Global Ambassadors Sports for Development Summit
This past Thursday I was honored to attend the Global Ambassadors Sports for Development Summit at the UN in New York City.
The Global Ambassadors Summit (hosted by Sidney Rice of the Seattle Seahawks, The Jack Brewer Foundation and UNAIDS) brought together athletes, entertainers, diplomats and non-profit organizations from around the globe in effort to create open dialogue surrounding sport for development topics. The event honored accomplishments made by governments, NGOs and current and former professional athletes using sport as a tool to educate and foster social change.
The athletes were honored with Global Ambassadors Awards to recognize their accomplishments in the global community. The 2014 Global Ambassadors Nominees included Walt Fraizer, Jerry Stackhouse, Clinton Porits, Michael Strahanm Marshall Faulk, Jermichael Finley , Sanya Richards-Ross, friend to Tenth Floor, Louis Murphy Jr. and many more. The event also honored Kweku & Ndaba Mandela for their appointment as UNAIDS “Protect the Goal Campaign” Spokespersons.
It was an overwhelming and eye opening experience for my wife and I to attend this event and hear the stories and statistics which we are just not exposed to in the media. It’s not as sexy as reading about another celebrity getting arrested or the next big tech product. The media doesn’t talk much about Haiti anymore yet there is still so much need there. The topic of AIDS is barely even a blip on the radar these days. I must admit, in my own ignorance, I was unaware of the severity of the AIDS epidemic which still rages through out most of the world or the conditions which still plague Haiti.
Another segment of the summit discussed the One World Futbol Project which features the One World Futbol — A nearly indestructible ball that never needs a pump and never goes flat, even when punctured multiple times. Tim Jahnigen, the inventor of the ball, was watching news footage about traumatized refugee youth in Darfur playing soccer on dirt using a ball they had made by tying trash together with twine. In that instant, Tim saw that these kids had such strong, indestructible spirits and felt they deserved better. He realized there was a global need for a nearly indestructible ball that could withstand the harsh conditions often faced by youth living in refugee camps, disaster areas and other disadvantaged communities. With that spark of inspiration, the idea for the One World Futbol was born. Whether for use on the street, at the beach, at home or on the roughest landscapes in the world, the One World Futbol will last for years.
The video below explains more about the One World Futbol Project.
For more information on how you can get involved visit thejackbrewerfoundation.org, unaids.org or oneworldfutbol.com
