Harlem RBI (Using sports as a youth development tool for inner-city youth in East Harlem, NY)
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>View discussions about this entry Country: United States
Organization: Harlem RBI
Sport: Baseball
Year the initative began (yyyy) 1991
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Project URL: http://www.harlemrbi.org
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence? Harlem RBI’s programs provide vital developmental opportunities for youth and playing on a baseball team works as a powerful “hook” and a youth development tool.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field? Harlem RBI believes in the power of team sports in youth development and uses baseball as a powerful “hook” to attract youth participation. Sports programming emphasizes physical activity and an awareness of health that ultimately lead youth to make better life choices. Participation on a team also provides opportunities to practice teamwork, develop leadership skills and accept responsibility for oneself and one’s peers. In a community where organized sports programs are scarce, playing on a team provides an outlet for healthy competition where youth can feel proud of their accomplishments, leading to positive growth.
Harlem RBI’s unique brand of youth development programming has evolved over a 16-year history to best meet the needs of East Harlem youth. Harlem RBI’s programs have specific hallmarks critical to their success in that they: engage youth over many years; are team-based; have low adult to youth ratios; are run by professional staff and well-trained volunteers; and have high expectations for all participants. What are the existing barriers, the biggest problem, your innovation is hoping to address/change? East Harlem youth face a myriad of challenges such as attending failing schools, childhood obesity, asthma hospitalization and diabetes, a 50% high school drop out rate and teen pregnancy. 65% of Harlem RBI’s youth live in a household income of less than $45,000 with an average of 4 people per household, 50% live in single-parent or no parent households and 39% live in public housing.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing? In addition to playing on a baseball or softball team, youth participate in the following age-appropriate off-the-field programs: the Rookie League Summer Program that teaches 7-8 year olds the basics of baseball and softball and teamwork; the REAL Kids Summer Program (Reading and Enrichment Academy for Learning), a seven-week, full day summer literacy and enrichment program for 9-12 year olds that culminates with a one-week stay at sleep-away camp; the REAL Kids After-School Program for 9-12 year olds provides cognitive, enrichment, recreational and sports activities designed to build academic, social and emotional skills; and the Team Enrichment Program, a comprehensive, year-round youth development program that consists of 3 components: TeamBuilders same-sex academic and enrichment activities for 13-14 year olds, TeamWorks academic support, job readiness activities and summer jobs for 15-16 year olds, and DreamWorks college preparation and job placement services for 17-18 year olds. Harlem RBI also provides comprehensive Social Work services for any youth who require additional support.
How do you plan to grow your innovation? To deepen its impact in East Harlem, Harlem RBI plans on opening the DREAM Charter School (DCS) in fall 2008. DCS’ mission is to educate East Harlem children through a comprehensive K-8 program that builds a community of passionate lifelong learners. DCS will open with 50 Kindergarteners and 50 First Graders. The school will grow one grade (50 students) each year until it reaches capacity with grades K-8 and a total of 450 students. Currently, the DREAM Charter School – which will grow over time to serve 450 children in Kindergarten though Eighth grade – is in the planning stages while awaiting authorization. The Charter authorization is expected in January 2008.
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact. Since 2004, 96% of Harlem RBI seniors have graduated from high school, 93% have matriculated to college and 100% of youth avoided teen parenthood.
What impact has your innovation had to date/or what is your intended impact? Exactly who are the beneficiaries? The goal of Harlem RBI is to ensure that participants who enter the program as vulnerable children graduate as resilient young adults. When youth leave Harlem RBI, the organization ensures that they will be: physically and mentally healthy and able to avoid risk behaviors; high school graduates who matriculate to college; work ready, with the basic knowledge and skills to find and maintain a job; good teammates, friends and family members, cultivating positive relationships with peers and adults; confident, competent and caring members of their communities; and active citizens, who participate in their community’s social and political life.
Proof that Harlem RBI is achieving its goals can be seen in the following outcomes since 2004: 96% of Harlem RBI seniors have graduated from high school; 93% have matriculated to college; and 100% of youth avoided teen parenthood.
Please list any other measures reflective of the impact of your innovation? Harlem RBI has been honored with such awards as Bank of America's "Neighborhood Excellence Award" and the Johns Hopkins University's "Center for Summer Learning Excellence" Award.
Additionally in 2007, over 100 volunteers logged close to 24,000 hours of service while working with youth as coaches and assisting in other special projects. Our recruiting and retention efforts include rigorous background checks, comprehensive orientation and regular training sessions, attributing to a 60% retention rate. This community involvement allows for an even broader impact. What are the main barriers to creating or achieving your impact? The East Harlem neighborhood, defined by its massive public housing projects, high crime rates and the pervasive shadow of drugs and gangs, present many barriers for the youth there. Most East Harlem schools are failing and overcrowded, parks and play space are scarce, and families – mostly of the single-parent variety – struggle to make ends meet. Against this backdrop, East Harlem children who are born into poverty have little chance of making it out. Harlem RBI exists to make sure that they do.
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)? Harlem RBI is financed by raising funds from a diverse group of individual donors, corporations, foundations and public agencies. Harlem RBI's funds are allocated as follows: 80% to programs, 12% to fundraising initiatives and 8% to general administrative costs.
If known, provide information on your finances and organization. In 2007, Harlem RBI budget reached $4M and its fundraising campaign included: the Bids for Kids Gala and Auction that raised more than $1.2M, an annual Golf Outing which raised more than $112,000, an annual Team Sponsorship campaign that raised nearly $250,000, and a grants campaign that reached $2,000,000. Harlem RBI continues to grow organizational revenue through a strategy of income diversification and continued relationship development, and the organization is confident in its ability to manage changes in the funding climate and the need for program expansion over time.
Harlem RBI’s Executive Director and Deputy Director for Programs lead a full-time staff of 23 and have been with the organization for more than 19 years combined, bringing continuity and cohesion to the organization. During the summer, the Harlem RBI workforce grows to include more than 100 part-time staff members who serve as teachers, coaches and program assistants. What is the potential demand for your innovation? Harlem RBI operates on a first come, first served basis for the youth in East Harlem. Programs are free of charge and open to all youth regardless of athletic or academic ability. Maximum capacity for all of its after-school and summer programs is consistently reached, serving over 700 inner-city boys and girls, ages 7-18. Additionally, there is a wait list for summer programming which shows the demand for Harlem RBI's services in the community.
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability? Harlem RBI's main barrier for financial stability is ensuring the necessary funding to effectively run programs and serve its youth. Fortunately, the support of an engaged community of funders has increased annual revenues for 10 consecutive years, making possible the long-term growth and sustainability of Harlem RBI programs. To further plan for sustainability, Harlem RBI maintains at least six months of operating costs in the bank at all times.
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story. Harlem RBI began in 1991 when a group of local volunteers transformed an abandoned, garbage-strewn lot into two baseball diamonds for the youth of East Harlem. After several years of offering a summer baseball league, the organization recognized the critical needs of its population and started offering off-the-field programming such as mentoring, a youth newsletter and a summer literacy camp. Though effective in engaging youth in positive activities, this mix of programming failed to eliminate the long-term effects of growing up poor in East Harlem.
The organization’s first Strategic Plan, initiated in 2001, aligned programs with a youth development model of service that supported Harlem RBI participants through childhood and adolescence. Underlying this considerable expansion in Harlem RBI’s work were a new vision, mission and set of values. This plan, and the work that followed, transformed Harlem RBI from a spirited start-up into an established community presence: Now 16 years old, Harlem RBI delivers on the dream symbolized by the ballfield it first transformed in 1991. With an annual budget that will exceed $4 million in 2008, an engaged and effective Board of Directors and an experienced, professional staff, Harlem RBI is poised for future success. Harlem RBI’s model youth development programs garner much support from an ever-growing number of institutional and individual partners who believe in the program model and understand that while baseball and softball are powerful hooks, the real game is all about learning and growing. Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material. Richard Berlin, Executive Director at Harlem RBI since 1997, previously participated in the RBI program as a volunteer baseball coach, mentor, tutor and interim Program Director. Mr. Berlin has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a Master's Degree in Political Theory from the London School of Economics and Political Science in London, England. Additionally he has completed certificate programs at Columbia University's Institute for Not-for-Profit Management in both Non-Profit Management and Leadership Development. Recently Mr. Berlin has been a Leadership Fellow at the Citizen's Committee for the Children of New York City, and currently sits on the Program Council at PASE, The Partnership for After School Education.
Contact Information:
Richard Berlin
Executive Director Harlem RBI (Youth Development Non-Profit) rberlin@harlemrbi.org Harlem RBI 333 East 100th Street New York, NY 10029 United States Tel: 212-722-1608 Fax: 212-722-1862 Website: www.harlemrbi.org Discussions about this entry |
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HRBI 2007 Strategic Plan.pdf |
You and Harlem RBI have accomplished an impressive record of success with youngsters and also in terms of financial sustainability, Richard. Your program appears to be comprehensive and age-appropriate, too, in light of the curriculum that you offer. I'm sure that it's with some pride, as well, that you've used those uniquely American sports--baseball and softball--to accomplish all of this. Some folks are concerned that baseball has lost its appeal domestically in favor of American football and basketball, but you offer evidence to the contrary.
From my perspective, your most striking achievement, however, may be the DREAM Charter School. Your intent to grow it a grade level each year over the next eight till you have a full K-8 curriculum seems careful and wise. I wish you much success with this.
Steve Byars
Marshall School of Business
University of Southern California