OUR MISSION
The Young Athletes organization is dedicated to the survival of this society and its children. YAI’s mission is to help disadvantaged youth in New York avoid the detrimental influences of poverty and achieve their full potential. In collaboration with parents, schools, and other youth-service organizations, YAI accomplishes its mission by providing out-of-school time programs that promote health and physical fitness, academic growth, self-discipline, leadership skills, and self-sufficiency for young people ages 8 through 18.
HISTORY
Young Athletes, Inc. is a nonsectarian, 501(c)3 youth development agency that provides out of school time services to urban youth and their families in New York City. The organization was founded in 1997 by professional basketball players and the inner-city youth coach who inspired and groomed them for success. The founders, LaMarre Dyson, Steve Burtt and Rod Strickland, sought to address the growing need for positive, structured programs for at-risk youth—programs that not only challenge their physical abilities, but also their minds. YAI found its niche in creating venues for the amateur sports competition of youth, gaining notoriety in New York City’s youth basketball circuit with the Rod Strickland/Tiny Archibald Summer Basketball League, the Steve Burtt Jamfest, a winter Junior High School Basketball League and an Instructional League. We committed to including the oft-ignored female athletes in our programming. In our leagues, we mandated educational remediation classes or group counseling sessions prior to play. In 2003, we assessed the needs of our 1,000+ participants citywide and decided we needed to grow to provide services to address needs of the whole child. We wanted to be more active in their development rather than a weekend program, providing more quality services to fewer quantities of participants.
YAI opened a New York City Department of Youth and Community Development contracted Out of School Time Program in the Elijah D. Clark Educational Complex in 2005 in order to provide more direct diverse services to neighborhood residents of the Mott Haven neighborhood of the South Bronx. OST staffers work collaboratively with MS 223 and South Bronx Prep faculty in an after-school child care program that draws 200 school age children. In addition, YAI has cultivated partnerships with other notable institutions such as the Columbia University and Hunter Schools of Social Work and Cornell University Cooperative Extension to provide support services and enrichment activities.
While we are a young organization, our staff, interns and volunteers boast of over 50 years of experience collectively in creating innovative programming for youth participants. We have licensed professional staff in school age child care, social work and education. Staff members work Monday thru Friday from 2:00 – 6:00 pm, Saturdays from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm and on school vacations from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm.
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