Youth Leadership in Focus: NYCFC’s Coach Chelsea
April 16, 2021
In recognition of our new Beyond Sport Youth Advisory Board, we are taking a month-long focus on exceptional young leaders we’ve come to know over the years. Today we are featuring Chelsea Quito, a 2020 Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award honoree, who spoke to us about her journey with New York City Football Club (NYCFC) and developing key leadership strengths.
Chelsea is a first-generation Ecuadorian American residing in New York's South Bronx, a vibrant and historic community, but one that is afflicted by violence, high poverty, drugs and homelessness. She paved a path forward for herself and her family by joining NYCFC and quickly became a member of the Foundation’s Youth Leadership and Enterprise Program where she works on the 'Soccer Bloc' social program. She believes that her key strengths as a leader are her communication skills and a passion for the community work that she does.
In the Bronx, Chelsea focuses on creating a safe space for children and teenagers to play soccer and learn about the social issues that are prevalent in New York. “This safe space is an opportunity for them to learn about different social issues that they themselves may encounter. For example, mental health awareness, healthy living and social inclusion. I educate them with the help of other young coaches throughout NYC on the pitch, while working on their technical skills.”
As a key facilitator for the Youth Leadership Council, she leads programming, professional development and oversees volunteering for high school youth. She also collaborated with Young Leaders to create a podcast studio in the Bronx and has led training for 40 youth leaders.
Through her years of using soccer to uplift her local community with NYCFC, she has become a strong leader known for bringing people together. For her achievements, she won a 2020 Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award - part of ESPN's prestigious Sports Humanitarian Awards - receiving a one-time college scholarship and recognition alongside several other honorees.
Winning the award empowered her in ways she had never thought possible. “It opened so many doors to learn about how to improve my leadership skills simply by meeting the other recipients and being inspired by them and the work they do. I have also learned about so many inspiring non-profits that are doing incredible work globally. Winning this award has allowed me to see how much of an impact I have made in my community but that this is just the beginning, and I am extremely excited to see where the future takes me.”
Chelsea believes that failure is an integral part of being a leader and is key to her approach to success as a coach and mentor. “If there is one thing I learned throughout this experience is to take risks and be open to failure because just like opportunities open doors for you, so does failure. Without failure, we don't learn and without learning, we don't move forward. I used to fear rejection and failure. It would stop me from trying. Now I know that if I am passionate about something, even failing will teach me something.”
Through her social change work, she wants to bring creative and innovative ideas for future projects to the sector. “I believe I can provide older people with insight and advice based on my experience in community involvement and what I saw in those experiences and what they have taught me and how I can apply what I've learned to new challenges.”
In response to the impact COVID-19 has had on youth in her community, among her many other activities Chelsea is helping to design a virtual summer program for New York City youth. And she also takes great pride in her roots. Last December, she went home to Ecuador for the Christmas holidays where she had the privilege to host a soccer tournament for 24 children in a small town orphanage in the mountains of Azogues.
“This specific orphanage holds a special place in my family's heart because I had three cousins who to them this was home for most of their life. With the help and donations of New York City Football Club, my family and family friends were able to gift them goodies. We rented out an ice cream truck and bought food to supply them for two weeks.”
After a surprise visit from Spiderman, played by Chelsea’s brother, and an Ecuadorian meal prepared by her mother, the children took part in a soccer tournament at the end of the day. “I am so grateful to have shared my time with these kids. They have very little, but they make the most with what they have in life and they are so happy with it. I can't wait to go back to Ecuador and visit them!”
For Chelsea, soccer and sport overall is an opportunity to develop skills and learn important life-skills that will go beyond knowing how to kick a ball. She finished our conversation with this insightful message:
“Sport to me is the link between you falling in love with the game and potentially finding your purpose in life. Sport, in particular soccer, has allowed me to fall in love with helping others and being part of a team. Soccer has allowed me to find my purpose at this point in my life which is to be a community coach and with that, I want to help others find their purpose and find happiness through the sport. Happiness can bring a whole perspective these kids didn't know they had.”