 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||
According to the U.S. Department of Education’s
Center for Educational Statistics (1996), research
from third-party institutions—such as Harvard University,
the University of Illinois and the U.S. Department of
Education—shows that kids who participate in sports
have fewer discipline problems, are less likely to drop out,
are better prepared for post-secondary education and have
a higher sense of self-worth than non-athletes.
Currently, 40,000 boys and girls in the New York City public school system participate in sports programs. However, according to Jim Presbrey, co-founder, vice president and secretary of Academics in Motion (AIM), “in the under-resourced schools within the system, many children’s participation in the athletic programs is jeopardized by their poor academic performances.”
So, here we have a proactive answer to motivating children to succeed in a positive and life-affirming way that is, essentially, mired in the self-feeding inequity of the modern-day educational system.
And that’s where AIM comes in. Presbrey says that AIM seeks to serve schools that have typically low-performing Title I (No Child Left Behind Act) characteristics, including 50 percent or lower graduation rates, at least 60 percent of the students in the free-school-lunch program, and roughly 85 percent of the student body made up of African-Americans, with a significant number of immigrant and non-English-speaking students.
He explains: “AIM is a leading youth development organization that provides unique programming by using sports participation to address poor academic performance among students in under-resourced public high schools. AIM’s philosophy is that sports can be a fundamental tool to engage children in academics and teach them essential life skills such as commitment, leadership, decision-making and problem-solving abilities. Our goal is to provide students with the necessary tools and resources to advance their academic performance, realize their full potential on and off the field, and empower students to pursue further education after high school.”
TEAM BUILDING
Presbrey shares one of his favorite AIM stories:
“One of our greatest success stories to date has come from the boys’ basketball team at Columbus High School in the Bronx. Prior to instituting AIM into Columbus High School, not one of the starting players met academic eligibility to play on the team. The following year that the AIM program was implemented at Columbus, the entire team met academic eligibility and went on to play at the high school playoffs.”
The foundation, which serves as an education supplement plan for participating schools, also offers participants one-on-one access to on-site Youth Development Coaches (YDC). “The YDCs remain with the students for the entire academic year, establishing regular contact and acting as mentors to help them set and achieve their academic goals—including meeting sports eligibility requirements and college application prep. When the students see that the YDC is there as a resource for them and only has interest in seeing them achieve their goals, academically and personally, a strong and significant ‘mentoring’ relationship is formed between each student and the YDC. That is the power and the core of AIM’s program,” says Presbrey.
He adds that AIM has been a highly successful program for all the participating schools and students involved (currently, 600 children in nine public schools in New York; one in Hillside, N.J.; and two in Pittsburgh). In fact, based on the 2006–2007 academic year results, Presbrey reports that 95 percent of AIM students met academic eligibility requirements to participate in sports, 76 percent of AIM graduation seniors went on to enroll in college and a total of 926 community service hours were completed by AIM students in New York. He expects a notable increase for GPA, academic eligibility and college enrollment numbers to come from the 2007–2008 academic year results (which are still being analyzed). Presbrey says that AIM expanded its funding to reach 20 high schools throughout New York City for the 2008–2009 academic year. This aggressive expansion grew its student base to more than 2,000.
Says Presbrey: “AIM’s programming is strategically designed to inspire, educate, engage and motivate student-athletes to better prepare for their futures. Team sports are important because they help engage the student into our academics/personal development support program. By partnering with an organized activity that students have passion for—i.e., sports—we know that they will participate, and through positive peer pressure, they will work to improve as the team raises the bar academically.”
How Can You Help?
AIM is focusing its efforts on program expansion and self-sufficiency, launching a new campaign with a target of raising $2 million over the next year. According to its website, AIM will use the $2 million to focus its efforts on reaching the 75-school critical mass necessary for self-sustenance.
| Donate. | Donate. Go to www.academicsinmotion.org/sponsors.htm. Your donation has a direct positive impact on the kids in underserved, under-resourced communities. And they’re not kidding when they say direct: Currently, AIM does not pay anyone in the internal management of the organization. |
| Partner | Partner. “AIM is looking for like-minded organizations that share our mission and are willing to invest in our vision. Prospective partners include corporations, individual contributors and annual fundraisers working with major league sports offices in conjunction with individual athletes, grants and fund foundations,” says Presbrey. |
 |
 |
||
|
|
||
 |
 |
||
|
|
For more information, please go to www.academicsinmotion.org.
HOME | ABOUT TFG | CONTACT TFG | FREE TFG | ADVERTISE TFG | SHOP TFG | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS & CONDITIONS
