URBAN
YOUTH SPORTS
A Program of Northeastern University's
Center for the Study of Sport in Society
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"As Mayor of the City of Boston, I have made a personal commitment to youth sports, and am excited about the relationship we have forged with Sport in Society. The Center's outreach staff are making a difference in children's lives, and I am thrilled to work with Sport in Society to help make a positive impact on tomorrow's athletes and leaders." -
Thomas Menino |
The mission of Sport in Society�s Urban Youth Sports Program is to target barriers that restrict youth sport participation in urban areas and create solutions that increase opportunities, thereby increasing both participation rate and healthy development.
Each child must get a fair start in life � health wise, educationally, and recreationally. We know there are gross inequities in education, but most of us don�t realize that children in our cities also have limited access to sport programs. All children must be guaranteed the opportunity for a successful start in education and sport regardless of age, race, gender, family composition, income or community.
While suburbs have a full array of sports, our cities are deficient! Urban children get a late start in sports, and urban girls are far less likely to participate. One study shows only 15% of urban children participate in youth sports, as compared to the 85-90% who play in the suburbs. By participating in organized sports, urban youth increase the opportunity for physical activity, coaching and guidance, being part of a team, skill development, and substantial time away from "negative recreation" (drugs, violent conflicts or sexual activities).
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Sport
in Society's Director of the Center for Criminal Justice Policy Research at Northeastern University, Jack McDevitt, coordinated the Boston Youth Sports Needs Assessment Survey. This assessment is based on completed surveys from 189 programs (serving youth ages 6 to 18) that were obtained through community leaders who organized data collection. This needs assessment provided the basis for examining barriers to youth sports participation in Boston, helping identify priority areas for new and upgraded programs and planning ways to better organize and coordinate these programs. Some of the results revealed that Boston youth have only 1/3 of the opportunities to participate in sports as children in the suburbs, and that boys in Boston have twice the number of opportunities to participate in youth sports as Boston girls. |
In response, Northeastern University�s Center for the Study of Sport in Society created Urban Youth Sports to provide leadership and bring about the partnerships necessary for Boston children to have equal opportunity for organized sports. Urban Youth Sports aims to make Boston the national leader in sports and physical activities for urban youth regardless of race, gender, ability, ethnicity, financial status, age, or neighborhood. This will be done by enhancing existing programs, creating new ones, and making children and their parents aware of the options.
The program is directed by Sport in Society's Art Taylor and Kevin Fitzgerald. Funding is partially provided by Partners HealthCare and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts. The program has positioned Boston as a national leader in the effort to support and coordinate sports and recreation programs for urban children regardless of race, gender, family structure, ethnicity, financial status or age.
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Boston
Mayor Thomas M. Menino is interviewed by young journalist Liane L. Young
at the 1998 Boston Youth Sports Congress, co-presented by Sport in Society,
the City of Boston, and Reebok International Ltd. |
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1997 Boston Youth Sports Congress On November 15,1997, Sport in Society's Urban Youth Sports and the City of Boston held the first Boston Youth Sports Congress. The Congress brought together a diverse group of over 500 activists from the Boston community and beyond to discuss the barriers restricting the sports participation of our urban youth. Leaders from the worlds of politics, business, sports, and academics gathered at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College to format a plan for improving the current situation plaguing youth sports. Financial support was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Sport in Society founder and Director Richard Lapchick, and Boston School Committee member and community leader Alfreda Harris, opened the event with stimulating remarks to motivate the crowd. The attendees then dispersed into nine breakout groups to discuss specific issues. After the luncheon, the attendees broke up again into groups - this time by sport - to cultivate possible solutions to the problems raised. "We are going to bring together public and private partnerships like you wouldn't believe," Taylor said. "By the time we're done, (other cities) are going to come here from all over the country to look at (Boston's) youth sports programs." Mayor Menino emphasized his determination to raise future fiscal support for the Congress. "I'd like to see every kid in the city of Boston participating," Menino said. "We'll find the money for this. We always do." |
1998 Boston Youth Sports Congress The Boston Youth Sports Congress, a partnership between Sport in Society and the City of Boston, held its second public meeting, an informative and progressive mid-year report on June 27, 1998 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College. Sport in Society representatives staffed more than 45 committee meetings that were held in the last six months. A running scroll was used to graphically display the accomplishments and recommendations made by panel members and other participants in the Congress. By the end of the day, the scroll had reached 50 feet into the rafters. Over the last six months, much progress has been made to organize the effort to develop sports opportunities for young people in Boston. Three panels were presented to deliver the progress thus far. The Urban Girls and Healthy Development panel was facilitated by Ellen Payzant, Director of the Active Girls. Of specific interest was a new model for integrating youth sports into neighborhood health centers that was presented by Art Taylor. The Program Development and Academics and Sport panel was moderated by Peter Roby of Reebok International, Ltd. A major contribution came from Donna Harris Lewis, director of the Reggie Lewis Foundation, who spoke of the need to work with children while they are young. The Transportation, Facilities and Disabilities panel was directed by Stephen Spinetto, Commissioner for people with disabilities for the City of Boston. CLICK
HERE to read about more |