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>View discussions about this entry Country: United States
Organization: Kids In Sports, LA
Year the initative began (yyyy) - 1994
Project URL: http://www.kidsinsportsla.org
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence? - The concept of the local Sports Club that is community lead by a volunteer Advisory Board.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field? - Kids In Sports' (KIS) mission is to create community-led after school sports programs for children and youth in underserved areas of Los Angeles County. Now in its 13th year, KIS has brought high quality league sports to more than 100,000 low- and very low-income boys and girls, ages 5-17. Fifteen sports clubs, located in some of the area’s poorest neighborhoods, provide year-round soccer, basketball, baseball/softball/T-ball, and volleyball programs open to all.
Leveraging all neighborhood assets, KIS builds community institutions by training and supporting parents, teachers, parks and recreation staff and other interested adults to organize and manage clubs at schools, parks and housing developments. This not only makes good use of scarce play facilities, it brings parents into the Sports Club, involves them to a greater extent in their children’s lives, strengthens the Sports Club’s position in the community and helps forge relationships among area residents and community agencies. Building community is inherent to the Kids In Sports Club model. What are the existing barriers, the biggest problem, your innovation is hoping to address/change? - Social and racial differences.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing? - Our outstanding staff of seven liaise with over 700 adult volunteers from varying backgrounds and neighborhoods on the delivery of KIS programs. KIS staff trains interested community members on the nuts and bolts of running a league; how to promote the program, register participants, schedule games and practices, prepare playing fields, organize and inventory uniforms and equipment, order awards and trophies, and hold end of the season banquets.
What separates KIS from other youth sports providers is the Advisory Board. These are the leaders of each Sports Club and it's where we teach communties the art of communication, as well as life skills that translate at home and work. Budgeting and finance, organizing, conflict resolution, how to hold effective meetings, volunteer recruitment and fundraising are just a few of the skills we see develop and grow in our Advisory Board members. Through constant communication and the sharing of ideas, KIS is able to cross racial and social boundaries that exist in all our neighborhoods. How do you plan to grow your innovation? - KIS will continue to grow throughout Los Angeles by building relationships with surrounding parks, schools, and community centers. Allowing their youth to register for our program, practice on-site and then compete with other teams from their areas.
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact. - This year KIS serviced over 8,500 disadvantaged youth from all over Los Angeles County.
What impact has your innovation had to date/or what is your intended impact? Exactly who are the beneficiaries? - High quality after-school programs have repeatedly shown to reduce juvenile crime and violence; reduce drug use, alcohol use and smoking; reduce teen sex and pregnancy; and improve graduation rates. KIS' Sports Clubs have been formally evaluated over two years by a specialist. It found a variety of benefits associated with the sports clubs from feeling more connected to school to pride in mastering new skills in front of parents and teachers. Evaluators found that the program reached many at-risk youngsters who had never before joined any after-school program. Most students liked KIS because their families came to watch them play and because it was fun.
Please list any other measures reflective of the impact of your innovation? - This field has not been completed
What are the main barriers to creating or achieving your impact? - Cultural differnces within each neighborhood.
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)? - Our non profit organization is funded by foundations, individual giving, and special event fundrasiers.
If known, provide information on your finances and organization. - Please list: Annual budget, annual revenue generated, size of part-time, full-time and volunteer staff. KIS' current annual budget is $1.3 million and it generates $1.5 million in revenue. There are four part-time staff members, seven full-time, and a volunteer staff of over 700.
What is the potential demand for your innovation? - The potential demand is limitless. KIS has proven the Sports Club model works, all it needs now is to be funded and introduced to new deserving neighborhoods.
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability? - Foundations changing their funding priorities.
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story. - The Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles (AAF), currently The LA84 Foundation, conceived the original Sports Clubs concept in 1989. As the model grew too big to handle internally, KIS was established as a separate non-profit with seed money from the AAF in 1994. From there we have continued to grow.
Kids In Sports currently operates 15 clubs that deliver sports activities in baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, and volleyball, and serves more than 8,500 youth annually. Boys and girls, ages 5 to 17, participate in year-round sports programs at parks and schools. Regularly scheduled practices and competitions are conducted after school and on weekends during the consecutive sports seasons. Each Sports Club is a partnership with the members of the community, parks, schools and Kids In Sports. Parents and other interested adults are recruited to volunteer their time as coaches and Sports Club community board members. Organizations such as the city and county departments of recreation and parks, and area schools provide meeting rooms, staff support and sports facilities. KIS provides the overall technical assistance and resources to develop the individual Sports Clubs boards, organizes and purchases equipment and uniforms, and pays for officials and referees. Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material. - This field has not been completed
Contact Information:
Anthony Giarla
Director of Operations Kids In Sports, LA (Non-profit) Discussions about this entry |
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