CHICAGO (Sept. 10, 2024) - U.S. Soccer, in partnership with Integrated Dreams, will again host the annual ADAPTandTHRIVE Leadership Course to empower individuals to become advocates for inclusion and change within their soccer communities. The second edition of the course in the United States will begin with week-long, in-person workshops from Dec. 4-11 in Metro Atlanta.
By providing training in leadership skills, diversity awareness, and inclusive practices, the ADAPTandTHRIVE Leadership Course will equip participants with the tools to drive positive transformations and be catalysts for change in their respective soccer communities.
Following the lead of the inaugural event last year, this year’s course will focus leadership training on various topics related to soccer in the United States. At the conclusion of the week, participants will return to their communities, and with the help of mentors, spend the next six months implementing a project that will elevate disability soccer. At the conclusion of this practical phase, candidates will gather in person and present their experience in front of an expert panel.
Application for the ADAPTandTHRIVE Leadership Course is open now through November 1. To apply, interested applicants should visit https://integrated-dreams.org/adaptandthrive.
One of the long-term goals for the ADAPTandTHRIVE Leadership Course is to also provide a runway to ensure U.S. Soccer has access to a more inclusive workforce across the board and in growing access for disability soccer programs nationwide. The program will ultimately be part of the Federation's legacy as the U.S. builds toward hosting a myriad of major soccer competitions through the 2028 Summer Olympics, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
U.S. Soccer’ s ADAPTandTHRIVE program, originally launched in 2020, is a finalist for this year’s Eli Wolff Football Without Limits award at the prestigious World Football Summit in Spain. The ADAPTandTHRIVE program is a combination of soccer-based initiatives which aim to impact the disability community in the United States and beyond.Beyond the Leadership Course, other initiatives in the program include:
- ADAPTandTHRIVE Invitational – Designed to provide a platform to showcase competitive and high-performance training environments for our Cerebral Palsy, Deaf, and Power Soccer National Teams. It also allows U.S. Soccer Members who deliver grassroots programming for disability athletes to attend and interact with their international role models.
- ADAPTandThrive Disability Award – Recognizing an individual making an impact in the United States' broad landscape of disability soccer.
- Disability Soccer Month -Celebrated annually in December, Disability Soccer Month brings a number of exciting moments to highlight the community of American soccer organizations serving athletes with disabilities, including the American Amputee Soccer Association, Down Syndrome Sports of America, Dwarf Athletic Association of America, U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, Cerebral Palsy Soccer, USA Deaf Soccer, and U.S. Power Soccer Association.
- Coaching Education - The Coaching Education initiative uses U.S. Soccer’s Learning Platform to encourage coaches to embrace innovative approaches and foster a culture of inclusivity within the coaching community, thereby contributing to the growth of opportunity within disability soccer in the U.S. It also provides bespoke coaching education opportunities for coaches with disabilities to gain certification on the formal U.S. Soccer Coaching education pathway. An initial "C” License course is currently being planned for various Extended National Team athletes with disabilities to launch later this year and carry into 2024.
- Young Persons Working Group – Recognizes the importance of youth voices in shaping the future of soccer. This program brings together young individuals with and without disabilities to provide insights, perspectives, and innovative ideas that can guide the development of inclusive initiatives. The group serves as a platform for young leaders who have been selected by members of the U.S. Soccer Disability Committee to contribute to decision-making processes, ensuring that the voices of the next generation are heard and valued.
ABOUT INTEGRATED DREAMS
Integrated Dreams is a non-profit Association based in Lisbon, Portugal, working for the inclusion of disabled people in the sports industry. Our Mission: to increase the representation of disabled people in the sports World. Our Vision: a sports world as a place where all people reach their fullest potential. Inclusion, development, and education remain our core values.
ABOUT ADAPTandTHRIVE
The ADAPTandTHRIVE program is a first-of-its-kind combination of soccer-based initiatives (currently six initiatives are part of the ADAPTandTHRIVE Program) which aim to impact the disability community. The innovative, multi-pronged approach hits on youth empowerment, leadership, awareness raising and opportunity creation. These creative elements set the program apart and position it as a trailblazer in promotion inclusivity within the soccer community.
