Team AIM

Play Equity to Advance Mental Health (sponsored by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

Our organization, Athletes In The Making (AIM), has been working to provide children with the experience to participate in and learn new sports at school sites and at local parks. Through our work, we not only want to continue providing these experiences, but to ensure children have a safe place to play when they are not at school. Our children are growing up during a time where technology is the dominant means of communication and interaction, and outdoor play has taken a back seat. The restrictions from the recent pandemic further enhanced the way elementary age children play. It is all the more apparent now that children need equitable access to sports and recreation and increase physical activity for a healthier lifestyle. Safety comes in the form of physical and mental health and it's our mission to address these issues.

The grant will support Athletes In The Making (AIM) to increase our ability to provide sports clinics at elementary schools throughout the City of Los Angeles and eventually throughout the Los Angeles County region. AIM will conduct physical education clinics by teaching children drills and skills used in baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer. Not only will the students learn these skills, but they will also learn the mental aspect of the game which includes cooperation, communication, and mutual respect. Research has shown the importance of play and mental health, especially for children during their elementary school years. Engaging in physical activities can help address issues such as anxiety, problem-solving, depression, and provide coping skills.

Our project has been successful in connecting with many schools throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District. We currently have a staff providing sports clinics to the schools on a rotational basis. Our short-term vision is to have the ability to provide sports clinics every day during the school year. Our organization's long-term vision is to send out multiple teams of coaches to visit multiple schools on the same day during the same time slot. Having the ability to increase our team members to reach more schools at the same time will help us increase our impact throughout the City of Los Angeles. Finally, an additional long-term vision is to expand our program throughout other school districts in Los Angeles County to further our impact and create opportunities for children to reach their physical potential. The grant will help us take those steps to continue advocating the connection between play and mental health for young children.

Since 2014, AIM has dedicated its efforts to introducing sports play and community connections by conducting on-campus sports clinics at many elementary schools throughout the City of Los Angeles. Over the years, these clinics benefited children by enhancing the love of play for children who have and have not experienced playing sports. In addition, our clinics have benefited students' mental health by introducing physical activity and addressing any reluctance they had about participating in any sport activity. The positive feedback received from the classroom teachers has been phenomenal as they reported their students, those who were reluctant at the very beginning of our clinic, walked away fully immersed in the activity and having a great time. Our efforts helped generate more student interest in participating in team sports at their local park and recreation center, as demonstrated by the increase in children participating from schools we worked with in the past.