Outcasts United Research Paper

It didn’t help that his brother got much more attention than him from his parents because of his aspiring football career. Paul’s only outlet was soccer, especially after being given the second chance to switch from Lake Windsor Middle School to Tangerine Middle, where he could learn how to play soccer with the real players and form friendships that would become almost like a family. Through the choices of himself and others in the novel Tangerine by Edward Bloor, Paul’s self-concept and friends and family relationships are affected positively and negatively.

In Warren St. John’s Outcasts United, the citizens of Clarkston, Georgia had a fantasy of living in the ideal American town. However, that fantasy stood no chance when faced with the harsh reality of life. When a myriad of refugees from war-torn countries were placed in Clarkston, the townspeople saw their fantasy begin to slip away. Clarkston’s residents disliked the influx of refugees because they feared the thought of losing their ideal American town. The citizens were too selfish to live in such a state of liminality as depicted by St. John. Rather than helping their neighbors, the “old” Clarkston residents maintained their ideology by isolating the refugees and making it nearly impossible for the refugees to survive or have a desirable life in Clarkston. The Clarkston residents were driven by fear of the unknown and were reluctant to accept the refugees. Luma started a youth soccer program, which was aimed toward the refugee children to help the younger generation of refugees fit into the American society and lessen the tensions between the Clarkston residents and the refugees that was evident in her generation of refugees. The Clarkston residents had to accept and become a part of the inevitable change in their community.

Outcasts United by Warren St. John is a wonderful book about a community of refugees who live in Clarkston, Georgia and their struggles to adapt with foreign environment of the United States. The book tells the stories of refugees that come from different background and countries in which they are connected together by an American- educated Jordanian woman called Luma Mufleh. Despite their difficulties in establishing new identity, they found their passion in soccer and with Luma Mufleh as their coach they create a soccer team called Fugees. In the early chapters of the book, it illustrates the difficulties to make a group of kids from different background unite and work together

Soccer requires combined efforts of communication and team work to achieve a common goal. In many aspects of life this structure applies. Using strategy and tactic can lead to new opportunities, whether is an open gap for a pass or a job promotion at work. Soccer is now the seemingly more logical choice when analyzing its similarities to

“Home is a notion that only nations of the homeless fully appreciate and only the uprooted comprehend.” ― Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose. Outcasts United, by Warren St. John, follows the stories of war-torn refugees that found themselves in the small town community of Clarkston. Tensions were high as the wave of new culture clashed with the status quo of “Old Clarkston” residents. However, in light of the unstable situation, a group of young boys were able to find their home on the soccer field. The human need for belonging is explored in this book. However, refugees have an extremely difficult journey to acceptance due to the isolating tendencies that resettlement can cause.

In a small town outside of metro Atlanta, each year, at least 1,500 refugees settle in the city of Clarkston to start a new beginning at life. Refugees from Bhutan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Liberia, and Vietnam come in waves from every corner of the globe. Lately there has been an increasingly number of refugees from the Congo, due to the civil war that has been ongoing for many years. Currently, there is a population of 13,000 individuals who have made Clarkston their home away from home. We ask, what brings the refugees to this little city? Many wonder how this has happened, how Clarkston has developed its own little cultural sense of identity? Refugees started settling in Clarkston back in the early 1990's, and it's been the resettlement hub ever since. The reason so many refugees settled in Clarkston, Georgia is due to the low- income based apartments, easy access to public transit and it’s near the interstate, which can take you to any part of Atlanta.

‘Outcast United’ is a book by Warren St John based on the incredible tale of a refugee soccer team and how a small town in America transformed to find unity in diversity. The book ‘Outcasts United’ expounds the story of the challenges and triumphs of a group of refugee players, the strength and determination of an exceptional woman who coaches them, and their neighbourhood. Clarkston, Georgia was an ordinary town in the south until the government designated it as a refugee settlement centre in the early 1990s. as a result, the town became the first American neighbourhood for hundred of refugees fleeing the war-torn zones such as Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Liberia, and others. In the long run, Clarkston was filled with a higher number of different cultural groups, replacing its previous homogenous community. Unlike in the past, now there were women wearing hijabs, scents of curry and cumin, and children of different colours playing on any open space in the town. At that time, Luma Mufleh, an American-schooled woman of Jordanian descent also resided in Clarkston, Georgia. It is Luma Mufleh’s right actions that resulted in the foundation of a refugee soccer team, with the objective of establishing unity among different culture groups, and to keep children off the streets (Outcasts United, 2009). In the story, so many problems occurred for refugees in their new community, but my main focus in this essay will be how to use specific tools to reduce the

Though they begin as scared kids and wish to be invisible, the characters in “Refugee” must become more mature to protect their families by Stepping up when times are hard and difficult to accomplish what they needed to accomplish

The novel: Outcasts United by Warren St. John tells of the story of unlikely people (refugees) who come to Clarkston, Georgia to escape their own past, one woman’s quest to make a difference, and the importance of teamwork. There were several lessons to be learned from reading Outcasts United, but the most prominent lesson throughout the story was respecting diversity. Diversity plays a major role in one’s life, no matter what time, or where. Because no matter what ethnicity, one can learn from one another through kindness and respect.

Since Sam was a little girl, she had a passion for soccer and dreamed of becoming a professional one day. For Samantha, Saturday was not just a regular day, it was game day and Sam was so excited, as usual. She jumped out of her car and ran on to the field as she would usually do. She talked with her friends, warmed up, and was preparing herself for the game. Little did she know, this game was going to be much different than any other

In “Outcasts United” written by Warren St. John we learn about the lives of multiple young children along with their families coming from broken homes that seek a better living, they are refugee. Throughout the book, the lives of the kids are described on how they learn to adapt to this new life. Luma Mufleh is introduced in the beginning. She is the creator of the “Fugees” a soccer team she started in order to give these boys a way to escape from their past. While learning the way these kids live their life, the theme that is portrayed to us would be teamwork.

Many people are from war stricken areas overseas looking for refuge in the United States. In numerous ways the reader can see a cultural difference in the way that Americans feel about the way that folks from overseas fit in here in the United States. Luma’s friends were afraid because, “a Muslin women from Jordan wouldn’t fit in Down in Dixie” (24). This shows the reader how a large amount of people may view those from across the sea. In a different instance, the author switches to a different family and the reader sees more insight on how the world is disconcerting those trying to start a new life. Just as Beatrice, a newly single mother of three sons, is walking home from work, “A man was following her…she felt the man’s hand on her arm…Beatrice let go of the bag…and she took off running herself in the opposite direction” (31). The reader also sees an instance of police brutality towards a Nigerian immigrant. All of these instances show the trouble that those from overseas may be experiencing. Now as the book goes on the reader gets a sense of the community around those and how those first settled

Outcasts United by Warren St. John is a non-fiction book about the accumulation of refugees in Clarkston, Georgia due to the resettlement process of the International Rescue Committee. The sudden increase of refugees created a conflict for both the people in Clarkston and the new immigrants. The novel follows the refugees as they, and Coach Luma Mufleh, form the Fugees, a soccer team that they use to figure out and adapt to their new lives. These refugees came into the United States with the hope of a better and safer life, but many struggled with trying to adapt their new lives in Clarkston while still trying to hold onto the memories of their past.

Today we watch the world rage in war, bathe in chaos, and live in destruction. Where there is war families are being torn apart. Children watch family members be killed in front of them and many homes are destroyed. They are forced to leave their country and seek refuge in a neighboring one. In the book Outcasts United, the main conflict is how refugees are readjusting to life and how they are treated. Many characters have waited years to get into the u.s.This has made me realize that the way we deal with refugees is a big problem today. The camps they are put in are unsanitary. It takes years for background checks. And even after they get an okay to come here, they still struggle. Money can only go so far. I believe it is time to help them. Refugees are people and need to have another chance at life.

Working with the homeless helped the volunteers gain an understanding and awareness of the issues that the homeless face, fostered self reflection on what is important in life, became more at ease in interacting with the homeless they encountered outside of Street Soccer USA, and also formed friendships with the homeless. Some of the volunteers became motivated to work for other sport-for-development programs or programs involving social justice. The authors learned that “A key ingredient to establishing both these bonding and bridging relationships is that the volunteers actively played the game with the homeless players in practices and matches, instead of standing on the sidelines in a typical coaching role. As well, volunteers engaged in numerous social activities with the homeless players, such as having cookouts together, going to cultural events, and simply talking and sharing before and after