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Youth sports help children learn and grow—socially, emotionally, and physically. Given the importance of caring adults in children’s lives and high rates of childhood obesity, youth sports programs are a particularly rich resource to support kids’ healthy development. Participating in sports helps kids build their confidence and skills, and ultimately improves their prospects in school and in life.
Using the learning and fun of sports to help address some of the most serious challenges faced by young people in low-income communities, Team-Up for Youth focuses on leveling the playing field for all kids. Through grantmaking, training, and policy advocacy, Team-Up is breaking down barriers for thousands of low-income youth in the Bay Area so that all children have access to transformative sports opportunities.
Girls often face additional challenges getting in the game. With fewer programs, less funding and lack of awareness about the benefits of girls’ participation in sports, girls in urban areas make up less than a quarter of youth sports participants. Recognizing the need to ensure that all girls get access to sports and coaches who make a difference in their lives, Team-Up for Youth created a special initiative, Team-Up for Girls, in 2002. In April 2009, Team-Up for Girls won the Ashoka/Nike Changemakers competition for “Change the Game for Women in Sports.”
Launched with support from the Haas, Jr. Fund, Team-Up for Youth has increased sports opportunities for girls; reached ethnic and immigrant communities; educated policymakers about the benefits of youth sports; and trained coaches and program directors to provide high-quality programs. Since 1999, the Fund has awarded more than $10.7 million to Team-Up for Youth.
In ten years of programming, Team-Up has achieved the following:
- Gave 15,000 more low-income children the opportunity to take part in and benefit from high-quality after-school sports programs;
- Trained more than 1,600 program leaders to improve program quality for more than 70,000 kids;
- Launched the Coaching Corps, which has trained and placed over 300 coaches in community programs;
- Granted over $5 million to community-based grantees to increase the quality and supply of youth sports programs.
