Life & Work with Mariya Goodbrake of Historic Northeast

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariya Goodbrake.

Hi Mariya, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am originally from Afghanistan. My family fled Afghanistan as war ravaged during the Soviet invasion. We fled to Iran as refugees and began a journey of displacement. Our family moved from Iran to India as we had to immerse ourselves in a new culture and language again. My father went from working in the government in Afghanistan to selling things on the street to provide for his wife and four daughters. We finally secured asylum in Toronto, Canada, from India. Once again, our family had to enter and learn to navigate a new culture, language, and values. We struggled to adapt to the Western way of life while trying to preserve our Muslim cultural identity. As a young girl, I recall the many economic and social obstacles and deep-rooted identity struggles as I desperately tried to belong. This battle for identity and belonging would follow me into adulthood and impact many aspects of my life and worldview.

At twenty-five, I began my new path by moving to Mexico alone. I encountered a mission organization there and began serving at a medical clinic in a small Mayan village called Valladolid. In 2013, I relocated to Kansas City, MO, and encountered the refugee population in the Historic Northeast community. I founded Global FC (Global Futbol Community) as simply a community development project at a time when the issue of refugee resettlement was coming to the forefront of public policy debates in our country and around the world. Global FC was launched in Kansas City to help address this issue by bringing together diverse cultures to form just communities where all are free to be fully known and loved in pursuit of their God-given purpose and potential. At a deeper level, the vision for Global FC was motivated by the experience of my family’s struggle to adapt to a country and culture, not our own. I recall my family’s journey from war-torn Afghanistan, displaced in Iran, then India, and finally, to secure a better future in Canada through the resettlement system. Caught up in the web of conflicting cultures, beliefs, and expectations between my Afghan Muslim heritage and the West, my sense of identity and belonging faced challenges to adapt.

In 2014, I visited Jordan to connect with Syrian refugees displaced in the border town of Al Mafraq outside the Zaatari refugee camp. The experience opened my eyes to the devastation of war on children, who make up more than half of the globally displaced population. I was also able to witness how the sport of soccer was used as a tool in the refugee camp to promote healing and to provide children with a sense of normalcy. I returned to Kansas City with the desire to identify what refugee youth in the community longed for, being reminded of those very same needs as a child struggling to navigate a new host culture.

Beyond access to extracurricular activities, academic support, family support, and other needs, the youth desired a sense of belonging at the root level. This unconscious quest for identity and belonging for so many resettled children drove the Global FC vision. Global FC is now one of the most diverse organizations in the state, serving youth from 29 different nations. Global FC is now the state’s largest and most comprehensive refugee and immigrant youth organization. We uplift youth to realize their most incredible power and potential, using soccer, education, and mentoring to support them in becoming thriving members of society.

My Bio:
Mariya Dostzadah Goodbrake is the founder and director of Global FC, a non-profit organization based in Kansas City that supports refugee youth and families with the tools to overcome obstacles to success through the vehicle of soccer. Previously, she worked with International Medical Assistance in Mexico, coordinating medical projects to advance health care for the economically deprived Maya populations in the Yucatan Peninsula. Mariya is originally from Afghanistan. Her family fled that country during the Soviet invasion and embarked on a journey to Iran and India before immigrating to Canada with her family. She relocated to the United States in 2013. Mariya is also a Cultural Diversity Professional (CDP), active public speaker, intercultural trainer, researcher, and training curriculum developer. Mariya has extensive experience in youth and sports development, diaspora community, religious freedom, refugee resettlement, and cross-cultural training. Within the United States, her research and programming focus on immigrant and refugee youth’s educational and socialization experiences. In 2014, she began a community development project using soccer as a tool to support refugee youth. The project further developed her interest in refugee and immigrant populations, which became the basis for forming the non-profit organization Global FC, which serves underserved youth from over twenty-nine nations through its sports, education, and mentoring services.”

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My greatest struggles have been to truly find a sense of identity and belonging due to my displacement story and having to adapt to so many different cultural contexts. The road has had many challenges and opportunities for healing and growth. I was always caught in the web of conflicting values and beliefs between my Western and Eastern identities.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the founder and Executive Director of the non-profit organization Global FC. I am a Cultural Diversity Professional (CDP), active public speaker, intercultural trainer, researcher, and training curriculum developer. I have extensive experience in youth and sports development, diaspora community, religious freedom, refugee resettlement, and cross-cultural training. My research and programming focus on immigrant and refugee youth’s educational and socialization experiences within the United States. I also have produced award-winning short films focused on advocacy and human rights.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I have diversified my networks, meaning I intentionally engage and collaborate with different industries, such as the sports world, advocacy, media, business, etc. Even though I am in non-profit work, engaging with many other stakeholders allows me to learn, grow, and expand the reach of my mission and passion. Find a mentor who tells you the direction but not what to look at.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.globalfutbol.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/globalfc_kc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopeinplay
• Linkedin: Mariya Dostzadah Goodbrake