It's the Little Things That Make the Biggest Difference

Volunteers explain the next activity to their buddy

After just a few weeks of getting to work with the amazing kids in LYSA TOPSoccer, I have learned so many insightful things about children with disabilities.  First off and most importantly, I have realized the value of patience in working with these kids. Patience is absolutely essential in teaching them the game of soccer because they can't always comprehend and act on what you say after the first time you give them a direction. I experienced this first hand-- the buddy I was assigned to on the first week, named Damien, has been diagnosed with ADHD as well as Autism.  He had trouble following directions and all he seemed to want to do was run around and do the opposite of whatever we told him. So to sum up, that week I came back to campus tired out and frustrated with the lack of progress.  Two weeks later I was assigned to Damien again and got to see him already drastically improving in so many different ways.  The beginning of the practice was very similar to that first week I was working with him, but as time passed his other buddy and I collaborated and found activities that peaked his interest more than others.  With our patience combined with our persistence to help him achieve his very best, Damien's other buddy and I worked together to help him improve in merely 2 weeks time.  At the very end of the practice, Damien's mother came up to us and said: "That is the most that he has touched the soccer ball in probably a month. Whatever you guys are doing, keep it up!".  This statement just uplifted me and really made me feel like I was making a difference in someone's life.

Child watches his buddy dribble towards the goal

Another observation I made about working with disabled children is the extreme amounts of encouragement and effort that the buddy has to put in to make sure the child understands what you are asking them to do. As shown in the photo on the right of a previous practice, the buddy sometimes has to demonstrate the action that you want them to mimic, for example "dribbling" or "shooting" the ball. Through persistence and lots of positive words, the child ends up learning the exercise.   Seeing the proud smile on my buddy's face when he accomplishes something new is one of the main reasons I keep looking forward to coming back to TOPSoccer week after week!

It's More Than a Game

This picture, from the LYSA TOPSoccer website,
shows buddies and players from previous years in action.

Lending a helping hand to others has always been a passion of mine that I have demonstrated through my love and constant pursuit of volunteering;  and I get the lucky opportunity to be able to earn credit for a class and do projects through work in a volunteer organization! The organization LYSA TOPSoccer was presented to me and I knew instantly that it was perfect for me due to my experience with soccer as well as my previous work with special needs children.  Through extensive research, I learned many enlightening and heartwarming things about this organization and how strongly it impacts the lives of children.

The main aim of LYSA TOPSoccer is to help children with special needs learn the game of soccer through relaxed drills and fun activities. This is done through one-on-one pairings of athletes to buddies-- us volunteers being the buddies. According to their website, the buddies attend to the physical, cognitive, behavioral, sensory and hearing needs of their athletes while giving them constant encouragement to improve.

This program began in August of 2009 and has been growing exponentially since.  It is a community-based soccer program that has truly impacted the lives of so many young individuals.  With an age range of 4-18, no child will be turned down the opportunity to get the chance to learn and play soccer in such an engaging and positive environment.

I actually got the opportunity to participate this past weekend in a practice, and it exceeded my expectations. I was paired up with a boy named Damien who made me smile from the moment I started talking to him.  His energy was unbelievable, and the time we spent hanging out and playing soccer made me so eager to come back for the next practice. I got to observe how Damien overcame the physical and mental obstacles that his ADHD and Autism created, and seeing him improve in merely an hours worth of practice just made my day.

All in all, I absolutely cannot wait to continue volunteering with this organization.  It has already been exciting as well as eye-opening and I've only been to one practice!

Website Citation:

LYSA TOPSoccer. (2012). Retrieved September 15, 2015.