Black Youth Basketball Camp

Hosted By: Veronica T.

Project for Ages: 10 to 19 Years Old

Project Categories:

• Sports
• Youth Empowerment

Project Summary:

This basketball program for Black youths will occur at a recreation center in the North East of Calgary where newcomers and less affluent Black communities are more prevalent. We plan to bring in varsity basketball players from the local post-secondary institutions to provide technical basketball training during weekly sessions and house league-style gameplay. The program will last 8 weeks (may change to 10 weeks) and tentatively take place on Thursday evenings.

Contributing To An Inclusive Canada

This project will contribute to an inclusive Canada by giving disadvantaged youth the same experience as their more affluent counterparts. It will strengthen social connections, and begin to form semi-professional connections such as in the context of mentorship and role models. A strong sense of community makes for a strong sense of self-identity and belonging which leads to better life outcomes. To better integrate these youth who often come to Canada as refugees, they will be able to connect with others who look like them which will make them feel more welcome and show them the ropes. There is a large density of this population in the North East area of Calgary, however many of them do not know one another. Part of inclusivity is including new members of a community which this program will achieve by providing a natural setting for community members to interact while taking away valuable skills.