Character & Leadership
Youth Soccer
YRM organizes, runs, and subsidizes a soccer club program for young neighborhood males from ages 10-16. Conducting this activity includes providing uniforms and organizing practices and competitive league play. Unlike most soccer clubs, YRM incorporates a mandatory community service element into the program to teach youths the importance of serving the community.
During the school year, soccer season takes place from November to May, with soccer practices taking place once a week in the evenings at a rented neighborhood gym, as well as at a local indoor soccer facility. In addition, the teams compete in a local indoor soccer league on the weekends. During the summer season, the participants meet at a city soccer field twice a week in the evening. Participants play in tournaments on a small neighborhood field and also compete in a local outdoor soccer league. YRM’s soccer program provides recreational, educational and leadership training and opportunities for urban youth.
Student Tutoring
Personalized tutoring programs are available for the students who participate in the soccer club and community service projects. The tutoring focuses on developing basic math, phonics, reading and grammar skills and takes place during the school year as well as a four-week period during the summer.
An extension of our summer tutoring program will be a job-training program in the area of landscaping, construction, and food prep, designed to give high school age students the skills necessary to help be employed in such fields. It will also provide skills and a network for those who wish to start small businesses in those fields. It is one of YRM’s goals to target such properties to buy and restore, while starting training programs for the youth to participate in such restoration.
This educational support not only alleviates the excessive burdens on the public educational system, but also helps these youths prepare for high school graduation and securing future employment.