the greatest loss of all - Jackie Robinson Family YMCA
Transcription
the greatest loss of all - Jackie Robinson Family YMCA
THE GREATEST LOSS OF ALL In small towns, urban ghettos and upscale suburbs, children are being lost to the death, the drugs, and the destruction associated with youth gangs. And the loss of every youngster leaves families with a lifetime of grief and anger. One of the great things about sports is in the end you walk away a winner or a loser. When you keep score, the final tally easily identifies who gets the a ”W” and who gets the “L”. No confusion, and in most cases, quite pain-free too. Through this experience, other indicators emerge. “Personal Best” and “How You Played the Game” are examples of determining whether or not you are winner or a loser. Some youngsters learn these lessons at home, others through the responsible adult supervision that accompanies many youth sports experiences. Still, others learn this lesson on the streets, from positive role models both young and old. So you can understand how trivial losing a game can be compared to youngsters that lose their youth to the death, the drugs, and the destruction associated with youth gangs. Seldom do you walk alone in your victories and defeats. Others share the joys and sorrows, the ups and downs experienced by every child, making the gang related losses more dramatic when you consider that most get involved in gangs because they were bored or had nothing else to do. It sounds so simple, but it really gets complicated to join a team and not a gang. Every child does not have the opportunity to have legitimate access to neighborhood sports facilities. Most can’t afford participation fees. The shortage of responsible adult volunteers makes it tough to stage youth sports activities in areas that need the most intensive programs. Ironically, it doesn’t take much for a youth gang to get the ball rolling. However, the price paid by that boy or girl and their family, in the end becomes very costly. When a child becomes hardened and committed to crime, exposed to and addicted to drugs and alcohol, physically injured, scarred or murdered; that indeed is the greatest loss of all. Kids should be recruited to teams, equally as hard as they are recruited to gangs. And when they join, it is everyone’s job to hold on to them. For these kids, winning and losing could mean the difference between life and death. In these terms, winning is important. Sports contests are great, but the world needs more winners in the biggest game of all, THE GAME OF LIFE! Michael Brunker, Executive Director Jackie Robinson Family YMCA http://ymca.org JOIN A TEAM, NOT A GANG! SOME SAY GANGS WILL NEVER GO AWAY. THE BIGGER PROBLEM TODAY IS MAKING SURE THAT THE OPPORTUNIES OF HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES FOR YOUTH DO NOT DISAPPEAR BEFORE THE DEATH, THE DRUGS, AND THE DESTRUCTION ASSOCIATED WITH YOUTH GANGS. For years, youth sports programs have been credited with providing may powerful lessons for boys and girls. The obvious athletic development has inspired the celebrated to advance to the collegiate, professional, and Olympic level. But it is the testimony of most, that without participation in youth sports they may have ended up somewhere else. That somewhere else is rapidly becoming the greatest concern throughout America today. How do we curtail the death, the drugs, and the destruction associated with youth gangs across the country? CHAMPIONS ARE MADE, NOT BORN. Nobody doubts the importance of sports for a developmental youth. Coaches historically have always been credited with teaching those intangibles that benefit all later in life. Perseverance, respect, integrity, desire, dedication, determination, discipline, and enthusiasm can’t be bought at the corner store. Too often we hear that through team sports success is achieved where others fail. Sadly, the others are often the classroom and the home. THERE IS NO “I” IN TEAM. Self-denial and sacrifice are tough to learn. Team sports teach the value of belonging to the group and contributing to a common goal. If in the end, success is yours, the memories from that magic moment linger. But that time working together, competing together, never dies. HOW DO YOU EXPRESS YOURSELF? Easy. There are so many diverse roles and responsibilities associated with a successful team that each person associated with the team can easily fit into a comfort zone. The trick is having adult supervision that can give legitimate value to each and every role. The top scorer might not be the most valuable. Every role is important, in many ways a team becomes a family. TEAM BUILDING IDEAS. Practice and games alone do not guarantee that players will become a team. Consider activities that your players enjoy, outside of your sport, and do it! Movies, meals, spectator sports participation, and other activities that bring your program participants together in a different environment go a long way. Don’t forget the family. Coaches tend to cater to the kids and ignore parents. Parental support is a must. IT’S ALL BEEN SAID BEFORE… Associate yourself with good people if you esteem your own reputation; FOR IT’S BETTER TO BE ALONE THAN TO BE IN BAD COMPANY. A player may be more clever than one, BUT NO MORE CLEVER THAN ALL. The cheers of athletic contests soon pass away, BUT SINCERE TEAM FRIENDSHIPS LIVE ON FOREVER. The team that won’t be beaten, CAN’T BE BEATEN. A team is only as good AS ITS WEAKEST PLAYER. United we stand, DIVIDED WE FALL. Success is measured in what the team accomplished, NOT HOW YOU LOOK. Take an interest in teammates, THEY WILL TAKE AN INTEREST IN YOU. The more honor and respect among players, THE GREATER THE TEAM. In unity, THERE IS STRENGTH. Act like a heel toward teammates, AND YOU’LL GET WALKED ON. LOYALTY: If you play for a team, work hand, speak well, and stand by the uniform that you wear. Remember, an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness. If you must growl, condemn, and eternally find fault; resign your position and when you are on the outside, damn to your hearts content. But as long as you wear the uniform, do not condemn it. If you do, the first high wind will blow you away, and you probably will never know why. TEAM: T-ogetherness, E-nthusiasm, A-ttitude (good not bad), and M-ental toughness makes winners in the biggest game of all, THE GAME OF LIFE! Jackie Robinson Family YMCA San Diego, California Neighborhood Communities Population: 272,356 (0-19: 33%, 20-44: 37%, 45-64: 20%, Over 65: 9%) Ethnic Composition: Hispanic (52.4%), Asian (17%), Black (14.8%), White (9%), Other (6.8%) Total Households: 71,947 (Under $25,000: 37%, $25,000-$49,999: 32%, Over $50,000: 32%) DOCUMENTED GANGS IN THE SERVICE AREA OF THE JACKIE ROBINSON FAMILY YMCA: Hispanic (20) - 73 Locos, Logan, Logan 13, Logan 33rd Street, Logan Calle Treinta, Logan Click, Logan Red Steps, Lomas, Lomas 26, Lomita Village 70’s, Market Street, Oak Park Locos, Old Town National City, Paradise Hills Locos, Shelltown 38th Street, Shelltown Gamma, Sherman, Sherman 27, Varro Encanto Locos. Asian/Pacific Islander (15) - B-Down Boys, Bahala Na Baricada, Bahala Na Gang—Chapter 1, Easy Going Posse, Insane Pindy Tribe, Kalaban Boys, Oriental Killer Boys, Oriental Mafia Crips, Samahang Pinoy Real, Samahang Dougong Pinoy, Samoan Bloods, Samoan Crips, Satanas, Stateside Islanders, True Pinoy Boys. Black (8) - 5/9 Brim, Eastside Piru, Lincoln Park, Little Africa, Neighborhood Crips, Ofarrell Park Gangsters, Upside Sick, West Coast Crips. Taggers (9) ALS (Another Logan Soldier), BAS (Bitches Ain’t Shit), DAK (Down Ass Kids/Krew), OEK (One Evil Kingdom/Krew), SKA, TNS (Trust No Soul), UFKN (Unfadeable Kriminal Nation/United Family), KN (Klown Nation), KOS (Kappin On Suckers). TOTAL: 52 “Little Africa” Bloods “Neighborhood” Crips “West Coast” Crips “South” 59 Brims “Emerald Hills” “Skyline” Bloods “O’Farrell” Bloods “Lincoln Park” Bloods 1,653 Juvenile Referrals in 2006: 91950 (303), 92102 (303), 92113 (420), 92114 (442), and 92139 (185)