AFRICAN AMERICAN ETHNIC SPORTS HALL OF FAME
YOUTH INTERVENTION AND /ACADEMIC ACHIEVERS AWARDS
PROGRAMS
”It’s not about career wins, it’s
about real-life victories”
Non-Profit #
94-3370345
HISTORY OF ORGANIZATION:
The African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (AAESHOF) is a
non-profit organization that was established in 2001 to broaden
the public awareness and understanding of African American
Ethnics History and the role of diversity and cultural tolerance
in the growth of professional sports and to provide education,
social and career opportunities for youth.
Although the Hall was established just 5 years ago, yet it has
carved out a niche for itself in many ways; it has more than 100
legends and 80 current players in support of its program; it has
facilitated the awarding of (9) nine college scholarships to
deserving students; it has addressed critical thinking and
self-directing skills at eight seminars (over 350 students),
which arms young people with the tools to problem solving; it
has given students the chance for an education they otherwise
might not have; it has addressed critical issues such as: teen
pregnancy, education, drugs and poverty.
MISSION STATEMENT:
AAESFOF is designed to empower and educate young people while
honoring our heroes from the past. The Hall wants to prepare our
young people to do tomorrow what our heroes did yesterday,
bearing in mind that the game of life is played on the fields of
learning.
PROBLEMS:
Our educational, economic, and society circumstances regarding
performance of our children are dismal. Academic breakdown, lack
of quality employment training and social skills has been found
to be inter-related. The question of poor academic performance
of minority students has gone unanswered for decades, but it is
known that an intervention program that addresses critical
issues might help improve the problem, and arm youth with the
tools for problem solving, social skills, employment
opportunities and assist them in becoming self-sufficient adults
and positive role models. To fix the inequalities that plague
our community, we must start with education. Many of our social
problems---crime, unemployment, homelessness, is a direct result
of the failure of our education system.
Until we give our children the education they need to hold the
jobs in our new economy, we cannot begin to cut these problems
off at the source. A study by the state of California discovered
that teens are more likely to engage in criminal activity if
left unsupervised and not in structured after school programs.
An estimated 1 million kids in California ranging from 12 to 17
have no supervision or after school programs three or more days
each week, according to the study.
And one in five of those kids say they did something in the last
year that could have gotten them arrested, and nearly one in
four said they were a victim of crime. By comparison, one in 14
teens enrolled in after school programs three or more days a
week reported illegal activity, and one in six were victims of
crime.
African-American youth has the highest rates of poverty,
homicide; foster care placement and high school dropouts. Latino
youth has the highest rates of teen births and being overweight.
The link between education and good health is well known.
Another report found that one in three 11th graders
had experienced substantial depression in the past year, meaning
they felt so sad and hopeless that they stopped participating in
usual activities for at least two weeks. More than 100 youths
ages 15-24 are hospitalized each year for suicide attempts, and
about 11 succeed in committing suicide. Only 31 percent had high
levels of opportunities for meaningful activities.
Additional evidence is the introduction of a bill to begin
anti-gang efforts in schools at an earlier stage…fourth to eight
grades, or 9 to 13 years old. Improving school safety, ensuring
that students feel comfortable, confident and secure at school
should be a high priority.
The workshops/seminars address pre-teen and teenagers within the
community of students from high poverty, ethnically diverse
middle and high schools. Profiles are: 65% African American, 5%
Caucasian, 20% Hispanic, 5% Asian American, and 5% “other”
(Pacific Islander, Filipino) 69% boys 31% girls.
SOLUTIONS:
AAESHOF recruits its participants into the program based upon
need, commitment and recommendations. The workshops/seminars
are FREE to all participants. Recruitment is carried out
through the schools, churches and other community organizations.
Services consist of a variety of forms including but not limited
to the following:
 |
Provide caring tutors to assist students in improving their
academic performance and equipping them with transitional
skills as they transition to higher education. Anticipating
the attendance of the tutoring program to be 15 students, we
will match the tutors with a ratio of one tutor per five
students. Which allows the students to get more individual
attention as needed. |
|
Get students to recognize their unique power through
Self-Development, Leadership, Health and Nutrition, Team
Building and Community Building skills. This will be
accomplished by providing quality instructors who has the
experience and skills at working with at-risk youth and
understanding the need of each participant.
|
|
Provide employment-training services, which will give
participants the opportunities to seek career options and to
explore the workforce. These workshops will be a significant
workshop for the older teenagers and young adults. These
workshops will equip all students with resume writing skills;
increase self-esteem, self-marketing skills, and ability to
identify career opportunities, by way of Internet and in
newspapers exploration. How to communicate on the job and
address issues and concerns in a professional manner. Various
employment industries will address participants to; give them
a clear visual of what apparel is required to fit into the
workforce as a decent well-dressed employee, based on the
requirements of the employer. |
|
Strategies in Decision-making
and communication among peers. Students will learn how to
handle peer pressure by ignoring and avoiding negative
influences. Understanding that they have a purpose in life to
better themselves, their family and community, rather its
career and/or education. |
|
Utilize professional athletes, doctors (for nutrition issues),
community leaders and members of the business community to
exemplify these points during workshop sessions. This service
will be used to attract and retain youth. By allowing
professional athletes and community leaders to share their
experiences with students, to be reassured that everyone can
succeed rather being a professional athlete or cooperate
businessperson.
|
|
Enroll the students in our summer basketball camp for boys &
Girls age 8-18 to teach the importance of teamwork, meet new
friends and keep them “busy.” |
OUTCOMES:
Participants demonstrate the following at the end of the
program:
|
Obtain the awareness and importance of education. Improved
academic performance. Students grades are sufficient enough to
qualify for scholarships, get into colleges where before they
didn’t have the right grades to get in. Understand what
classes are necessary to reach their educational goal. |
|
A positive change in attitude toward self, others and things. |
|
Increased knowledge of skills. |
|
Greater enthusiasm for task performance and accomplishments.
Obtain the ability to take on tasks in a team setting and
independently to reach the outcome of the project. |
|
An understanding of the criticalness of taking responsibility
for one’s behavior and actions. |
|
A clearer understanding of the business world. Understanding
how businesses are established through education and finance. |
The value and benefits of community services. Become ambassadors of
their communities giving back to their community, by way of
setting good examples as role models, mentoring younger kids and
sharing there experience.
