Amanda Bilas is a 2011 graduate of Quinnipiac University, where she played for our very own Dave Clark. She is now selflessly dedicating herself to Grassroot Soccer, an organization committed to the education and prevention of HIV through the beautiful game. Bilas played youth soccer for Scorpions Soccer Club of Massachusetts. For more on Grassroot Soccer check out Q & A with Founder, Ethan Zohn. Amanda speaks with us all the way from Zambia, Africa. For more updates on Amanda's experience with GRS, check out her blog.
Soccer Banter: What is your own background in the game of soccer and how did it help shape your decision to join Grassroot Soccer?
Amanda Bilas: I’ve been playing soccer since tykes league where I would wear light-up Lion King velcro strapped athletic shoes, instead of cleats. But my experience playing for Dave Clarke, and with the Quinnipiac Women’s Soccer team, is what led me to my decision to join Grassroot Soccer (GRS). Dave always encouraged us to be involved with the community, whether it was volunteering in a Special Olympics tournament in Cheshire, Conn., or reading and aiding elementary school children in Hamden before our regular college classes (which wasn’t that easy being a senior and waking up early on a Friday morning). We did it, not because we were supposed to, but because we wanted to. I’ve always had an energetic and athletic personality. When I tore my ACL with one-week left in the regular season, I realized how much the game of soccer had granted me in my life. One of my international business professors showed us a YouTube clip of GRS, and that’s how I initially found out about the program, but I wasn’t totally interested in yet. Then I had my ACL and the “unhappy triad” (that is what they call it when you tear your acl, meniscus, and part of your pcl I guess). One surgery later I found myself missing the game so much that I thought I had somewhat of a social responsibility to give back for all the great experiences, benefits, and pretty much everything soccer had given me in my life. So here I am living in Lusaka, Zambia after applying for GRS.
Soccer Banter: What is your own background in the game of soccer and how did it help shape your decision to join Grassroot Soccer?
Amanda Bilas: I’ve been playing soccer since tykes league where I would wear light-up Lion King velcro strapped athletic shoes, instead of cleats. But my experience playing for Dave Clarke, and with the Quinnipiac Women’s Soccer team, is what led me to my decision to join Grassroot Soccer (GRS). Dave always encouraged us to be involved with the community, whether it was volunteering in a Special Olympics tournament in Cheshire, Conn., or reading and aiding elementary school children in Hamden before our regular college classes (which wasn’t that easy being a senior and waking up early on a Friday morning). We did it, not because we were supposed to, but because we wanted to. I’ve always had an energetic and athletic personality. When I tore my ACL with one-week left in the regular season, I realized how much the game of soccer had granted me in my life. One of my international business professors showed us a YouTube clip of GRS, and that’s how I initially found out about the program, but I wasn’t totally interested in yet. Then I had my ACL and the “unhappy triad” (that is what they call it when you tear your acl, meniscus, and part of your pcl I guess). One surgery later I found myself missing the game so much that I thought I had somewhat of a social responsibility to give back for all the great experiences, benefits, and pretty much everything soccer had given me in my life. So here I am living in Lusaka, Zambia after applying for GRS.
SB: For those not familiar with Grassroot Soccer, could you give a quick overview about the program?
AB: Most people think I am over here coaching soccer and playing in games all day long, but that actually couldn’t be further from the truth. GRS is a behavioral change HIV/AIDS prevention initiative where we use soccer as a tool of teaching. The best way to explain our interventions is that we use metaphors/analogies involving fun and energetic soccer inspired drills. For example, a practice is called RISK FIELD where we label cones risky behaviors such as unprotected sex, multiple concurrent partners, drug & alcohol use, etc., risky behaviors that increase ones chances of contracting HIV. The participants then dribble around the cones (similar to what you see in a dribbling relay race), which brings into play the participants avoiding these unhealthy behaviors. Each intervention delivers “key messages” which the participants will learn and use to avoid HIV, all the while having fun playing a game they all love.
Besides our interventions, we also work to break down the stigma of HIV in the community, encouraging these students to talk about HIV and become peer educators themselves while also dispelling common myths associated with the virus. We also work on bridging the gap between our SKILLZ curriculum to voluntary counseling and testing. We host tournaments for youth ages 12-18 with community soccer teams, and also host challenge days which are day events that we invite our testing partners to a high traffic/accessibility field where coaches initiate SKILLZ activities, and also where VCT is done throughout the day. Challenge days invite anyone from the local communities to come enjoy the live music, free testing/info, and small games. At these events, if a participant is tested positive then we refer them directly to a partner health clinic such as Tiny Tim and Friends where they can receive all the care to live a healthy, normal life. If they test negative then they are counseled on ways to stay negative. No one is left behind here. Currently we are working on SKILLZ + curriculum for HIV+ youths to be involved in as part of our complete cycle of care.
AB: Most people think I am over here coaching soccer and playing in games all day long, but that actually couldn’t be further from the truth. GRS is a behavioral change HIV/AIDS prevention initiative where we use soccer as a tool of teaching. The best way to explain our interventions is that we use metaphors/analogies involving fun and energetic soccer inspired drills. For example, a practice is called RISK FIELD where we label cones risky behaviors such as unprotected sex, multiple concurrent partners, drug & alcohol use, etc., risky behaviors that increase ones chances of contracting HIV. The participants then dribble around the cones (similar to what you see in a dribbling relay race), which brings into play the participants avoiding these unhealthy behaviors. Each intervention delivers “key messages” which the participants will learn and use to avoid HIV, all the while having fun playing a game they all love.
Besides our interventions, we also work to break down the stigma of HIV in the community, encouraging these students to talk about HIV and become peer educators themselves while also dispelling common myths associated with the virus. We also work on bridging the gap between our SKILLZ curriculum to voluntary counseling and testing. We host tournaments for youth ages 12-18 with community soccer teams, and also host challenge days which are day events that we invite our testing partners to a high traffic/accessibility field where coaches initiate SKILLZ activities, and also where VCT is done throughout the day. Challenge days invite anyone from the local communities to come enjoy the live music, free testing/info, and small games. At these events, if a participant is tested positive then we refer them directly to a partner health clinic such as Tiny Tim and Friends where they can receive all the care to live a healthy, normal life. If they test negative then they are counseled on ways to stay negative. No one is left behind here. Currently we are working on SKILLZ + curriculum for HIV+ youths to be involved in as part of our complete cycle of care.
SB: What is your role on a day-to-day basis for Grassroot Soccer in Zambia?
AB: Every interview I have had concerning my day-to-day role in Grassroots is always the hardest to explain. My job is very dynamic in that I have taken on multiple roles here in the office. My official role is a programs advisor where I am in charge of proper planning all inputs of construction, implementation, and evaluation of our SKILLZ curriculum as well as organizing our graduation events. Working directly with the programs coordinator grants me access into the school, where I talk directly to the teachers and participants, and see our interventions (practices) taking place. Overall I do a mix of office and fieldwork, which is great. I also help manage three other programs in the office including a whole new pilot curriculum known as GROW Girls (a 3 phase intervention using our SKILLZ curriculum and two of our partners curriculum, GRS Zambia Girls parliament, a club for our female coaches where we plan and do events separate form our interventions) and also a new program funded by FIFA where we create a soccer league on the weekend where our SKILLZ is taught, and full soccer matches are played between the 8 teams. Overall the day-to-day job is dynamic and constantly changing due to the need, but in a gist I guess I could say handling/monitoring of finances, planning/executing interventions, construction of quarterly reports, constructing professional power point presentations, attending USAID conferences, constructing power point presentations for donors, training peer educators, and managing over 60 peer educators, are everyday roles I have here working for Grassroot Soccer….but that just wouldn’t do it justice….it’s hard to explain GRS if you aren’t actually here.
AB: Every interview I have had concerning my day-to-day role in Grassroots is always the hardest to explain. My job is very dynamic in that I have taken on multiple roles here in the office. My official role is a programs advisor where I am in charge of proper planning all inputs of construction, implementation, and evaluation of our SKILLZ curriculum as well as organizing our graduation events. Working directly with the programs coordinator grants me access into the school, where I talk directly to the teachers and participants, and see our interventions (practices) taking place. Overall I do a mix of office and fieldwork, which is great. I also help manage three other programs in the office including a whole new pilot curriculum known as GROW Girls (a 3 phase intervention using our SKILLZ curriculum and two of our partners curriculum, GRS Zambia Girls parliament, a club for our female coaches where we plan and do events separate form our interventions) and also a new program funded by FIFA where we create a soccer league on the weekend where our SKILLZ is taught, and full soccer matches are played between the 8 teams. Overall the day-to-day job is dynamic and constantly changing due to the need, but in a gist I guess I could say handling/monitoring of finances, planning/executing interventions, construction of quarterly reports, constructing professional power point presentations, attending USAID conferences, constructing power point presentations for donors, training peer educators, and managing over 60 peer educators, are everyday roles I have here working for Grassroot Soccer….but that just wouldn’t do it justice….it’s hard to explain GRS if you aren’t actually here.
SB: This past month, Zambia won the Africa Cup of Nations, what was that experience like for you being in Africa while it was going on, and specifically when Zambia won the final?
AB: After they won IT WAS ABSOLUTELY INSANE!!!! Something I have never experienced before in my life! The streets were flooded with green, white, black, and orange colors. Flags were waving, people dancing in the middle of the street, with one of the countless local artists version of the chipolpolo theme song blaring, and some, who drank too much Shake-Shake, were doing push-ups in front of mini-buses! It was quite intimidating, but something great to see…a bit wild…and I’m under exaggerating the chaos going on, just to be civil. At times I was a bit scared driving through the compounds to get home, just because it was complete chaos, but it was riveting,,,I may or may not have opened the sun roof of our car and started blowing on the vuvuzela in my Zambia jersey. J Also it seemed as though no one went to work the next day because everyone was waiting on Great East Road for the champions to return and drive down the streets holding the shiny gold trophy. Myself and two other fellow interns saw the trophy about 5 feet from us (I believe I briefly wrote about that in my blog) Even to this day, people are still proudly wearing their Zambia national jerseys - I actually don’t think I’ve gone a day without seeing one on someone. Kamwala, the local shopping center where you can buy chitenji (2 yard lengths of fabric traditionally used as wrap skirts for women or used to carry babies on their back) were completely sold out of all chitenji with the Zambia flag or Zambia colors….Kamwala is huge so you can image the thousands of chitenji sold in those weeks leading up to the final. On a side note, I saw Christopher Katongo walking around Kamwala a few days after the final, he crossed my path, along with his 20 other admirers.
I feel as though there is no way to totally explain what it was like to watch the games in the local pubs/bars since soccer, excuse me, futbol, is not as big in the States as it is here. It seemed as though those who were watching the games next to us had so much passion and heart for the game, it made any “hardcore” NFL football fan look mediocre to them. Like Denis Liwewe said in our GRS YouTube (who we are, what we do) “Soccer is religion”. By watching the games and experiencing it firsthand here in Lusaka, I can truly understand what he is talking about.
AB: After they won IT WAS ABSOLUTELY INSANE!!!! Something I have never experienced before in my life! The streets were flooded with green, white, black, and orange colors. Flags were waving, people dancing in the middle of the street, with one of the countless local artists version of the chipolpolo theme song blaring, and some, who drank too much Shake-Shake, were doing push-ups in front of mini-buses! It was quite intimidating, but something great to see…a bit wild…and I’m under exaggerating the chaos going on, just to be civil. At times I was a bit scared driving through the compounds to get home, just because it was complete chaos, but it was riveting,,,I may or may not have opened the sun roof of our car and started blowing on the vuvuzela in my Zambia jersey. J Also it seemed as though no one went to work the next day because everyone was waiting on Great East Road for the champions to return and drive down the streets holding the shiny gold trophy. Myself and two other fellow interns saw the trophy about 5 feet from us (I believe I briefly wrote about that in my blog) Even to this day, people are still proudly wearing their Zambia national jerseys - I actually don’t think I’ve gone a day without seeing one on someone. Kamwala, the local shopping center where you can buy chitenji (2 yard lengths of fabric traditionally used as wrap skirts for women or used to carry babies on their back) were completely sold out of all chitenji with the Zambia flag or Zambia colors….Kamwala is huge so you can image the thousands of chitenji sold in those weeks leading up to the final. On a side note, I saw Christopher Katongo walking around Kamwala a few days after the final, he crossed my path, along with his 20 other admirers.
I feel as though there is no way to totally explain what it was like to watch the games in the local pubs/bars since soccer, excuse me, futbol, is not as big in the States as it is here. It seemed as though those who were watching the games next to us had so much passion and heart for the game, it made any “hardcore” NFL football fan look mediocre to them. Like Denis Liwewe said in our GRS YouTube (who we are, what we do) “Soccer is religion”. By watching the games and experiencing it firsthand here in Lusaka, I can truly understand what he is talking about.
SB: After six months in Zambia, could you share the first memorable moment that comes to your mind?
AB: My first memorable moment working here in Zambia came about 4 days after entering Lusaka. It was the first weekend I was here at our EJAF challenge day where a man came up to me asking if we had counselors available because he wanted to know about how to get tested, but “was not ready” to yet. He looked worried, scared, shaken, and a bit confused while talking to me, and went into asking additional questions about how we would help him if he was tested positive because he “didn’t want to die.” I referred him to our counselors for pre/post counseling and other help, and afterwards I couldn’t get his face and presence out of my mind. Where I come from, I barely heard about HIV (I actually learned more about HIV/AIDs in my orientation for GRS than I did prior to coming). I was a bit naïve as to what HIV means to Zambians. For me, HIV isn’t (now wasn’t) a “problem” or something I tend to think about on a daily basis. But here it is. It took that stranger to bring me a reality check and to see how GRS is needed in these communities, especially in the most vulnerable populations where they do not have the correct information or access to VCT (voluntary counseling and testing).
AB: My first memorable moment working here in Zambia came about 4 days after entering Lusaka. It was the first weekend I was here at our EJAF challenge day where a man came up to me asking if we had counselors available because he wanted to know about how to get tested, but “was not ready” to yet. He looked worried, scared, shaken, and a bit confused while talking to me, and went into asking additional questions about how we would help him if he was tested positive because he “didn’t want to die.” I referred him to our counselors for pre/post counseling and other help, and afterwards I couldn’t get his face and presence out of my mind. Where I come from, I barely heard about HIV (I actually learned more about HIV/AIDs in my orientation for GRS than I did prior to coming). I was a bit naïve as to what HIV means to Zambians. For me, HIV isn’t (now wasn’t) a “problem” or something I tend to think about on a daily basis. But here it is. It took that stranger to bring me a reality check and to see how GRS is needed in these communities, especially in the most vulnerable populations where they do not have the correct information or access to VCT (voluntary counseling and testing).
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