Devlin Murphy and Jackson Scoll have played soccer since childhood. Devlin still plays forward for St. John’s Prep and his club team, and he recently had the chance to watch in person two FIFA World Cup matches in Boston. He and Jackson both volunteer at TOPsoccer (The Outreach Program For Soccer) where they coach young athletes with physical or intellectual disabilities.
So when Devlin and Jackson traveled to Honduras with School the World this summer, it did not take long for soccer to become one of the ways they connected with the community.
“None of us really knew each other that well, but we found ourselves instantly playing big soccer games with the kids,” Jackson said. The games quickly became one of the highlights of their time at the school in El Tamarindo, Honduras, giving the World Changers a way to interact with the children across a common interest.
But as they spent more time on the field, both noticed something that was difficult to ignore.
There was no net for the goal.
For the children, this meant that every shot could send the ball flying far beyond the field. Devlin remembers one particular shot that went into the goal and over a nearby house. “The kids had to go jump around and climb,” he recalled.
Instead of simply retrieving the ball and moving on, the moment made Devlin think about how different the experience was from the soccer fields he was accustomed to at home. He started wondering if there was something the group could do. The answer was simple: They could buy a soccer net. “We were trying to figure out what we could do to help give back just a little more,” Devlin said.
Devlin brought the idea to the other students on the trip through their group chat. The response was immediate, and everyone was willing to contribute.
The students had already spent months fundraising to participate in the Service Learning trip to fund the construction of the classroom they were completing, as well as their travel expenses. They had also arrived with school supplies and other materials to support the community. But the idea of doing something additional, together, for the children they had gotten to know was one everyone could get behind.
Each student contributed $15 toward the purchase of the net. For Jackson, the project was especially meaningful because of how central soccer was to the community. “It just felt kind of like all the more complete,” Jackson said. “We really made a difference. We of course did the classroom, but then it’s also like soccer is such a big part of their culture that it’s something that was so available for us to do [that] made such a difference for them.”
And the result would belong not just to the children at the school, but to the wider community that used the field.
One of the things that stood out to both students was how naturally soccer brought everyone together. The American World Changers and Honduran students did not need to know each other’s language perfectly to play on the same team. They could pass, shoot, celebrate and laugh together.
Devlin noticed another quality in the way the children played. He was struck by how often they made the selfless play. Rather than always trying to score themselves, the children would pass to their teammates and celebrate together when someone else scored. He remembers one game when he passed the ball to a student who missed the shot, but another child scored. The entire team immediately ran over to celebrate with him.
For Devlin, those moments captured what makes soccer so powerful. It is not just about scoring, it is about being part of a team.
The experience also changed the way Devlin looked at his own soccer life at home. He is accustomed to having access to fields, goals and equipment whenever he wants to play. After returning from Honduras, he found himself thinking about just how easy it is for him to take those things for granted.
“I go to the field all the time, and I realized recently how much I take the goals I have for granted,” he said. He gave the example of waking up early one morning and going to his local soccer field with a friend for an hour and a half. “Not once did after I score I have to run back another 45 yards to get my shot.” It was a small difference, but one that stayed with him.
Both Devlin and Jackson arrived in Honduras with a strong connection to service. Devlin was returning to School the World after a previous trip to Guatemala, while Jackson had been looking for an opportunity to combine his interest in service with his love of working with children.
But the soccer net showed them what can happen when service becomes personal. They weren’t simply completing a service project that had been assigned to them. They noticed something, they cared about it, they talked to their peers, and they found a way to make it better.
The students did not just leave behind a piece of equipment. They left behind something that can continue to bring children and community members together through a game they love.
For Devlin and Jackson, the experience was a reminder that service can begin with something as simple as paying attention. A soccer ball went over a goal, the children had to chase it, and two student travelers decided they could help.
To become a World Changer, see our 2027 Service Learning Trip schedule.
