Soccer and a Survivor Against Domestic Violence

World Footprints continues its focus on global citizenship and transformational travel that make a difference with today’s show. Fans of the CBS prime-time reality show, Survivor will remember contestant Becky Lee from the 2006 Cook Islands season. She took her prize money and created Becky’s Fund, to raise awareness about domestic violence. Becky will talk about her social mission with the fund, and share some tips for making it on Survivor. Then, on the eve of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, we’ll share how the game of soccer is promoting global citizenship and transforming lives with guest Lawrence Cann, the founder and CEO of Street Soccer USA. You’ll hear how he’s made soccer a force for social change.

Episode Segments:

World Footprints: Survivor's Becky Lee Becky talks to Ian and Tonya about her Survivor experience during the 2006 Cook Island season. She explains the casting process, the risks that the producers took with this particular cast, and marvels at the beauty of the untouched Cook Islands.
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World Footprints: Becky’s Fund In part two, Becky talks about her public speaking against domestic violence, the key points she tries to get across to her audience, some upcoming Becky’s Fund events, and how you can get involved with her work.
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World Footprints: Street Soccer USA Lawrence Cann founder and CEO of Street Soccer USA, tells the story of how he started Street Soccer USA, and how he’s using the sport as a force for social change to eradicate urban homelessness.
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World Footprints: Getting Involved with Street Soccer USA Lawrence tells Ian and Tonya about Street Soccer USA's involvement with Homeless World Cup, and the Football Box initiative. He also tells us how you can get involved with Street Soccer USA and its endeavors.
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Links to Related Websites:

Street Soccer USA Street Soccer USA’s mission is soccer for social change. Through our 18-city league we aim to get homeless men, women, and youth off the streets, “scoring goals on the field, and achieving their goals in life." Street Soccer USA (SSUSA) believes ending homelessness is a team sport.

Becky's Fund Becky's Fund is a national 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization focused on domestic violence awareness and education which was created by Becky Lee in 2006. Located in Washington D.C. in an office donated by the law firm of Wiltshire and Grannis, Becky's Fund began with a small goal to give support to those small domestic violence organizations working to serve battered women in marginalized and immigrant communities.

Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Becky Lee As a young leader and catalyst for change in the fight against domestic violence, Ms. Lee is the force behind Becky's Fund, a cutting-edge source of social change and public service based in Washington, D.C. Ms. Becky Lee received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Women's Studies from the University of Michigan and then continued on to receive her Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Interested in the prevention of domestic violence, Ms. Lee has been working on issues concerning domestic violence survivors over the last twelve years as an advocate, a policy associate and an attorney. She is also passionate about creating awareness on the specific needs of battered immigrant women, such as language access and cultural competency. Additionally, she has worked as a kickboxing instructor for over six years and has focused on helping battered women regain their confidence and self-esteem through her classes. Ms. Lee's brings her expertise of domestic violence not only to her role as Executive Director of Becky's Fund, but also to the individuals and families with whom she works personally. Ms. Lee first became aware of the tragedies of domestic violence during a college lecture delivered by a criminal attorney who specialized in acquitting battered women who were imprisoned for killing their abusers in self defense. The impact of this lecture on Ms. Lee was so significant that she has dedicated her career to addressing the social, cultural and legal barriers that entrap domestic violence victims. Domestic violence currently impacts one in three women in her lifetime and can happen to anyone regardless of age, race, or socioeconomic status. In 2006, Ms. Lee agreed to compete on the acclaimed CBS prime-time television show “Survivor: Cook Islands”. The show's premise was a competition to test the survival skills of 20 people for 39 days on an uninhabited island. Ms. Lee believed that the strength needed to successfully compete had strong parallels with what domestic violence victims need to survive: individual inner strength combined with the ability to adapt to new obstacles. As second runner-up, she used the prize money to start Becky’s Fund. The prevention-based mission of Becky's Fund is to foster awareness of domestic violence, encourage advocacy among peers, promote activism through outreach programs and create support for victims. Domestic Violence can happen to anyone, regardless of age, background, or socioeconomic status. Becky's Fund openly confronts this issue and tackles it by finding ways to help those who are struggling with domestic violence to find safety for themselves and their children. Becky's Fund executes its outreach strategy through national awareness and media campaigns, using radio, print and television public service announcements. The non-profit leverages education, Web 2.0 technology and essential resources to enable critical one-to-one connections between victims and survivors. These crucial resources take aim at the heart of damaging social beliefs that perpetuate a cycle of struggle among so many people in our community. Through its website and programs, Becky's Fund also connects donors with the specific needs of domestic violence victims. Currently, Ms. Lee is speaking on college campuses across the country to educate tens of thousands of students on how to recognize the warning signs of dating violence, how to get help, and how to help a friend in need. Becky's Fund Website

Lawrence Cann Lawrence intended to volunteer for a month at a homeless services center in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2002. He never left, working full time with and delivering front line services to hundreds of homeless youth, men, and women. Over the course of the years Lawrence's programs ( a suite of programs called Community Works 945) helped hundreds of people overcome homelessness and established art, gardening, and sports social enterprises for homeless youth and adults, all of which persist to this day. The Street Soccer USA venture, for which Lawrence is the Founder and CEO, has grown from 1 program in Charlotte, North Carolina to 18 cities across the United States. Under his leadership, the organization has established relationships a variety of companies, foundations, and both national and local social service providers. In addition, Lawrence and Street Soccer USA were featured in the Sundance film documentary film “Kicking It!” directed by Susan Koch, produced by Ted Leonsis, narrated by Colin Farrell, and purchased by ESPN films. In 2009 Lawrence was named a People Magazine, “Hero Among Us,” and a 2010 Hero Among US. He also received the John W. Kuykendall Award for Community Service from Davidson College in 2010. Lawrence is a Ukrop Scholar and Cum Laude graduate of Davidson College where he was also an MVP of the men’s varsity soccer team. Lawrence is an active blogger for the New York Time's Goal Blog, Change.org, and Kenneth Cole's Awearness Blog. His writing about Street Soccer were recently anthologized in The Global Game, Writers on Soccer. Prior to working in homeless services, Lawrence taught in the public high schools in Sapporo, Japan for two years as part of the JET Program. Street Soccer USA Website