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All youths should have the opportunity to kick around a soccer ball – even young girls in India, says Ish Jhaj. Determined to help make that happen, the Simon Fraser University kinesiology student is packing suitcases full of donated jerseys, deflated balls and other equipment and will soon be bound for a village in Punjab.

Jhaj, a B.C. Premier league player and coach for the Royal City Youth Soccer Club, created the Shooting for Hope Society and has raised $3,600 to get things rolling.

“Soccer is my passion,” says Jhaj, “and I believe that all girls should get the chance to play. It’s universal. It makes everyone feel good.”

Jhaj will lead a four-week soccer camp for 25 underprivileged girls between the ages of 10 and 16 in the rural village of Rurka Kalan, the birthplace of her parents. Her mother Rajinder is coming along for support and she has pre-arranged to work with a local group called the Youth Football Club.

“It will be challenging – there’s not even a physical education program in the school, so we’ll have to start with fitness basics,” says Jhaj, who graduates from SFU this spring majoring in kinesiology and is planning a career in orthotics.

“Soccer is what helped me become the person I am today,” says the avid fan, who travelled to South Africa last year for the World Cup, even though it meant returning home with only four hours to spare before the start of her final exams.

“I knew that I always wanted to help people. Soccer showed me the way.”

Jhaj hopes that soccer can be a springboard for girls who are typically held back in society, whether by poverty or culture. “Soccer is a great beginning,” she says. “It’s such a simple game. It can improve health, boost self-esteem and help on many social fronts.

“My hope is to start at the school and eventually develop a league and give this some permanency.”

Her travel plans mean Jhaj will miss her graduation – she returns in late June – but her family will still attend the ceremony to celebrate the milestone with her brother, Tarnvir, an economics student who is also graduating.

While her courses have largely been at SFU’s Burnaby campus Jhaj, who resides in New Westminster, enjoys the change of environment at SFU Surrey where she often studies.

Jhaj’s work ethic is something she has already been passing on to the young charges she coaches twice weekly. “My coaching skills will help me to get the message out, not just about reaching for goals on the field, but pushing yourself in everything you do. That’s my philosophy, I hope the girls will see the point in embracing it too.”

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