From Harlem to the United Nations: the final stop of the #IAmSomebody Tour

The #IAmSomebody Tour ended in New York City, one of the world's most influential stages, with a programme built to carry young people's voices and demands to a global audience.

Starting in Harlem

As with every stop, the programme began at community level, with a football tournament in Harlem alongside Street Soccer NYC and members of the Team USA Girls squad from the Street Child World Cup.

Taking the stage at the UN

At the United Nations, Young Leader Sam Richards spoke at the UN Youth Affairs event "One World, One Game, One Goal", which launched #RealPeopleRealTalk, a global movement amplifying conversations about youth mental health.

Sam joined Daniel Amokachi and Eni Aluko on the Football For The Goals panel and drew on her own lived experience to explore how football can break down stigma, build confidence and support young people's mental wellbeing.

"Standing in the Hall of Flags and the General Assembly wasn't just about me… It was about every young person who's been made to feel invisible. Through football, I found my voice, and here we showed that our voices belong in these spaces." - Sam Richards, Young Leader

Delivering the United Declaration

The UN was also the setting for one of the Tour's most significant advocacy moments. SCU Young Leaders formally presented the United Declaration, created from the voices and demands of 280 street-connected young people from 20 countries at the Street Child World Cup, to Robert Skinner, Chief of Partnerships and Global Engagement at the UN.

Its message is clear: every child has the right to be seen, heard and protected. Handing it over took the demands developed in Mexico City into one of the world's most influential institutions.

Across the city, and on screen

The Tour's message also reached one of New York's best-known landmarks. At 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Bank of America's Street of Dreams commercial, featuring Street Child United, was projected onto the building.

The same commercial was part of Bank of America's World Cup campaign and aired during the latter stages of the FIFA World Cup, up to the Final. It featured SCU branding and the buses from the Street Child World Cup finals in Mexico City, taking the movement to audiences watching the biggest football tournament in the world.

There was one last surprise. Sam and Deyna were given tickets to the FIFA World Cup Final by Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang and Sir David Beckham, an unforgettable end to a month-long journey across North America.

Why it matters

The Tour began with community football and ended at the UN, with the voices of 280 young people carried all the way.