Street Child United Announces #IAmSomebody Tour with Bank of America

Delivered in partnership with Bank of America, the Official Bank of FIFA World Cup 2026™, the tour will build on the Street Child World Cup Mexico City 2026 that took place 5-15 May, where 28 teams of street-connected young people from around the world came together to play football, share their experiences, and develop advocacy demands for governments, institutions, and the global media.

Hosted by Street Child United every four years to coincide with the FIFA World Cup, the Street Child World Cup uses the power of soccer to give street-connected young people – of which there are estimated to be 150 million globally living with the often hidden and under-reported reality of housing insecurity or homelessness – a platform to speak directly to those in power and turn visibility into commitments that drive lasting change.

John Wroe, CEO of Street Child United, said: "We know that the work to improve the lives of street-connected young people cannot end when the final whistle blows at the Street Child World Cup. The young people who came together in Mexico City developed clear demands for the changes they want to see in their communities and around the world, and the #IAmSomebody Tour is devoted to taking those demands further."

The collaboration with Bank of America builds on the bank's support of the Street Child World Cup and its belief in soccer as a powerful connector – brought to life through its Sports with Us platform and initiatives including Street Soccer and Soccer at Schools – a partnership among BofA and U.S. Soccer Federation's Soccer Forward Foundation to create access and opportunity through sports. Soccer Forward provided coaching education at the Tacoma stop and will provide support at additional tour stops.

The partnership will help drive the tour forward and extend the tournament's impact beyond Mexico City, reinforcing a shared commitment to expanding youth access and development, driving community impact, and creating positive social change.

David Tyrie, President, Marketing, Digital and Specialized Consumer Client Solutions, Bank of America, said: "We have seen firsthand the power of soccer in bringing together communities and creating lasting impact. Street Child United is harnessing the power of the world's biggest sporting event to help drive change for millions of street-connected young people around the globe."

The #IAmSomebody Tour began on 19 June, where Street Child United and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians co-hosted an Indigenous Youth Soccer Tournament at the Puyallup Tribal Fan Zone in Tacoma. The event brought together 80 Indigenous young people from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with 8 teams taking part across 3 days of football, culture, and advocacy. Matches were also held at the recently opened Bank of America Fields at the Visa Street Soccer Park in Tacoma. Programming included opening and closing ceremonies, a youth assembly featuring guest speakers, and a Soccer Forward-led coaching workshop designed to equip coaches with practical tools, resources, and approaches to support holistic youth development both on and off the field.

Following Tacoma, the #IAmSomebody Tour will continue in Miami, where SCU Young Leaders are expected to take part in a roundtable with Sir David Beckham.

Then, in Toronto from 5–8 July, SCU Young Leaders will speak as part of a town hall and participate in a Street Soccer match with Team Canada.

The Washington, D.C. stop from 9–12 July is set to include a local community soccer activation and an event with the British Embassy.

In New York in mid-July, the tour will include a local community soccer activation on the Bank of America Fields at the Visa Street Soccer Park in Manhattan featuring Street Soccer NYC and the Street Child World Cup girls' team.

The #IAmSomebody Tour will culminate at the United Nations, where SCU Young Leaders will present the Street Child World Cup Charter of Demands – a youth-led call for action on the rights of street-connected young people, developed by participants during the Street Child World Cup in Mexico City. The charter sets out the changes young people want to see from their governments, institutions, and wider society, and declares to the world: "I Am Somebody."

Wroe added: "During the FIFA World Cup, when the world's attention is on football, we have a powerful opportunity to make sure street-connected young people are seen, heard, and taken seriously by those in power. We are hugely grateful for Bank of America's support, which is helping us bring our Young Leaders to communities and decision-makers across North America, extend the legacy of the Street Child World Cup, and continue our work to transform the way the world sees and treats street-connected young people."

Street Child United

Street Child United is a youth-led global movement using the power of sport to transform how the world sees and treats street-connected young people. We bring young people face-to-face with governments and institutions so their lived experiences can shape laws, policies, and public attitudes. In doing so, we enable young people to challenge and change the systems that marginalise them.

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving nearly 70 million clients with approximately 3,500 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 59 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. As the #1 small business lender in the United States (FDIC), Bank of America offers industry leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Reporters may contact

Andy Aldridge, Bank of America
Phone: 1.980.387.0514
[email protected]

Tim Hurkmans, Bank of America
Phone: 1.929.656.1718
[email protected]

SOURCE Bank of America Corporation