Youth Development through Year-Round Sports and Teams

The OJJDP FY 09 Earmarks Programs further the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Explanatory Statement Regarding H.R. 1105 (Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009), 155 Cong. Rec. H1653 (daily ed. Feb. 23, 2009) (statement by Rep. Obey, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House).

East Harlem youth typically attend failing schools and have inadequate opportunities to engage in positive activities during after-school hours, when research shows increased rates of juvenile crime. The neighborhood is defined by its massive public housing projects, high crime rates and the pervasive shadow of drugs and gangs. These circumstances reduce youths' ability to thrive and ultimately prolong the cycle of poverty into which they were born. Harlem RBI's Team Enrichment Program exists to combat these social ills. The Team Enrichment Program serves 192 teenage youth in East Harlem, ages 13-18, providing academic, enrichment, job readiness, college preparation and recreational programming. The Program engages youth 3-6 days per week, year-round and helps participants avoid the perils that trap many inner-city youth ' teenage pregnancy, gang membership and drug and alcohol abuse ' while working toward high school graduation and college matriculation. Youth progress toward program goals is measured by collecting data on attendance, academic performance, social skill development, avoidance of risk behaviors and physical health. Harlem RBI's Team Enrichment Program ensures that youth become physically healthy, high school graduates who matriculate to college, work ready, caring, confident and active citizens who ultimately break the cycle of poverty into which they were born. NCA/NCF