Grassroot Soccer introduced in St. Lucia

Over the January '08 winter break, a group of University of Vermont students traveled to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia as part of a class on Sustainable Development in Small Island States led by Charles Kerchner. One of the service-learning projects that evolved was the demonstration of the Grassroot Soccer curriculum on HIV/AIDS prevention education at local schools and to representatives of public education on the island.

The group was following the lead of other UVM students who have been behind the creation of the Grassroot Soccer inspired Futbol para la Vida program in the Dominican Republic. The demo and discussions were a huge success, and plans are in the works for a follow-up training-of-trainers of peer educators through a local youth sport initiative.

For some local press coverage of the trip, see Caribseek and the island's cable news network.

Congratulations to all the students and local supporters involved!