Sunday March 24, 2024
By Brian Arola
Soccer is the draw, but health education is the focus of a fitness program for Somali men in the Mankato area.
The Somali Mankato Fitness Program, a partnership between WellShare International and Ignite Fitness Center in North Mankato, launched in 2023 in response to social isolation among immigrant youth.
Organizers knew young people would show up for the chance to play indoor soccer, but they wanted it to be about more than that.
“Soccer brings people together,” said organizer Mohamed Ibrahim. “When they come together, you can add other services they need.”
Ibrahim, WellShare’s program manager in Mankato, used his connections in the community to get started. A doctor in Somalia, he has experience as a local community health worker and imam in Mankato.
Dr. Abdifatah Ahmed, a resident in Mayo Clinic Health System’s Family Medicine Residency program at Eastridge Clinic, attended the program and was invited to volunteer. Other local doctors occasionally joined in playing soccer with participants, while WellShare community health workers lead presentations on health topics before or after the recreation.
Topics include the importance of vaccinations, establishing a primary doctor, seeking preventive screenings and awareness of substance use and mental health issues. Most participants are between ages 18-29, so the topics are geared toward their demographic and designed to be culturally specific, Ibrahim said.
One week, for example, they shared information on Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori. The bacteria causes stomach infections and is common in East African populations, Ibrahim said.
As much as the program is about being a bridge between the medical and young immigrant community, the organizers and volunteers also see it as a way to connect young people to role models. Mentors come from medical, religious, coaching and other professional backgrounds, and they encourage participants to continue their education.
“I’d rather they be here than being out on the streets,” Ahmed said. “Soccer brings them out.”
Education carries more weight when the information is coming from respected members of the community.
“When they see me here and they see the imam from the mosque, they listen and hear things about how to improve their health,” he said.
At March 1’s session — the program is every Friday and Saturday evening — longtime soccer coach Noor Hassan and engineer Hassan Adan joined Ahmed and Ibrahim as mentors. Dozens of young adults turned up, dividing into teams to start the evening.
Despite its name, the program is open to and welcomes other immigrant groups from Kenya, Sudan and other countries.
The program has guys looking forward to their Friday and Saturday evenings, said Kayse Farah, a regular participant. He appreciates how it provides a space to come together, chat and stay active.
“It’s very important for the community to have a spot where we can all come together and enjoy physical fitness, soccer and just come together and connect with people you haven’t seen in a while,” he said. “Overall it’s good for physical and mental well-being.”
The local program is serving as a pilot for how to combine physical activity and health education, said Evan Curtin, regional director of WellShare International. He and Ibrahim credited Ignite Fitness Center founder Jason Tompkins with offering up the space for the evening sessions — Ignite is at 1960 Commerce Drive.
Ibrahim sees the program’s success as a sign of the need for expanded services. He hopes to add similar programming for women and other demographics in time.
“We can’t host all the people now, but we hope we’ll have a center that we can use and all different community members can come,” Ibrahim said.
Ahmed plans to work on establishing a community center to house more programmng in the next two to three years. In the nearer term, he hopes a vaccination and health screening clinic will be part of an upcoming session.