The U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) and social
impact education innovator EVERFI, Inc. today join the students of
Santee Elementary School in San Jose to launch The
Compassion Project for the 2019-2020 school year.
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An online course for elementary school students, The Compassion Project
introduces the basics of compassion education to build student’s
confidence, mastery, and excitement around compassion and related social
and emotional topics. This new initiative will be made available at no
cost to schools in six select markets as part of an initial launch
phase, beginning in fall 2019.
The USWNTPA believes in advancing skills that lead to good character
both on and off the field. Whether standing up for diversity, women’s
rights, LGBTQ issues, and equal pay, the players have a track record of
being socially aware and active in the community. The team recognizes
the role of compassion, a positive attitude, and teamwork in creating a
winning team, something they are focused on as they prepare for the
upcoming World Cup.
The leading provider of education for the real world, EVERFI has been
providing scalable solutions for critical life skills since 2008.
Partnering with EVERFI on The Compassion Project is a natural
progression of the work the USWNTPA is already known for and brings
together two groups focused on leaving a positive mark on society.
“The USWNTPA and its Soccer+Social Impact committee is committed to
educating and empowering today’s youth, who will be the leaders and role
models of tomorrow,” said McCall Zerboni, member of the US Women’s
National Team Players Association Soccer+Social Impact Committee.
“The Compassion Project embodies the mission of the USWNTPA’s
Soccer+Social Impact committee by teaching children about compassion,
something we recognize as critical to our own growth as individuals, but
even more importantly, to our growth and success as a team,” added Tobin
Heath, another member of the US Women’s National Team Players
Association Soccer+Social Impact Committee.
“Expanding the Players Association Soccer+Social Impact committee is
something our members have been committed to for a long time and we
couldn’t think of a better partner than EVERFI,” said Becca Roux,
Executive Director for the US Women’s National Team Players Association.
“We value their emphasis on developing curriculums that focus on
critical skills, and even more their commitment to partnering on a
curriculum that aligns with the mission and goals of our Soccer+Social
Impact strategy. We’re looking forward to seeing The Compassion Project
launched in schools throughout 2019, with the goal that this becomes a
much broader opportunity for students in the future.”
Today’s event is the official kick-off of the larger national initiative
and includes current National Team members, prior to their departing to
compete at the Women’s World Cup in France this Summer. National Team
members including Becky Sauerbrunn, Sam Mewis, and Kelley O’Hara, will
be joined by USWNT alumni such as Aly Wagner and Danielle Slaton. Event
attendees will participate in a unique classroom activity that features
students creating skits demonstrating that they have learned how to
identify an opportunity for compassion and take an action to show
compassion to themselves or another.
“Today’s event is a perfect illustration of the vision that EVERFI and
the USWNTPA had in mind when we committed to this partnership,” said
Becky Sauerbrunn, member of the US Women’s National Team Players
Association Soccer+Social Impact Committee. “We, as players, are excited
to show up in schools and use our platform to remind young students that
whether it’s competing at the highest level of sport, performing in
school, or just being a positive member of your community, it’s never
too early to start practicing compassion.”
Research has shown that students exposed to Social Emotional Learning
(SEL) in school continue to do better than their peers on a number of
indicators: positive social behaviors and attitudes, skills such as
empathy and teamwork, and academic achievement. These students also have
fewer conduct problems, less emotional distress, and lower drug use,
among many other benefits.1
“As parents, educators, and citizens, we want our children to grow up in
a kinder, more compassionate world, and that starts with early education
on Social Emotional Learning topics such as compassion,” explained Jon
Chapman, Co-Founder and President of EVERFI. “Compassion involves the
coordinated response of a lot of skills that positively affect student
well-being — mindfulness, self-care, emotional literacy, kindness.
These skills are also important for student self-regulation and
cooperation, which lead to better learning environments.”
The Compassion Project is developed in accordance with CASEL Social and
Emotional Learning standards, as well as Common Core and State ELA
Standards. It was developed by Washington, D.C.-based EVERFI, the
critical skills education leader that has certified more than 20 million
learners in 20,000 schools.
Starting in the Fall of 2019, USWNT Player Ambassadors will begin
hosting events in local schools in six cities throughout the U.S. to
reinforce the national initiative on a local level, where they live and
play as part of the USWNTPA Social Impact mission.
About EVERFI
EVERFI is the pioneer in education solutions uniquely addressing social
impact issues. The company provides learners of all ages education for
the real world through scalable digital learning platforms. Founded in
2008, EVERFI is fueled by its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription
model and has certified over 30 million learners with more than 3,500
partners across 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. EVERFI tackles
society’s most important intractable issues through the power of
education and as the convener of thought leadership consortiums
including the Financial Capability Network, Prescription Drug Safety
Network, Campus Prevention Network, and the Digital Wellness Network.
Some of America’s leading CEOs and venture capital firms are EVERFI
investors including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Google Chairman
Eric Schmidt, Twitter founder Evan Williams, Advance Publications,
Rethink Education, and Rethink Impact. To learn more about EVERFI visit everfi.com
or follow us on Facebook,
Instagram,
LinkedIn
or Twitter
@EVERFI.
About the U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association
The U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) serves as a
leading advocate for women’s soccer players, pioneering a new era of
women’s soccer as a preeminent sport. The primary mission of the USWNTPA
is to protect the rights of USWNT players and to advance and safeguard
the economic and social welfare of all USWNT players, both on and off
the field. The USWNTPA is committed to raising the level of women’s
soccer domestically and continuing to grow the game worldwide.
1 Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional
Learning (CASEL)
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