Chairman's Message: Two Years of Habesha Youth Club

ሁላችሁም እንዴት ናችሁ?

I hope you’re having a wonderful time!!

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, parents, community members, and most importantly, our incredible youth:

Good afternoon, and welcome to the 2nd Anniversary Celebration of Habesha Youth Club, HYC!

My name is Zewdu Alem, and I’m the chairman of Habesha Youth Club.

Two years ago, the HYC was founded with a simple but powerful mission: to cultivate fraternity and pride among the Habesha youth while keeping them connected to their heritage and culture through the beautiful game of soccer.

What began as an idea has now become a living community.

Over the past two years, we have watched young people grow not only in skill, but in character. We have seen children improve their athletic abilities, strengthen their ball-handling skills, and develop discipline and teamwork. But beyond sports, we have seen something even more meaningful: friendships formed, confidence built, and a community becoming closer and stronger, together!

We have witnessed children who may have once felt disconnected now proudly embracing their heritage, learning the value of community, and building lifelong bonds with one another.

Parents have connected with other parents over ቡና, following the completion of our regular Saturday practice. Families have become friends. Our youth have discovered that they belong to something larger than themselves. That is the true success of Habesha Youth Club.

In today’s world, where many young people struggle with identity, isolation, and lack of positive community engagement, organizations like HYC are more important than ever. We are creating a safe and encouraging environment where our youth can grow physically, emotionally, socially, and culturally.

Kids, I would like to share with you a simple proverb from Ethiopia that goes by:

The river that forgets its source will dry up.

Just as a river hinges on its fountainhead, individuals lose their essence and vitality if they disconnect from their heritage and community.

Never apologize for being different. Your culture is a beautiful thread in the fabric of this society, and exceptional country called the United States of America. We are immensely grateful to our adopted home, which has provided us with infinite opportunities to explore and succeed in life. But we also believe our addition, with our incredible tradition, work-ethic, and a deep sense of law-abiding character, continues to make the United States even more prosperous.

Every language you speak (Amharegna, Tigrigna, Oromoffia, and other beautiful Habesha languages), every recipe you know (in full disclosure, I love Doro Wot), and every tradition you carry is a gift passed down to you from those who crossed oceans, your parents, so you could reach for the stars!

Wear your Netela proudly and let it inspire you to do great things.

Dear Children,

I know sometimes we, as new immigrant parents, fall short. We may not adapt to the new culture fast enough to give you all the support and understanding you deserve. We carry our own weight: the challenge of learning a new language, translating complex systems for our families and working tirelessly so you have opportunities we never had.

Our lives have always been a two-way traffic: as we lovingly seek to share our wisdom and love to you, be it intentional or otherwise, we daily learn from you as well. Where is Lucas!? My Son. Lucas is my pronunciation teacher at home. But I must admit though despite his consistent effort, I still couldn’t figure out how to say the state: Connecticut. Lucas, did I get it right at least this time? I hope I didn’t embarrass you! If I did, it was not your fault!

You see I was born and raised in a small town in Ethiopia where I had to wait until the age of seven or so to get my first pair of shoes, neither did I get the privilege of having access to a TV until 10th grade.

I know my story is not unique nor my journey, and most of your parents must have similar stories. A story of courage and grit: we left the familiar behind, crossing borders and oceans to build a better future for you, our beautiful children.

As we look toward the future, our vision continues to evolve and grow. In addition to youth sports and cultural engagement, we aspire to expand into educational initiatives and broader community support programs. We hope to create opportunities that help our youth succeed academically, strengthen mentorship and leadership development, and provide meaningful support to families and the community as a whole.

Tonight, I am also proud to announce the inauguration of our official website, habeshayouthclub.org, which will help us better connect with our community, share updates and programs, and continue expanding the reach and impact of Habesha Youth Club. Let’s give a round of applause to Getch for developing such a crispy website, I might add for FREE! Getch was also our liaison for coordinating this awesome celebration!! Thank you Getch!!

I also wanted to take a moment to thank all the Dads for their generosity, support, and volunteerism in organizing this year’s anniversary!! Let’s give a big shoutout to our amazing head chefs, Alex and Zeray, and their incredible team!!

As I conclude, I would like to recognize and re-introduce other members of the leadership team of the HYC, who tirelessly work behind the scene running such a fantastic community soccer program.

Please rise as I call your name for recognition:

• Ms. Mekedes Beyene, our Secretary
• Ms. Woineshet Aymeku, our Treasurer
• Mr. Amare Yihun, Board Member
• Mr. Amsalu Birhan, Board Member
• Mr. Zelalem Amlak Bihonegn, Board Member

Besides their incredible leadership in our team, the last three brothers (Amare, Amsalu, and Zelalem) have been so dedicated to our program by serving as parent assistant coaches. Without their continued support and commitment, we wouldn’t have made it this far. Thank you very much dear brothers.

በድጋሚ ስለመጣችሁ ሁላችሁንም አመሰግናለሁ!

And please continue enjoying the party!!