful game :)

This year is the Homeless World Cup being played in France, where the aim is to draw together different countries with the same issues facing the homeless, and giving Hope through the soccer. The great thing is that it is not just a free for all in how the countries form their national team, but is done strictly on a mix between soccer and life skills. This is why there are different cups for different skills, and the stories that have come out of this form of World Cup are more than encouraging. Below are just a few comments of some of the guys who played in the Cup, to wet our appetite for this year in front of us. Not for a World Cup but for the grass root levels here in Melville. And in your area too!


“When you go out there (on the pitch) it doesn’t matter who you’re against, where they’ve come from, what they do with their life, you play sport and you are even. That is your chance to prove to them, and to yourself, that you’re worth something.”

"The Homeless World Cup was the rope that allowed me to pull myself out of a very dark hole. It helped me and now I can help others. When homeless people say to me I can’t change, I say yes you can. I did. So can you."


Become encouraged with us this year as we step out of our comfort zones and put a new chapter of Hope within the homeless community here in Melville. Be blessed this year with your goals and never forget that goals, on and off the field, without God in them are not going to bring what you were made to do!