Sadly, it seems as though 2018 won’t be the year that England brings home the World Cup, but it was fun while it lasted! Hopefully our successes in the earlier rounds and quarter final will give the team and country a much-needed confidence boost for 2022 in Qatar.
In the meantime, we want to highlight the work carried out by the charity Street Child United as part of our Behind Blue Walls series this week: for the children they support, the after-effects of the World Cup will be far more positive and long-lasting than they will be for the England team supporters.
What is Street Child United?
This is a UK-based charity that uses major sporting events to change the lives of “street-connected children” across the globe. These are children who live or work on the streets or are otherwise connected to homelessness (such as through fostering or adoption) and while they are generally very resilient individuals, they are also hugely vulnerable and at risk of abuse and exploitation.
This year, of course, Street Child United is using the World Cup as a vehicle to promote its efforts to change the way street-connected young people are seen and treated. The charity wants to create a brighter, safer future for children everywhere and uses the power of sports and the arts to create a global platform for street-connected young people to be heard from.
The Street Child World Cup Moscow 2018
Before major sporting championships, Street Child United host an equivalent event for teams of street-connected young people. This year, they held the Street Child World Cup, where more than 200 street-connected young people from 23 countries across the world came together to campaign for their rights. Countries taking part in the Street Child World Cup Moscow 2018 was represented by an organisation which provides frontline support for street-connected children in that country.
Impact of Street Child United
On an individual level, Street Child United events represent an opportunity for young people to build confidence and continue their personal development. The young people taking part are empowered as ambassadors, speaking out and giving voice to children who are facing the same struggles they have, and inspiring others to provide support.
After the events are over, the organisations who managed the teams continue to support them within their communities through promoting and encouraging further studies or training.
Globally, Street Child United events open up a dialogue with governments and communities about how to better support street-connected children and engage the world’s media with this often-overlooked subject.
Street Child United and Safestore
We are really pleased to be able to offer Street Child United our support and are currently storing their football kits at our newest self storage units at Paddington Marble Arch.
The children Street Child United support are some of the world’s most vulnerable children and we are happy to do what we can to promote this amazing charity’s work. If you’d like to get involved with Street Child United, find out how you can help
here.