Young Mel
Organization: Homeless World Cup
Year Founded: 2002
Country: United Kingdom
Website: www.homelessworldcup.org
Video 70 nations, 40,000 players, 1 goal. The Homeless World Cup is a world-class, international football tournament that uses football to end homelessness. Homeless players represent their country and change their lives forever. Focus: Sport, Homelessness, Housing, Communications/Media Geographic Area of Impact: Global Model: Hybrid Non-Profit Number of Direct Beneficiaries: 40,000 (2009) Annual Budget: US$ 3 million (2009) Percentage Earned Revenue: 90% Recognition: Schwab Fellow of the World Economic Forum Background It is estimated that over 1 billion people worldwide are homeless. Of these, approximately 40% are under age 25. This is a costly social challenge. In New York, each homeless person costs the city approximately US$ 40,000 annually. The idea for the Homeless World Cup came about in 2001 during the 2001 International Network of Street Papers Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. Mel Young and Harald Schmied were searching for an international language to unite homeless people around the world. Football was that universal language and the Homeless World Cup was born. Eighteen months later, the Graz 2003 Homeless World Cup took place uniting 18 nations. Innovation and Activities The Homeless World Cup has proven that sport is a tremendously powerful tool to create positive change in individuals, communities and countries on a global scale. It puts the homeless person at the centre of the solution, empowering them to improve their own situation and transform their lives. The feeling of belonging, the challenge of working as a team, regaining a healthy attitude towards physical and mental well-being, the relocation of self-esteem and enjoyment of fun has engendered significant, lasting change in individual players. The Homeless World Cup uses football to energize people who are homeless to change their own lives. This is achieved firstly with a world-class annual international football tournament uniting national teams of people who are homeless; and secondly by triggering and supporting grassroots football programmes that work with homeless people throughout the year. Following its phenomenal success in Graz, Austria, in 2003, the global tournament has grown. The Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup engaged 56 nations and included a pilot Women’s Homeless World Cup. This has now triggered grassroots football projects in over 70 nations benefiting 40,000 players all year round. Rio will host the 2010 Homeless World Cup before it travels to Paris in 2011. Follow-up research conducted consistently demonstrates unprecedented levels of impact: two-thirds of players make significant changes to their lives. They come off drugs and alcohol, move into jobs, finish their education, find homes, pursue training and education, reunite with their families and go on to become players, coaches and leaders in their communities. Supporters include UEFA, the United Nations, Nike, Vodafone Foundation, and global ambassadors Eric Cantona, Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand. The Entrepreneur Mel Young is the co-founder of The Big Issue Scotland, a weekly street paper sold by homeless people in Scotland, and the International Network of Street Papers. He has also co-founded SENSCOT (Social Entrepreneurs Network Scotland) and a number of publishing ventures. Young's entrepreneurial initiatives have ranged from leveraged non-profits to social businesses. All exemplify how the successful implementation of a simple idea has meant that homeless people are able to transform their lives through their own efforts. Young passionately believes that by putting people at the centre of solutions, homelessness and social exclusion can be solved.
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