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NEW YORK, NEW YORK—On Friday, July 17, 2026, ahead of the final match of the World Cup, several Girl Delegates and Girl Delegate alumni of the GOA’s UN Girl Delegate Program participated in a day-long showcase event at the UN, organized to foster global community and promoted mental health well-being through football. The Girl Delegates were joined by Niki Devaris-Morgulis, Girl Delegate Program Director, and Jack Rice, Summer Intern at the Ecumenical Department, throughout the day’s events.
The showcase, One World, One Game, One Goal: Football as a Catalyst for Youth Mental Health and Well-Being, featured UN Member States Friends of Football and brought together young leaders, changemakers, policymakers, UN entities, governments, civil society, private sector partners, athletes, and advocates. One World, One Game, One Goal is part of the United Nations Youth Office’s flagship initiative on Youth Mental Health and Well-Being, which seeks to advance an important shift from fragmented, individual approaches to a holistic ecosystem model around issues of youth mental health and well-being. The United Nations and its partners recognize mental health is shaped not only by healthcare systems, but also by environments, education, community, digital spaces, and opportunities for connection. This initiative brings those elements together through the power of football.
As the world’s most popular sport, football provides a universal platform to build social connections, strengthen emotional resilience, and promote inclusion, dignity and collective well-being. Under the banner One World, One Game, One Goal, football becomes a tool for advocacy, action, and systems change, on a truly global stages like the United Nations and the World Cup.
Numerous United Nations partners such as the FIBA Foundation with World YMCA and YMCA Greater New York, Mount Sinai, the Special Olympics, and others hosted spotlight sessions showcasing real-world solutions at the intersection of sports and youth mental health. Additionally, mental health and well-being workshops examined how sports can play a meaningful impact on youth mental health. For instance, one workshop by Design FC had participants combine sport jersey design and personal storytelling to explore their interests and passions.
There several other opportunities where GOA Girl Delegates learned about the positive impact of sports in fostering leaders, supporting mental health, and furthering public advocacy.
By participating in One World, One Game, One Goal, GOA Girl Delegates were able to appreciate the universal value of football to the social and cultural experiences of people from across the globe and engage with youth leaders in understanding how sports can support human flourishing.
The GOA Girl Delegate Program to the UN is a made possible through the support of the Archbishop Iakovos L100 Endowment Fund and the National Ladies Philoptochos Society.
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