A Montgomery County street soccer team at a tournament in Washington, D.C.

Street Soccer USA is an inspiring organization that aims to help eradicate homelessness through soccer within the U.S. The program has been very successful in the past in both changing the general perception of homeless, as well as getting participants off the streets. I recently chatted with Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Goldberg about the upcoming 2009 Homeless World Cup, his own personal journey to the organization, what the program means to him and those involved and just how we, as Jewish teens, can help.

How did you become involved with Street Soccer USA (SSUSA)?
In 2006, I attended the Homeless World Cup, where I met Lawrence Cann, the founder of Street Soccer USA, and first learned about the homeless situation in the United States and the sports for social change work he was doing in Charlotte, N.C. I was intrigued, and in the spring of 2008, I came on board to help plan the Street Soccer USA Cup in Washington, D.C. Since that time, I have continued to work closely with Lawrence to build SSUSA and now serve as chief operating officer.

Why is Street Soccer USA such an important cause to you?
It involves two things that I am very passionate about: community and personal development and sports. I learned from an early age the importance of being involved in community service and tikkun olam. At the same time, I grew up in a family of sports fans. There’s no doubt that sports helped to shape the person I am and that I learned many important life lessons and skills.

Does the organization have any traditional Jewish values in its mission?
SSUSA does have some traditionally Jewish values in its mission, including chesed (kindness) and tikkun olam (repairing the world). Our programs are based on the belief that in order to create change, we must develop relationships based on trust. It’s impossible for our society to fundamentally change if we don’t view others as equals. And it will be impossible for us to eradicate homelessness if we perpetuate the stereotypes of who the homeless are.

What changes have you found that the organization has made in the lives of the homeless?
SSUSA has a 75 percent success rate in getting participants off the streets, into housing, jobs and education or reconnecting with family. In addition, we advocate on behalf of the homeless at events like our Street Soccer USA Cup, which changes misconceptions about the homeless.

What types of challenges are you met with? How do you deal with them?
There are many challenges when working with the homeless. But we view them as opportunities to restore self-worth and empower individuals. One challenge is unemployment. Every person I have met through our programs has experience or is skilled in a trade. However, the economic situation makes it difficult to find jobs. In some cities, we work with Goodwill Industries to link our players to its job placement program. Especially with the recession, we’ve found that the number of homeless individuals has risen, and there’s an increasing demand for social services.

Can you tell me more about the upcoming Street Soccer USA Cup?
This summer, Street Soccer USA will host its annual cup in Washington, D.C., from July 31 to Aug. 2. It’ll feature 16 teams and culminate in the selection of the U.S. national team, which will represent the U.S. at the 56-nation Homeless World Cup in Milan, Italy, in September. This event motivates the formation of grassroots sports around the country and challenges the public’s perceptions of who the homeless are and what they are capable of.

How can interested Jewish teens help out?
There are many ways that Jewish teens can help. [Some have] adopted SSUSA as their bar mitzvah projects, volunteered with our organization in their cities, attended the SSUSA Cup and brought the SSUSA Service Learning Curriculum into their schools. It’s easy to know what’s happening with SSUSA by joining our Facebook group or by following us on Twitter. But the important thing is to realize that you do have the skills and ability to do something to eradicate homelessness in our country.

Emma Stein is a senior who currently attends Newark Academy. She serves as editor-in-chief of the literary magazine, in addition to being on the editorial staff of the paper. Emma also works on the editorial board of the Jewish literary magazine Nu. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing and art.