San Diego County is one of the top destinations for refugees in the United States. According to the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, every year the region welcomes an average of 3,500 people who've been forced to leave their home countries for a variety of reasons.
The transition can be difficult, especially for refugee youth. But since 2009, a local organization has been making that transition a little smoother, by using a game most of the world's children are familiar with - soccer.
The group is called Yalla, which means "let's go" in Arabic.
Since Mark Kabban founded the group, Yalla has served 1,000 refugee and immigrant youth. The program incorporates soccer and after-school educational programs to help refugee youth build their lives in San Diego. It offers tutoring, literacy courses and college preparatory courses along with mentors.
Kabban, who immigrated to San Diego from Lebanon when he was 9 years old, said the goal it to create a "college hub" in East County.
"It's a personal thing for me," Kabban told KPBS Midday Edition on Wednesday.
Kabban said he noticed many refugee children don't go outside to play because they don't know where to go.
"They were trapped in their apartments all day," Kabban said. "I knew that soccer was the way to motivate them.
This week the nonprofit is teaming up with U.S. soccer star Landon Donovan, professional soccer players Brian Ching and Stuart Holden, who started their own youth soccer program. Together they're hosting a soccer camp Thursday for refugee youth in El Cajon.
