On Thursday, June 20, 2019, Up2Us Sports hosted a summit in Baltimore to lead a conversation addressing the youth violence issue and how sports-based mentor training can be a healing agent in youth in the Baltimore area.

The interactive conference shared best practices and promoted opportunities to place trauma-informed trained coaches in Baltimore not-for-profits and was designed for all practitioners in youth sports and recreation programs focusing on how to best support coaches to serve as life skills mentors for Baltimore youth.

“The Baltimore Sports & Anti-Violence Summit was an opportunity for partners and community stakeholders to discuss current and emerging issues that affect Baltimore youth,” said Sinclair Eaddy, Jr., Up2Us Sports’ Baltimore City Director. “We believe coach mentors can use sports to reinforce positive behaviors and produce outcomes that could ultimately reduce violence in the city. This event is just one step in building collaborative solutions.”

Speakers included Paul Caccamo - Founder and CEO of Up2Us Sports, Saquan Maxwell, an Up2Us Sports Coach at Harlem Lacrosse Baltimore and Dr. Terri Powell, Associate Professor, Center for Adolescent Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School for Public Health. Participating organizations included the Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore State Attorney’s Office, Living Classrooms, State Fraternal Order of Police, Boys and Girls Club of Metropolitan Baltimore, Ed Reed Foundation, Baltimore City Schools, Parks & People, Next One Up, Y of Central Maryland, Girls in the Game, MedStar Sports Medicine and Banner Neighborhoods.