ehjbasketeers.com

Introduction

East Harlem Junior Basketeers is a New York State registered non-profit grassroots organization founded by native son George Adams. Our program serves over 400 youngsters ages 6 to 18 in organized basketball activities over the summer months in Marcus Garvey Park at Madison and 120^th Street in East Harlem. The youngsters meet for practice and games twice a week. Good sportsmanship is the foundation of our program. We accept participants from all boroughs between the ages of 6 to 8.

Our mission at the East Harlem Junior Basketeers Sports Program (E.H.J.B.S.P.) is to provide anti-crime services that will preserve, develop, and empower the lives of our youth environment, which will totally involve the cultural integrity of the East Harlem Community.

Our objective is to run a community based facility of volunteers and paid staff to supervise recreational sports’ activities. Our aim is to provide educational sports background as well as after – school tutoring in various subjects including Literacy Programs in Reading and Writing as well as Mathematics. We also intend to prepare you for GED Test Assessment, teaching study skills, to develop College readiness. Our current goals are the following:

· To be increasingly more pro-active in attacking the self-destructive poisons of drugs, racism, sexism, street violence, and overall poor education.

· To be able to do more, with available resources. Also, although perhaps idealistic, to not loose a single kid to the evil lure of the street.

· Continue to increase our funding capabilities in order to be able to achieve our commitment goal and increase our enrollment of children and young adults whose needs are so great.

· Develop each child’s self-esteem and self-confidence which can be accomplished when a Childs’ achievement is fostered in a nurturing, supportive learning environment.

· Cultivate independence and responsibility in children which is important for self-growth. Children must be provided with the knowledge of underlying concepts that enable them to understand skills, strategies, etc. and thus be able to direct their own activities.

· Facilitate learning enhancement of motor skills.

· Maintain an orderly and safe class environment.

· Stress the importance of sportsmanship.

· Provide an environment where children are comfortable and enjoy being physically active with their peers.

· Provide knowledge of cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, endurance and flexibility to both children and staff.

· Establish positive lifetime attitudes toward physical fitness/activity.

· Enjoy themselves.

Our vision is to provide youth of East Harlem a positive outlet which will preserve, develop and empower their lives year-round. My wife and I, as well as a host of friends, help diligently each summer, without financial support from state or federal funding, to ensure that the youth in our community get an opportunity to the experience a few weeks of constructive competitive basketball during summer vacation. East Harlem Junior Basketeers was designed to provide recreational and physical activities for our youth, with an emphasis on teaching children the principles of sports and athletic competition. I believe the success of the recreational program can be measure in part by the number of participants involved. Children are eager to attend a program if they are made to feel a part of the group, if they have sufficient opportunity to play, and if the leadership is strong. The amount and variety of equipment and activities make a great difference. A well organized program and the popularity of the program can do much to provide children with constructive activities, often alleviating the dangers of too much free time and too little supervision. The play which a child enjoys today will lead to the recreation he/she will enjoy as an adult tomorrow. The release of tension, maintenance of fitness, and enjoyable use of leisure time are all beneficial objectives of a good recreational program. It should be the responsibilities of all recreation, park, and leisure service agencies to provide enjoyable and personally enriching alternatives to these negative social forces. In order to accomplish this, our goal is to purchase a building which would become a Sports Recreation Center for children as well as adults. We think community recreation should serve all elements in the community without discrimination, based on sex, age, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability. Community recreation should be couched within a framework of democratic social values and should provide positive leisure opportunity that meet sufficient community needs. Recreation programs should also provide varied range of activities, and both diversity and balance and leisure opportunity. Recreation programs should provide community residents or organizational members in setting policy, and planning and conducting activities. Recreational activities should be designed opportunities to meet sufficient personal needs of the individual, based on age, gender and related factors. Recreational programs should be flexibly scheduled to meet the work related or other time commitment of potential participants. Recreation programs should make the fullest possible use of community facilities and should adhere to a sound environment ethic. Recreation programs should be systematically evaluated to satisfying community needs. As Founder/President, I am dedicated to the Vision that all youths, even those of below average ability, can achieve academic success through involvement in sports leadership programs.

The “Basketeers” was an idea conceived, in the 1970’s, by a few pioneering men who thought and felt that need of revitalizing, rejuvenating, preserving and developing the cultural integrity of the East Harlem Community. During the early 70’s the Basketeers was organized. Basketball teams were introduced by what was called during that time “draw from the hat.” However the way it was done there was always with fairness, unity and respect. In the early 1970’s, due to some untimely circumstances the Basketeers lost some of their influential pioneer members, therefore causing this legacy to discontinue. The primary purpose of E.H.J.B. has been to preserve and develop the cultural integrity of the East Harlem community.

What is it?:

A year round Sports and Education program that prepares East Harlem youths from ages 6-18 years of age with fundamentals of basketball.

Resources needed:

Use of a gymnasium, equipment, uniforms, insurance, referees, timekeeper, scorekeeper, supplies, awards, banquet, and office space to implement the first phase of the basketball program, $25,000 in seed money to develop ongoing Basketball Summer Tournaments.

Activities:

Basketball Games, Scrimmaging, Instructional Workshops on Health issues, Sports Clinic, and Motivational Speakers.

Outcomes:

Potentially deviant youths progress academically and improve character behavior, low-self-esteem, and attitudes in relation to parents, peers, and schools.

Overview:

It is proposed that $25,000 be allocated to operate after-school activities during the academic year and full time during the summer, using Marcus Garvey Playground Facilities and the use of a gymnasium.

Rookie, Super Biddies, Biddies, Junior Varsity, and Varsity Basketball Teams will compete with other youth centers, Churches, clubs, and many other organizations. Athletes will receive supportive Group one-on-one counseling and leadership training in preparation with the tools they need to become motivated, respectful, and productive individuals for advanced schooling. An enrollment of 100 will be maintained.