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Play It Forward Project: Interview with Jessy Giordano

I recently got to know an amazing coach and soccer trainer named Jessy Giordano @jgiotraining who works with some very special girls in Northern New Jersey. We are so excited to partner with Jessy and her girls, supporting the teams as they play this summer! Jessy introduced her girls the PlayItForwardProject and says it meshes perfectly with her philosophy of making better people, not just better players.

Soccer Sisters: How did the girls react when you told them about the PIFP?

Jessy Giordano: They loved the idea! Especially my youngers ones. They kept saying “I know what I can
do!” and coming up with different acts of kindness. They kept thinking about it and talking about all kinds of ideas. I think kids like pleasing other people.  When we were making the video, they also wanted to take it home and think about it some more and talked to their parents about it and decided it was also something they were going to do at home. I think making and sharing the video is motivating. I’ve seen it even with my older girls. When they see my training videos they tell me it motivates them to do it at home. I think anyone seeing that video will think, “I just want to do something nice for someone today.”

Jessy with some of her athletes.

SS: It looks like a lot of fun to make the video, was it? 

JG: It was one of the most fun we’ve had making a video! I wanted to have strangers in it so we just approached people and asked if we could open the door, and even one girl helped an older lady with her groceries. I think they learned a lot and it makes them feel empowered to help and not feel weird about it.

SS: Your focus is on technical skills, but also on building players who have strong character. How does PIFP fit in with your philosophy?

JG: I honestly think they play so much better when they are having fun and feel more comfortable together and when they are supporting and motivating themselves and others.  My girls come from all over the place, and many who don’t know each other and the only way they are going to play well is when they are having fun.  I want to teach them to help each other, not just on the field, but to help even people they don’t know.

SS: What do you think is the best way to Play It Forward for teams, coaches or parents who want to encourage their kids to engage in acts of kindness? 

JG: I think talk to your teams about it. I always pick two captains every week, and switch it up and try to get them to step it up. I want them to be good leaders, good teammates, role models, and mostly a good person.

Thanks Jessy!

 

Follow Jessy here: 

www.JgioTraining.com

@JgioTraining

Filed Under: Blog

The Results Are in and, Guess What? Kids Want Us to Be Kind

Kids collecting toys to donate to a children’s hospital.

There has never been a more important time to raise kind, caring, and empathetic kids. It’s World Kindness Day today and a perfect occasion to join the Play It Forward Project, the Soccer Sisters social media campaign we launched this year.

The movement’s mission is to share acts of kindness with one another and help inspire others to do the same. Whether it be as simple as staying inside for recess when your buddy breaks his arm, or as grand as collecting toys for sick kids, there are countless ways we can make our communities better by encouraging kids and adults alike to embrace kindness.

Soon after we launched the campaign, my own kids inspired my family to have a regular “kindness check-in” at dinner, something I wrote about in the Washington Post. I was thrilled when the folks at Highlights Magazine reached out recently to tell me they had seen the article and wanted to share their latest issue with me, “The State of Kindness According to Kids.”

Image: State of the Kid logoOne of my favorite lines from their survey is, “We want to help kids understand that thinking about the common good gives us the power to change the world for the better.” In addition, the survey discusses what children want to see in adults – namely more kindness – so no more giving the finger at red lights, people! It also discusses ways in which kindness can be taught: through conversation, leading by example, and honoring noble qualities at home.

I remember Highlights as the magazine for its “Hidden Pictures,” and I loved to see if I could find them all. It’s clear that there is much more to find in this issue so I hope you’ll take a look and share it with your friends and family.

Filed Under: Blog, Uncategorized

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