"The youth and staff were all excited. Regardless of the rain, we all
had a great time and cheered until the end [in the Casbah]. We look
forward to the next game!"
-- So'o Poumele, Washington Youth Center (San Jose) Recreation Leader
(after Quakes' home opener v. New England, March 21, 2009)
AT-RISK TEENS IN SUPPORTERS' SECTION
“Having Fun Getting Rowdy in a Positive Way”
SSVCF has partnered with the 1906 Ultras and the Casbah supporters' groups, San Jose city councilmember Sam Liccardo and his District Three Neighborhood Advisory Group (D3 NAG), CommUniverCity San Jose, and the San Jose Earthquakes to provide season tickets for the San Jose Earthquakes Major League Soccer club to at-risk inner city teens.
Twenty-six teens and four staff chaperones from the city-run McKinley and Washington Youth Centers in downtown San Jose are attending all 17 Earthquakes home games this season at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara and McAfee Coliseum in Oakland.
The teens will spend each game standing--no sitting allowed in a supporters' group--chanting and cheering along with and as full-fledged members of the Casbah, a supporters group of the Earthquakes whose members are known for their loyalty to the club and passion for the game. (Last season, six teens participated in the 1906 Ultras supporters' group.) Meanwhile, the teens will be bonding with their largely 20-something near-peer role models, who when not supporting the Quakes are productive members of society -- college students, engineers, lawyers and active military personnel. And in August, courtesy of the Earthquakes, the teens will be treated to a private practice where they meet the players and coaches.
“I thought about us contacting an organization that focuses on preventing youth from joining gangs or doing drugs,” says 1906 Ultras head Dan Margarit, who conceived the program. Margarit is a recent Boston College grad who first joined an ultras group as teen growing up in Bucharest, Romania. “Not necessarily an organization dealing with kids already involved with drugs and gangs, but one focused on preventing these things. The 1906 Ultras can provide an alternative for these kids to socialize, spend some quality time and have fun getting rowdy in a positive way.”
Margarit approached SSVCF president Don Gagliardi, who also chairs councilmember Liccardo’s D3 NAG roundtable of downtown neighborhood leaders. “One of the D3 NAG’s priorities has been to seek out activities for local teens so they aren’t attracted to gangs, so a partnership between 1906 Ultras and D3 NAG was a perfect fit,” explains Gagliardi, who enlisted the support of councilmember Liccardo and his fellow neighborhood leaders.
“I’m delighted with this partnership.” Councilmember Liccardo said. "It is so important for young people, particularly our most at-risk youth, to have positive role models and exposure to healthy, fun events.”
“This program is a wonderful example of how partnerships can be built among the community to provide positive activities and role models for youths in financially troubled times,” agrees Joan Rivas Cosby, an activist in the Five Wounds Brookwood Terrace neighborhood who heads up the D3 NAG working group on youth activities and gang abatement. “We are grateful to all the organizations involved for their effort for their efforts to broaden the horizons of young people while having fun.”
D3 NAG kicked in funds for several season tickets to match those offered up by 1906 Ultras, the Casbah, and SSVCF. CommUniverCity San Jose, which promotes collaboration among San Jose State University, the City of San Jose, and the surrounding community, also funds tickets as well as pregame meals for the teens at nearby Mondo Burrito in Santa Clara. For 2009, the San Jose Earthquakes have generously matched the 15 season seats purchased by the project partners, bringing the total to 30.
"My kids had a real good time. They were chanting and standing, really
enjoying themselves. The [1906 Ultras] group members were very
welcoming, helping us find our seats
and feel part of the group."
-- Mayra Valdivia, McKinley Youth Center (San Jose) Recreation Leader
(after Quakes' home opener v. Dallas, May 3, 2008)
