Apply to Bring an AmeriCorps VISTA to Your Organization!

For 50 years, the AmeriCorps VISTA program has been at the forefront of building capacity of communities to fight poverty. VISTA members devote a year of their lives to challenge poverty’s root causes. The goal of the Up2Us VISTA program is to build the capacity of Up2Us member organizations who run high-quality sports-based youth development programming in under-served communities. We are proud to have placed over 120 VISTAs at 40 Up2Us member organizations over the past five years. In 2014 alone, the 30 Up2Us VISTA members helped their host site organizations 6.2 million in cash and in-kind donations. Their combined efforts allowed Up2Us host sites to serve nearly 150,000 new participants.

We would like to invite our member organizations to apply to host a 2015-2016 VISTA. The application can be found here.

For more information, please join us for the VISTA Program Overview/RFP Assistance on Tuesday, February 3rd at 3pm EST. Please join us to learn more about how hosting an Up2Us VISTA member can build the capacity of your program! You can register by emailing Leah.

Up2Us on National Mentoring Month

In 1938, more than 200 Harvard students (all men at the time) joined a research study that lasted for the next 75 years. The point of the project was to analyze how the things in our lives—work, family, friends, money, possessions—influence how happy and successful we think we are. Scientists from the university followed these men throughout their lives, checking back in with them every few years to see what they were doing, how successful and happy they felt, and what the causes of this happiness and success were (or weren’t). At the end of the project, lead researcher George Valliant was asked what he learned from the study’s decades-worth of data. It seemed, initially, that his answer might be some sort of complex scientific formula that could guide our pursuit of success and happiness moving forward. Instead, Dr. Valliant said that his research could be boiled down into a very simple phrase: “Happiness is love. Full stop.” When people were surrounded by positive relationships with others and a lot of love, they tended to feel successful and happy, regardless of how other things were going in their lives.

I think of Dr. Valliant’s work often as I travel around the country working with our Up2Us coaches. When I share his results with them, they tend to smile knowingly. The idea that love can move us forward and help make great things happen is the reason why our coaches get up every day and go to work. They are positive adults building strong, lasting relationships with young people—connections that may be constructed initially on the power of sport and physical activity, but inevitably expand to include so much more.

The start of the New Year brings many exciting things, not the least of which is National Mentoring Month, which we celebrate alongside our colleagues in the youth-serving world every January. This year, as I was reading new data from MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, I learned that 1 in 3 young people will move into their adult years without ever having a positive connection with a mentor—that is millions of young people without a teacher, coach, or other adult to help them work through the success and challenges of growing up.

As we head into 2015, we at Up2Us have a long list of things we’d like to achieve this year. At the top of that list, though, is continuing to close the mentoring gap in this country. All young people should have access to a positive, well-trained adult who cares about them and believes that they are worthy of deep, unconditional love. Dr. Valliant knew it, our Up2Us coaches know it—and they, alongside millions of other adult mentors worldwide, live it every day.

Full stop.

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Caitlin Barrett Associate Director, Coach Training & Excellence Up2Us

Operation Coach Honored by Miami HEAT

 

In honor of their work and commitment to youth in Miami through Operation Coach, the Miami HEAT honored the Operation Coach team at the November 25th "Home Strong" game against the Golden State Warriors.

The Miami HEAT's generous donation in 2014 provided Up2Us the opportunity to launch Operation Coach, a program that hires returning veterans to serve as coach-mentors in sports-based youth development programs.

The two Up2Us coaches honored at the game were Josie Martinez (Air Force Technical Sergeant E6) and Kleiton Almeida (Marine Corps Third Class Petty Officer), along with the Operation Coach Program Manager, Edwin Vasco (Marine Corps Lance Corporal).

German DuBois, Up2Us Miami Regional Director, said "the night was representative of the longstanding reputation the HEAT have of supporting local veteran causes and being part of a larger community effort to do so. We are so appreciative of the support from the HEAT. The night was an affirmation of a great partnership.”

Martinez, Almeida and Vasco were honored at half court as part of a special pre-game ceremony and given a plaque for their continued service to their communities, court-side seats and an opportunity to be shoulder to shoulder with the players in their pre-game huddle. The plaques are on display at their program sites in Miami.

Steve Stowe, Executive Director of the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund, had this to say about inspiring other professional teams to sign on with Up2Us: "We want all other teams in the NBA, maybe in other leagues, to join with Up2Us and really make a statement where we can look back 10 years from now and say this is amazing; that we started all of this in Miami.”

Questions about the Operation Coach program in Miami can be directed to Regional Director German DuBois.

Happy Holidays from Up2Us!

Your gift this holiday season has the potential to give one kid a coach to guide them through the daily challenges they face on the field, in school and in the community. Here's how:

I want you to imagine.

A child who knows that he or she is capable of being someone. This child deep down inside wants to make the right decisions in life…to stay in school…to read out loud in the classroom when the teacher calls on her...to say no to the kids who want him to do drugs or join a gang…but there is no one in that child’s life to encourage him or her to make these kinds of decisions.

This child is not a bad person, but is surrounded by other kids who laugh at education, who are moms at 15, who want him to participate in a drug deal. He does not want to do any of it. But there’s no one there. Not one positive influence. Not one person to believe in him and say: “You don’t have to do that because you are better than that. You are special. You have your whole life in front of you.”

Was that child you? Did an adult tell you that you mattered at a time in your life when you were alone or dealing with a family issue or unsure of yourself? Did a coach encourage you to quietly walk away from trouble and open that math book late at night? Did a coach make you feel you belong, you can accomplish, you are a leader?

This holiday season, I ask you to please change a child’s life by supporting Up2Us. Up2Us believes that one of the most transformative adults in child’s life is a coach. Not just any coach, but an Up2Us coach. A coach who’s trained to use that kid’s love of sports to build a relationship that guides him away from making bad choices.

If you have a son or daughter who plays sports, you know more than anyone that a coach has this kind of influence. That’s why I am building a national workforce of coaches who use the trust they develop with kids to end violence, increase academic participation and inspire future leaders.

It takes no imagination to find the child who sits on a curb in our cities with no one to inspire him or her. I can point this child out in every community in America. But through your caring, you can jump into this picture and change it forever. With your support, I will hire and train a basketball coach, soccer coach, baseball coach, tennis coach, and lacrosse coach, to walk over to that child and say:

“I believe in you.  Let’s play ball.”

It takes only one adult to see the child who wants to be more than the negative behavior that is reinforced all around him.

Please support Up2Us in your holiday giving and change a young person’s life.

Click here to donate. Every child deserves a coach!

Happy Holidays!

Paul Caccamo

GIVING TUESDAY: We Need Your Help

We want to give Chris a coach.  

Not just any coach.

A coach who can teach him how to win not just on the field, but also help him succeed in life.  A coach trained in youth development as well as in sports, who can inspire him to improve his grades in school, live a healthy lifestyle and make good decisions.  

On this National Day of Giving, please donate and help us provide coach-mentors to Chris and thousands of other youth across the nation.

Happy Holidays and thank you for being on our team!

Take That!

It’s time to end bullying in sports. It’s been more than a month since Sayreville, NJ, caught our national attention as yet another example of bullying in youth sports.   Unfortunately, Sayreville is not alone.  Bullying in sports programs goes undetected in our schools, parks and playgrounds across this nation. Yet, bullying in youth sports is preventable.

Three basic steps to prevention:

1. Train Coaches
2. Establish and Enforce Team Codes of Conduct
3. Inspire Student Athletes to See Sportsmanship as Leadership

Training coaches is by far the most important step.  A trained coach sets the example through their language and through the way they intentionally build positive relationships among their players.   A trained coach creates team traditions such as cheers and songs that emphasize cohesion and unity.   A trained coach knows how to  use practices and game days to develop leadership skills in all players which leads to greater teamwork and mutual respect.   And a trained coach knows exactly what to do if he/she observes or suspects that bullying is taking place.

Up2Us teamed up with The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation to develop trainings for youth sports coaches to prevent bullying.   You can access more information on these trainings at info@up2us.org or check out our coaching tips on how to make your team bully-free.

At Up2Us, we see sports as a critical tool for developing life skills in our youth.   We view coaches as the most transformative adults for inspiring young people to achieve their personal success on and off the field.   Bullying is neither a life skill or a badge of success.   For National Bullying Awareness Week, I challenge every youth sports coach in the nation to join Up2Us and The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation in ending bullying on our courts, in our fields, playgrounds, and locker rooms.

Paul Caccamo

CEO and Founder

Coach Across America RFP Deadline Extended!

Please note the deadline for the Coach Across America RFP Deadline has been extended to Sunday, January 4, 2015 at 11:59pm EST. 

If you are interested in hosting coaches through our Coach Across America (CAA) program  in 2015-2016 to help build capacity at your organization and serve more youth, please complete the online application.

NOTE: There are different applications for organizations in New Orleans and Miami.

Coach Across America Request For Proposal 

Coach Across America Request For Proposal - MIAMI

Coach Across America Request For Proposal - NEW ORLEANS

Coach Across America (CAA), the flagship program of Up2Us, is the first nationwide effort to mobilize young adults to be coaches in underserved communities.  Beyond financial assistance for coach wage/stipend, CAA supports member organizations to recruit, train, and supervise CAA coaches that serve in their respective programs.

Up2Us will host our first technical assistance webinar on the CAA application on Tuesday, November 25 at 11:00am EST.  To register, click here.  During this orientation, CAA staff will review the application and answer questions related to the program.  We will reach out with more information on our second webinar soon.

If you have any questions regarding the CAA application, please contact your CAA Program Manager (for returning Host Sites) and/or:

Isabel Pradas Director Coach Across America 212-563-3031 ipradas@up2us.org

Connecting Inspiring Vets With the Right Jobs

On Veterans Day, we should think deeply about what we are doing (or are not doing) as a nation to support veterans at home. According to the Army Times, unemployment for post-9/11 returning vets is 9.2 percent. This is considerably higher than the nation’s unemployment rate of 5.8 percent. More alarming, the Department of Labor states that for vets under the age of 25, the unemployment rate is 25 percent. It’s fair to say that we as a nation have been unprepared to meet the needs of the roughly 3 million young Americans who have completed their military service and returned home.

So what can we do about it? I had an idea, and it’s working. Let’s create jobs that engage veterans as leaders and problem solvers for the challenges facing youth in America. After all, veterans possess a unique set of skills from leadership, discipline and team building, to a sense of purpose and mission.

Why not employ those skills in urban parks, schools, playgrounds and nonprofits to inspire kids who need these adult role models to guide them away from violence and other negative behaviors? This year, Up2Us announced a new initiative to do just that, Operation Coach.

Operation Coach engages returning veterans as paid youth sports coaches in underserved communities throughout Miami. Through a partnership with the Miami Heat, Laureus USA and Mercedes-Benz USA, Up2Us hired, trained and placed eight veterans to work with almost 750 at-risk youth. Not only did the youth gravitate to the presence of these war heroes in their parks and playgrounds, but the veterans found that being a coach helped them more easily transition into domestic life.

Here are a couple of their stories:

Former Marine Sgt. Alvaro J. Ayala, currently teaches and coaches martial arts classes at an Up2Us member organization called Outside The Ring Champion. Alvaro grew up in Nicaragua and moved to Miami at the age of 12. After high school, he enrolled at Harding University, where he played soccer for a year before enlisting in the Marine Corps. Alvaro became a Sergeant Marine Embassy security guard and served in many parts of the world during his 51/2 years of military service. Upon his honorable discharge, Alvaro returned to Miami to continue his education and is currently enrolled in Florida International University while serving in Operation Coach.

“I didn’t want to be anything else,” said Alvaro. “I realized that being a coach is what makes me happy. That I really enjoy it regardless of how much money I’m being paid, so I decided to go for it as a career.”

Alvaro’s desire to make a difference in the lives of kids has provided him with a renewed sense of purpose and motivation to succeed.

Another success story is Kleiton V. Almeida, a former Petty Officer Third Class in the Navy. Kleiton currently works at an Up2Us member organization that is a public school that services six homeless shelters in Miami. He was born and raised in Brazil. During this time, he fell in love with sports and, in particular, soccer. When Kleiton moved to Miami as a teen, his passion for soccer continued and his desire to give back was born. He went on to enlist in the Navy.

He was an accomplished boatswain mate earning a Navy and Marine Corps achievement medal for his contributions as a master helmsman.

He served honorably and was deployed to the Persian Gulf during operation Iraqi Freedom.

Upon his discharge, Kleiton faced challenges transitioning into mainstream society, but he continued his studies in physical education as he promised his mother he would do before serving in the military. In May, he graduated with a physical education degree from FIU. His unique blend of compassion and discipline has earned him praise from the Eneida M. Hartner Elementary School principal and staff where he serves in Operation Coach, and his kids love him!

“I came at them with discipline,” said Kleiton. “But at the same time, I came at them with the attitude of: I’m here for you and I’m here to help you, so if you need anything you can come and talk to me. You can come see me and I will do my best to help you.”

These are just two stories that illustrate the way in which returning veterans can use their unique skills and knowledge to improve the lives of the nation’s youth, and the communities in which they live.

This Veterans Day, let’s remember those who have served our country abroad and honor their service by creating meaningful employment opportunities for them back home.

__

This piece was also published in the Miami Herald and The Hill.

My Secret: I Don't Coach to Win Championships

I coach a team of 10-11 year old girls for a dedicated volleyball club in New York City.  Parents bring their girls, ages 10-18, to this club with the intention of winning tournaments and signing scholarships.  I’ve even had parents of my 11 year-old players pester me about their college recruitment.  What my players, parents and club directors don’t know is that as a coach, I don’t aim to create championship 11-year old volleyball players.  I aim to create a positive sports environment and act as a mentor for my players when they need one. I use the sport my players and I both love as a tool to build and instill the characteristics and traits that create great 11-year old girls, and here are the secrets on how to do it: Secret #1: I create an encouraging team culture I shape a culture for our twice-weekly practices around encouraging your teammates, whether they are on your side of the net or the other.  This takes time—especially in a sport where each point is scored by a ball hitting the ground and a player making a mistake.  Instead of individual goals, I set team goals.  Instead of having each girl get 5 serves over the net, I say lets get 50 serves over as a team.  This teaches players to set goals and to work together to achieve them.

Secret #2: I make practices fun If practices aren’t fun, players won’t come.  It is that simple.  My players are at the age where most females begin to lose interest in sports because it just isn’t fun anymore.  Instead of starting practices with lectures or drills, I begin my practices with Taylor Swift blaring and an intense game of tag.  I make every drill or activity into a game, and use music when I can to keep the environment fun and relaxed.

Secret #3: I never reveal my favorites We coaches do have favorites on our teams.  The challenge is to treat each kid like they are your favorite.  I believe in getting to know each of my girls.  I distract them from conditioning exercises by letting them tell me about what is going on in their life.  At Friday practices, we do abdominal exercises while each girl waits anxiously for her turn to tell the team about her exciting weekend plans.  I urge players to tell me some inconsequential detail about their lives, this way if they have something serious come up, they won’t feel uncomfortable talking to me about it.

Secret #4: I arrive at every practice over caffeinated. All of that energy has to come from somewhere.  Really—It helps.

And here is the secret even I didn’t know—while you’re busy teaching all of these things, the championships often happen along the way.  We finished the season as the top 11 and under team in the tri-state area and went on to Nationals to finish 13^th in the country.

My girls haven’t figured it out yet—this secret plan I have for using volleyball to shape them into better people.   A few parents have though—seeing positive changes in their daughters since they began playing on the team, and they don’t seem to mind.

Alex Bondy Graphic Design & Brand Manager Up2Us

Pam Shriver hosts Tennis Clinic for Los Angeles Youth

On September 29, nearly 100 students from South Los Angeles attended an Up2Us tennis clinic hosted by tennis great and ESPN broadcaster, Pam Shriver.  Shriver was joined by a group of Coach Across America coaches who had just completed an Up2Us Coach Training Institute where they learned techniques for using sports to mentor at-risk youth.

[WATCH] Coach Roy Williams Supports Coach Across America Coaches

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGlR8eSbxdk Hall of Fame Coach, Roy Williams, of the University of North Carolina Mens Basketball team, congratulates Coach Across America coaches on the work they have done to mentor at-risk youth through sports. Coach Williams encourages coaches to leave a positive impact on players and to develop an environment that helps players become good people.

[LISTEN] NPR Segment Highlights Trauma-Sensitive Coach Training

The creators of Only a Game, a National Public Radio (NPR) show on the untold stories in sports, joined Coach Across America coaches and host site supervisors at the fifth annual Coach Training Institute in Boston last month.  Only a Game highlighted Up2Us' innovative trauma-sensitive coach training and how Beyond the Ball, an Up2Us member organization, has used sports and coaching to transform the Chicago neighborhood of Little Village. Over the course of the four days, 115 Coach Across America coaches and site supervisors participated in interactive workshops and discussions on the foundations of sports-based youth development, trauma-sensitive coaching, and managing challenging behavior.  Additionally, they built new networks across state and organization lines, which  will serve them well throughout their terms of service.  This year's event was the Up2Us Center's largest yet in Boston!  Furthermore, we were excited to welcome the eight coaches who are part of our pilot Operation Coach program, which places post-9/11 military veterans as coaches at Up2Us member organizations in the Miami area.

Click below to listen to the segment from NPR radio program, Only a Game: