The Skills Center Tampa YES

The Skills Center (TSC) is seeking to provide an array of proven sports-based youth development services for minority middle and high school girls ages 11-17 who reside or attend school in targeted zip codes surrounding TSC’s new facility. These zip codes (33603, 33604, 33605, 33607, 33610, 33612, and 33619) include higher percentages of minorities, lower percentages of adults with a high school diploma or GED, and higher a percentages of individuals living below the federal poverty level than either Tampa or Hillsborough County. Families and girls in these communities lack gender-specific enrichment programs. TSC’s approach builds strategies on the OJJDP’s priorities related to youth development activities that prevent and/or reduce youth violence and exposure to violence. Through Tampa YES, TSC will provide services to 50 eligible girls each of the three funding years. Girls will be identified from the targeted zip codes by TSC staff and community. The youth will participate in trauma-informed, positive youth development programming that includes a individual education plan for each girl, tutoring, mentoring, recreational programming, and services from TSC’s three other minority-led collaborators. The girls’ progress will be tracked through TSC’s web-based data platform, Scoreboard. These metrics along with those required for OJJDP performance management will verify Tampa YES success in preventing youth violence among girls in Tampa’s low-income minority communities. Tampa YES promotes racial equity and removes barriers to participation for low-income, minority girls in the targeted zip codes in Tampa. The Tampa YES program is enhanced by TSC’s identification as a culturally connected organization. Furthermore, the collaboration with three other Black-led organizations strengthens the Tampa YES service model and opportunity for success.