“I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.” ― Anne Frank, The Diary of

(Typical thinking in the moment picture)

I am currently five months into my internship with Grassroot Soccer. As with all good things, time seems like it is flying by, and I sometimes wish I could just press the pause bottom so I could stay in Cape Town longer.

The beauty of the city truly energize me (even more!), but also makes me appreciate how important it is to look around you everyday and spot the beauty wherever you can find it. Right know, I am back in the states and in New York with my family. Although, it is not as aesthetically beautiful as Cape Town, being with my family (they do drive me crazy) can make anywhere have a beauty of its own.

In our society, we often default to defining beauty as how something looks, from how you describe a person, to the ways in which we talk about a landscape. As a western women, (although I may try to deny it) I often have a monolithic view of beauty that has been influenced by the media, my past experiences and what I filter unconsciously. Being in South Africa has cracked open and unmasked many of my own prejudices that I did not know existed.

This got me thinking to not just how beautiful Cape Town is, but also how the term beauty can be very narrow in scope.

(photos taken by Cory)

Khayelitsha is a place that many may not describe as beautiful in the traditional western way. It is a township filled with informal shacks, barely any green space, and dirt roads. Anyone who lands in the Cape Town international airport, will whizz by these townships on their way to the glamorous Cape Town, with table mountain in their far distance.

Many locals and visitors to Cape Town will not have the opportunity to see these townships as vibrant places filled with so many beautiful, strong, determined, amazing people.

The coaches and staff who I work with at the Football for Hope Centre, are the most strong, determined group of people I know. Each day the coaches, show up for work to try and tackle a virus that is spreading in their communities the only way they know how: by being role models and teaching the GRS curriculum.

There is a hidden beauty in being able to have faith in others , and believe that you can make a difference in the world.

Although, Khayelitsha and the townships surrounding them have many socio-

economic hardships that may mask their unique beauty.

I am reminded of the quote by Anne Frank, ““I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains," when I think of Khay.

Rock Girls and Grassroot Soccer Event:

Gender Based Violence

Gender Based Violence is prolific in South Africa. It is estimated that one in five women will experience some form of abuse during their lifetime. The perpetrators may be strangers, but more often they are community or family members and intimate partners.

An estimated 500,000 rapes are committed each year, yet fewer than 70,000 cases are reported. GRS has a program called Skillz Street that helps to empower young women to see that these acts of sexual abuse are unacceptable, but also to not remain silent.

This epidemic faces all women and girls in South Africa, so last month girls from Rock Girls, a NGO located in the colored township of Mannenburg, and girls from the Skillz Street Program in Khayelitsha participated in the GRS Skillz Street curriculum together.

Both of these communities rarely interact because of long standing racial tension, but through the GRS program they were able to see the similarities in their lives both the good and bad. Seeing all these young women who at first hesitated to meet each other because of preconceived stereotypes, open up and talk about such sensitive topics as GBV, HIV/AIDS, their families, was one of my favorite moments so far working for GRS.

Each young girl stood up in the circle and said things like “ I want gang violence to stop in my community,” or “ I want men to respect me,” hearing these words made me see how strong and mature these young women are. When I was that age, I was more worried about what to wear to a school dance than my safety.

Rock Girls and Grassroot Soccer and many other NGO in South Africa are working to improve the physical and emotional safety of adolescent girls, and empowering them to stand up and speak out about the issues in their communities. To have a small part in this movment was an honor.

During the event, one of the girls from Skilz Street, asked for a library to be created so that she may read more about powerful female role models. Thanks to the Rock Girls and India Bair, GRS was able to get a reading bench that has a book hoek attached to it. (See pictures). This bench will be open to anyone in the community, and will be filled with books weekly.

Although, life can present you with challenges, it is up to each individual to look for the beauty in their lives. I try to do this everyday by taking a deep breath, slowing down my racing mind, and feeling the wind on my skin and the breath that goes through my body.

The holidays and New Years always make me think of the past year and all the lessons and experiences I have had. Here are some of the highlights

• Getting tested for HIV at Grassroot Soccer’s Worlds AIDS Tournament on December 1st.

• Traveling to Plettenberg bay and seeing the seals and dolphins

• Hiking up a waterfall

• Helping the coaches at site update their CV

• Spending time at the Center

• Traveling alone to Namibia

• Making new friends

• Going to a silent mindful retreat

• Attending an HCT tournament

• Thanksgiving with my new GRS Family

• Marching to Parliament for GBV

As always thank you so much to everyone who donated to my journey this year. These learning experiences would not have been possible without your donations.

Happy New Year!

Julie