Beyond Hoops “Building resilient communities through sport.”

SUMMER 2012 BASKETBALL REPORT

SUMMER 2012

“BUILDING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES THROUGH SPORT”

Summer in the city is a time for kids to break free from school routines and have some fun, but it’s not always easy for children to connect, especially if they’re from different cultures. In fact, a recent Metro Vancouver survey conducted by the Vancouver Foundation (Connections and Engagements report) found that “Metro Vancouver can be a hard place to make friends.” That finding revealed that metro kids need an environment and a platform that encourages them to actively support and authentically get to know one another. And since sport is an ideal social connector and a powerful tool for community building, Youth Initiative Canada developed “Beyond Hoops” to help Burnaby kids find an athletic common ground and make new friends. “Friends are vital to school-age children's healthy development. Friendships provide children with more than just fun playmates. Friendships help children develop emotionally and morally.”

- Millie Ferrer and Anne M. Fugate, Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, University of Florida.

BEYOND HOOPS 2012

BACKGROUND

Due to the generous support of METROPOLIS AT METROTOWN who awarded a $2,300.00 grant from their community investment program and the INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR YOUTH SPORTS who gratefully donated basketballs, jerseys, and life skills manuals - BEYOND HOOPS 2012 was a great success! Every Saturday, for eleven weeks, at two Burnaby campuses (Edmonds Community School and Our Lady of Mercy Elementary School) 31 young people aged 10-15 years old came together to connect on and off the basketball court. The camp’s theme, “Building resilient communities through sport” came alive for both the coaches and the kids as multi-cultural strangers soon became united as a team of friends.

BEYOND HOOPS SUMMER BASKETBALL 2012- THE PROGRAM

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BEYOND HOOPS 2012 THE STRUCTURE

The Beyond Hoops camp sessions were divided into a variety of ‘skills stations’ to focus on and hone different basketball skills like passing, shooting, defense and offense. Breaking down the game into specific skill sets helped young people determine where ‘their game’ needed work and how, through goal setting and practice, they could master their skills and improve their contribution to the game. One of the most valuable aspects of the Beyond Hoops program is that the varied skill sets earned on the court are highly transferable. Learning how to achieve a good jump shot demonstrates that practice is the key to doing everything well, including schoolwork. Math can seem just as mysterious and unattainable as a three pointer, until you break it down, and practice.

Here’s what the kids had to say: “ I enjoyed participating in the Beyond Hoops program. My favorite part of the program was learning new dribbling skills and making new friends from other schools.” - Omar Zakir, 12 years old. “Beyond Hoops enabled me to get active this summer. I’ve never played basketball before and I enjoyed the games and drills.” - Tejawn Hall, 15 years old. The Executive Director of Youth Initiative Canada and founder and coach of Beyond Hoops, James Kamau, reports: “Beyond Hoops shines a light on what youth can do, rather than what they cannot do. This approach is strength-based and develops both hope and a positive outlook for youth and the communities they live in.” The Executive Director of Youth Initiative Canada and founder and coach of Beyond Hoops, James Kamau, reports: “Beyond Hoops shines a light on what youth can do, rather than what they cannot do. This approach is strength-based and develops both

BEYOND HOOPS 2012

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BEYOND HOOPS 2012: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

The primary objective of Beyond Hoops 2012 was to provide fun and challenging physical activity inside a safe and culturally diverse environment. This was especially relevant for new immigrants where kids from diverse social backgrounds could connect with other kids to share common goals and a common focus. In each two hour Saturday session, one and half hours was spent on learning basketball skills and playing the game, and the closing half hour was spent on reflection. Kids were asked, “What did we learn today as a life skill? It was emphasized that sportsmanship and teamwork on the court can also be successfully applied to other areas of a young person’s life. The ‘philosophical’ foundation for Beyond Hoops 2012 was the NBA junior program life skills manual, which was implemented as a template to train both the coaches and the players to be part of the STAR movement. The acronym STAR stands for:

The BEYOND HOOPS 2012 camp was free of charge. Children who could not afford extracurricular sports were still able to come and fully participate. The grant money also made it possible to pay for venue rental, print T-shirts’, Certificates and top quality coaches who care about youth and had life skills to impart beyond what was being taught on the court.

•  SPORTSMANSHIP  S  •  TEAMWORK  T  •  ATTITUDE  A  •  RESPECT  R  

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BEYOND HOOPS 2012

BEYOND HOOPS

Canada-Africa • Phone: 604.805.7302 Kamau@beyondhoops.org • www.beyondhoops.org

SUMMARY: JAMES KAMAU, BEYOND HOOPS 2012 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Based on his own athletic experience, Executive Director James Kamau was confident that his program would be a success. Team sports teach self-esteem and the rewards of discipline and hard work. Kids see immediate and direct results from applying themselves which gives them the confidence that “Yes, I can do it!” James, like many other educators, observed that contemporary technology could actually isolate kids, keeping them in their own media bubble and preventing the kind of eye-to-eye interaction that opens doors to friendships. Kamau knew, from his own experience of playing basketball at the elite level in Kenya, that his personal and educational success was connected to the sporting skills he learned playing team sports. “For me it was a learning experience. The first day the kids came in they were strangers, kids from different backgrounds and different schools. At first, they were very guarded, but as we three coaches began to work with them we watched friendships develop and by the forth and fifth sessions, those early barriers were gone. No matter where they were from, they bonded with kids from other communities and became friends. Day one they were strangers and by week four, they were part of a brand new community.” On the last day of the program, August 4th, 2012, all 31 participants were proud and extremely excited to receive a free Beyond Hoops t-shirt and a BEYOND HOOPS 2012 Certificate of Participation. The coaches collectively encouraged their young players to adapt an active and healthy lifestyle as a life-long practice and to remember the skills they learned off the court as well. Beyond Hoops 2012 wishes to again gratefully acknowledge their Platinum sponsor, Metropolis at Metrotown and supporting partner International Alliance for Youth Sports. Also, a hearty thank you to the volunteer coaches, photographers, videographers, and participants in making Beyond Hoops 2012 such a shining success. Instead of sitting at home doing nothing, or being alone and passively connecting on social media, playing basketball as an ‘ice-breaker’ helped all 31 participants feel like they belonged. Their appreciation and their exuberance for their uniquely Canadian experience was summed up brilliantly by many of the players who simply wanted to know, “Why can’t we do this all year?” To Connect with Us: Twitter: @BeyondHoops Facebook: Beyond Hoops