There is a reason Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Jeb Brovsky received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the organization at the ‘Caps last match of the season. Brovsky is using soccer to share his message. It has been over a year now since he has been working on his project dubbed Peace Pandemic which is an organization dedicated to educating individuals about non-violence through the power of sport.
Last year Brovsky, who always felt passionately about peace and educating those around him of the positive effects of using non-violence versus conflict to create change, came up with a plan as to how he could spread his message on a larger scale.
“Conflicts always get covered by the media but there are tons of peaceful protests all around the world going on right now that we don’t hear about.”
He had always had the goal of using soccer as a means to educate and since he has been playing for Whitecaps FC, it has served as the perfect platform to do so.
“To get people to look outside of their world and realize what else is going on out there.”
Brovsky will soon be embarking on a trip which he has been fundraising for. He will be going on a 15 day stint in New Delhi to conduct a soccer camp. The camps focus on soccer as well as issues that surround the children on a daily basis. For example, the camps are divided by gender. The boys’ camp focuses on non-violence and other means of solving conflict whereas the girls’ camp centres on leadership skills and the importance of working in teams. As well, the camps themselves are run by locals, which helps ensure that the issues tackled are relevant to both the culture and society.
Aside from the education itself, Brovsky also pushes the importance of connecting children around the world.
“Having the children connecting based on a mutual love of soccer and experiencing similar issues is a great way to work towards our goal of creating an understanding between cultures.”
After the camps, Brovsky will tour around the Kashmir area to spread more awareness and immerse himself in the culture as much as he can.
Starting as just an idea almost 2 years ago, Brovsky has turned his goals into action by holding soccer camps all over the world. If you would like to donate or find out more about Peace Pandemic, visit the website here.
