In Philadelphia, the high school dropout rate for lower-income children in neighborhood schools is approximately 45%, and less than a quarter of those who graduate enroll in a four-year post-secondary experience. The young people we serve come from vastly under-resourced communities that lack positive relationships with schools, peers, and adults. Young people must develop meaningful relationships with learning, school and community, as well as with peers and adults, to be able to create and actualize a pathway for success in life. This notion of “self-determination” is powerful and one that is not easy to achieve, especially for children who come of age in under-resourced families, schools, and communities.

Basketball is an iconic game in our city and region. It has roots in most every neighborhood in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. Furthermore, the game transcends lines that historically divide us–lines of race and ethnicity, neighborhood, and economic circumstances–to create relationships that bind us together. We use this culturally resonant force of basketball to attract the participation of young people in our Middle School Partnership Program (MSPP), a 20-week after-school program. Its model is holistic, with basketball as a powerful context. Our off-court academic enrichment units capture the hearts and minds of our student-athletes, inspiring them to think critically about current sport and society issues, and to formulate their own point of view. We also expose our young people to healthy meals and nutrition information, and place positive coaches and mentors in their lives to build meaningful relationships.

The Key to Community’s grant would help PYB in scaling our signature Middle School Partnership Program (MSPP) from 8 to 16 school sites, doubling the amount of young people we empower. It would also enable us to significantly deepen the professional, personal, and leadership development of 25-30 of our coaches, mentors and key partners who are emerging community leaders, across all 3 of our core programs. This intentional capacity building will enable our most potent adults to develop an even deeper approach with young people, thereby maximizing their high degree of cultural currency and potency with young people who come from similar circumstances as our dedicated team. MSPP is a high-value program that we are growing and innovating. This grant would help us drive and measure the youth development and community impact that will enable our organization to reach literally thousands of more young people in the next decade.