SKILLZ Street Coach’s Guide

SKILLZ is a culture, mindset, and toolkit for educators to use when teaching young people about HIV and AIDS and life skills. SKILLZ programs create simple and powerful connections between soccer and life.

The SKILLZ approach helps young people have relevant and important discussions about life, take small steps to achieve their goals, stay strong when faced with challenges, and protect themselves and others from HIV and AIDS. SKILLZ Street is an evidence-based intervention for adolescent girls that combines HIV prevention, soccer, sexual and reproductive health and life skills, HIV counseling and testing, and access to community services.

SKILLZ Street is designed for 14-16 year old girls (Grades 8 and 9) who have completed an activities-based HIV prevention and life skills curriculum—SKILLZ or Generation SKILLZ. Structured as an after-school soccer league for 100 girls led by 10 female Coaches, SKILLZ Street consists of 10 2-hour practices and a graduation. Nearly all practices include a life skills activity and a soccer-related game. A player must attend at least 7 out of 10 practices to graduate, excluding the graduation. This guide helps coaches conduct the practices.

Source: Grassroot Soccer

Date of Publication: March 25, 2019