In 2011 the Junior League of Cincinnati conducted a community scan of unmet needs in Greater Cincinnati and discovered a lack of coordinated services for refugees. Two years later they founded RefugeeConnect as a resource connecting refugees to supportive programs and organizations. A new article recently published in Elite Daily highlights the organization’s World Refugee Day soccer tournament, an event designed to help foster community.
Head over to EliteDaily to read the full article.
On Saturday, June 23, the local Cincinnati, Ohio community will converge on the soccer field at Xavier University where, for the fifth annual time, RefugeeConnect is hosting a World Refugee Day soccer tournament. Just as Belgium and Tunisia face off at the World Cup in Moscow, the Cincinnati community is using the spirit of friendly, international competition to bring people together. The World Refugee Day Cup, which happens around World Refugee Day, will feature matches for both adult and teen soccer teams as well as food trucks, family activities, and awards for scholarships and community work.
“What we have found is that soccer is the universal language across nations,” Robyn Lamont, the Executive Director at RefugeeConnect, tells me in an interview for Elite Daily. “Although people might be new to the culture and speaking English, it’s a way to break down barriers and come to the community.”
