Street Soccer is effective in helping people affected by homelessness in Vancouver and provides opportunity for medical trainees to work with this population in a non-clinical setting. A Q & A with Sari Rabar (VFMP) about her experience with this exciting SSRP, which for her, has become much, much more.
Please briefly describe SSR Project you were involved in?
This summer I was involved with the Vancouver Street Soccer League. This Vancouver league started around four years ago and today is made up of ten teams. The idea is to use soccer and teamwork as a way for people, who have been affected by homelessness or marginalized in any way, to make positive changes in their lives. I took part in this ongoing study that is looking to qualify and quantify these changes. So far we have found many positive correlations including people involved with Street Soccer have decreased their substance use, decreased their interactions with the police, increased their number of friends and increased interactions with health care professionals.
What, specifically, about the research topic interested you?
I feel very fortunate for the decision my parents made to put me on a soccer team when I was in Grade 2. I have played on numerous teams, including the Canadian National team, and through all of the ups and down, wins and losses, I have learned invaluable lessons that have helped shape me into the person I am today. I am passionate about giving back to the community by sharing my love for soccer and experiences I have learned about the power of teamwork and community. I believe I have experienced numerous positive benefits from playing soccer and being part of a soccer team and I think it is extremely exciting work to study the benefits of soccer and sport and the power they have to impact peoples lives, especially within a community like the DTES.
What did you learn both (a) academically and (b) clinically?
I have learned academically about the logistics and approach to doing a community based research project such as this one. I had hands on experience in areas such as data collection, participant recruitment and assessment environment. Clinically, I have gained experience in patient interactions by the way of interacting with numerous different people of different backgrounds. At the start of the project this summer I also spent three days working with the President/head coach of the street soccer program in clinic. He is a fifth year psychiatry resident and at the time was doing a rotation at the Portland Hotel Society. This was a very interesting experience for me as it was my first taste of psychiatry in the DTES community and also a chance for me to hear some of the stories and actually see the homes of people I would be working with. This really helped give me a context and put things in perspective.
What do you feel participating in this project will have contributed to your medical education?
In terms of medical education it is difficult to list all that I have actually learned this summer or put my experience into words. I think one of the most powerful moments for me was when I went with three of the street soccer women to the DTES Women’s Shelter. During lunch we stood up to introduce ourselves to all of the women in the room, tell them about our team and encourage them to come out and join us. I knew it would be more powerful if I just supported the street soccer players and let them tell their story but still I was flabbergasted as I sat and listened. “ Hi everyone, some of you may recognize me as I used to work these couple allies back here….I quit smoking and my lung function improved…I then joined street soccer and my lung function improved even further…I quit smoking crack and I even got off methadone…because of street soccer and my teammates” “You ladies are so strong, I know you are because you are living through this crap…when you play soccer that strength comes out on the field. If you have ever played soccer in the past that muscle memory just comes back and it is so exciting to realize what your body will just react to on the field. I need this street soccer now, it is what helps me get though each week.”
I learned what a powerful impact something can have on one’s health, and that this something does not need to be a medication or an interaction that occurs in a doctor’s office, in fact mostly this healing that I have seen is nothing like what we have learned about in medical school. I have developed a much larger definition of health and illness. I have a broader scope when looking to solve a problem. I learned about being open minded; the importance of finding a way to relate to each patient as we are all more similar and more different that initially assumed; the role of research in a medical field; the importance of collaboration, multi-disciplinary approaches and using teamwork in the healthcare setting. I believe that as I continue on my medical education and reflect back on this summer’s experience I will begin to truly realize the impact this experience has had for me and how it will shape my future career.
I am so grateful for this SSRP opportunity and the grant I received from the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada. Furthermore I am so grateful for the people I have met this summer, for their enthusiasm and determination and for welcoming me so warmly into their team and their lives. My summer project may be finished but you will definitely still see me around the soccer pitch with the Vancouver Street Soccer league.
I am at present organizing a monthly exhibition game of Street Soccer vs a UBC Medicine team. The Med team is a collection of students from all four years, residents from various programs as well as doctors and UBC faculty. If you would like more information please contact me join our Facebook group UBC Medicine – Street Soccer.
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