Watts, CA - Expanded Free Access to High Quality Soccer and Tutoring in Public Housing Developments

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

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

Our understanding is that in Watts, there are four major public housing developments situated within a 2 square mile radius. Children growing up in these areas face challenges due to limited access caused by heavy traffic, lack of pedestrian-friendly walkways, gang violence, and racial tension. Markum Middle School, which they attend at age 12, witnesses increased violence due to neighborhood and gang rivalries. Our proposal aims to address these issues by providing equitable access to play, tutoring, and weekend tournaments for the youth. We seek to offer them the same opportunities for fun, learning, and exposure as their counterparts in Beverly Hills. By fostering early engagement and nurturing relationships, we aim to mitigate violence and tension, creating a positive and transformative impact on their lives.

Street Soccer Los Angeles (SSUSA) strives to connect public housing developments through soccer, tutoring, and employment opportunities, emphasizing social and emotional learning. We establish positive relationships and engage parents while leveraging our human services expertise to coordinate access to critical services and educational support for youth and families. Our program engages low-income K-12 youth through after-school and community soccer clubs, utilizing soccer to improve physical fitness, self-esteem, healthy habits, and goal-oriented behavior. We operate year-round with three 12-week school seasons and a 10-week summer season, supplemented by neighborhood festivals. We offer specialized opportunities for girls, practicing twice a week for 2 hours each day. Currently in Watts, we operate at Imperial Courts, Ted Watkins Park, Nickerson Gardens, and a three after school locations (Florence Joyner Elementary, Florence-Firestone and Animo Watts). This grant seeks to expand into Gonzaque Village and Jordan Downs, replicating our successful model. Once all four public housing developments have funded programs, we will fully implement the Street League Model (which we have already started to roll out), fostering inter-community connections. Our vision is to expose youth to diverse peers, building bridges and socialization opportunities from an early age, ultimately promoting positive development.

Los Angeles County will see transformative change through our successful efforts. By providing free soccer and tutoring programs in Watts' public housing developments (Imperial Courts, Nickerson Gardens, Jordan Downs, Gonzaque Village), we'll begin addressing the play equity gap compared to privileged areas like Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. This expansion engages the most vulnerable and concentrated youth populations, unlocking untapped talent pools. By empowering these youth, we'll increase college attendance and professional opportunities. Reduced community violence in Watts will also benefit neighboring communities like Compton within Los Angeles County. Our vision includes scaling initiatives to reach more public housing developments, fostering inclusivity and talent development. We strive to create a prosperous and inclusive future for all youth in Los Angeles County.

As of now, we are partnered with Nike and the Play Equity Fund's through their Made To Play grant, wherein Hello Insight collects regular data on our practices. We are also partnered with a refugee group called La Linterna, who in turn has partnered with UCLA Medical Center and are performing data sets for us to establish correlations between engagement in our programs and increased social and emotional health. When these assessments are complete, we will be granted access and ability to disseminate.