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Soccer players in Portland come together to play for peace on the International Day of Peace. Photo: Amanda Mantino/Mercy Corps
Portland, OR - Mercy Corps, the global humanitarian organization, along with other academic and non profit organizations, has arranged a soccer match on the International Day of Peace, Sunday September 21, 2008 at Lincoln High School.
Mercy Corps, University of Portland, FC Portland Soccer Academy, Pacific University and the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) have partnered to bring players together from eight organizations who represent ten counties to play together to promote peace.
As part of the United Nations-endorsed initiative called the Peace One Day campaign, Mercy Corps organized the match to focus on the power of soccer to bring people together. Matches are intended to be made up of teams with a mix of people who normally wouldn't play together.
"Sports are a great way to bridge cultural differences. When players step on the field they forget about what divides them off the field," said Matt Streng, Mercy Corps' program officer for health, youth & sports. "The universal language of soccer is a unifying force. Even when teams compete, they come together in mutual respect and shake hands, which is a step towards greater peace."
Around the world, Mercy Corps uses sports to promote health awareness, accelerate psychological healing and promote integration between different groups. The Mercy Corps global headquarters office in Portland is one of six other offices worldwide to organize a match.
Mercy Corps Colombia will hold games for youth from crime affected areas in Cartagena. East Timor will schedule a game between UN staff and local people from different districts. India will host a tournament for children of different ethnic backgrounds in Darjeeling. Iraq will also put together a tournament for local youth in Diyala governorate. And Mercy Corps Uganda will organize a game as part of a peace summit in Pader.
Mercy Corps brings together Portland soccer players from a variety of teams and countries. Players participating represent organizations and schools that include Mercy Corps, FC Portland Soccer Academy, University of Portland, Pacific University, Liberty High School, Oregon State, University of Oregon Law School and IRCO as well as former Mexican national team player who also played professionally. Players also collectively represent countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Tanzania, Senegal, Rwanda, Mexico, Uzbekistan, Switzerland and Belarus.
Following the match, honorary players Sophie Schmidt, Kelsey Davis and Keelin Winters of the University of Portland women's soccer team will present the Peace Cup trophy.
Sophie, a member of both the Canadian women's National and Olympic teams, just returned from the Beijing Olympic Games. Kelsey is the starting goalkeeper for University of Portland and is a member of the USA Under-23 National Team. Keelin, a starting midfielder, is the captain of the USA Under-20 National Team. All three women have traveled internationally with their national teams. Through their experiences playing soccer abroad, they have become strong advocates for international peace.
About Peace One Day
Peace One Day (POD) was established in 1999 as a campaign to introduce an International Day of Peace, observed annually on 21st September 2008. In 2001, the General Assembly of the United Nations voted unanimously to make Peace One Day a reality as an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence. Subsequently Peace One Day has focused on promoting awareness of peace around the globe. www.peaceoneday.org
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