SOUL is a sports-based youth
development program created to support low-income student-athletes transition out of high school into post-secondary life. We use
athletics as a catalyst for social change. We engage youth and young adults
between ages 14 and 21. Our aim is to deconstruct the cycle of poverty by
empowering opportunity youth through academic enrichment, career and college
readiness. We work in collaboration with public schools, youth service
providers and other community-based organizations to deliver services and engage youth. Those who participate in SOUL programs are provided free
academic tutoring, access to professional and collegiate mentors, in addition
to college access support, scholarships, and workforce development
opportunities. Nationally, according to Measure of
America, a social science research organization, there are 4.5 million
disconnected youth (age 16-24) in the US. Sadly, 20.8% of the Black American
male population (US) is disconnected, which follows Native American women
(24.5%) and Native American males (23.3%). The US rate of disconnected youth
is 12.3%, in the District its 9.8%, and 17% of Black youth in DC are considered
disconnected. This totals about 8,900 young people. Our goal is to empower
the 200 plus DC youth we serve annually, by helping them develop the skills
required to break the cycle of poverty. This is accomplished through SOUL’s
intentional integration of academic and social enrichment within our
engagement with student-athletes. We believe our approached mixed with our
youth’s passion for sports helps to develop healthier young adults.
In our work we find the cycle of poverty is systemic. Undoubtedly, the
dehumanization of people through the x-isms, combined with the miseducation
and inaccessibility to resources at home are at the foundation for this
inequity. Today, this vicious cycle is perpetuated through knowledge gaps.
These gaps start at birth and are compounded in a dynamic capacity towards
adulthood. Our programs are designed to capture the hearts and minds of our
youth. We run four signature programs for high school aged youth.
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College Access Study Hall (CASH) provides
high school youth participating on sports teams with a space for academic,
athletic, and character development.
·
Sister Circle provides a safe space for
female students (including student-athletes) to explore personal development
and personal well-being.
·
Young Men’s Roundtable is a program
established to create a safe space for young men to be vulnerable as the
development towards manhood.
·
College 101 is an academic bridge program which
was designed to ensures academically high performing, low-income,
college-bound students gain the writing and math skills required to
matriculate successfully through their first year of college.
Through these enrichment programs we
aim to enhance our youth’s academic, athletic, and critical thinking abilities
while deepening their understanding of the following mental and behavioral
processes: cognitive development,
self-awareness, social norms, risky behaviors, and personal accountability.
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