OUR IMPACT

America SCORES New York seeks to create equitable opportunities for young people to experience sport, express themselves and inspire positive change off the field and outside the classroom. Using a social justice youth development framework, we emphasize racial equity, fair play, teamwork, and youth voice as key drivers of building a better,
more equitable New York City.

Our Unique Program

The backbone of the America SCORES program is defined by a unique combination of soccer, poetry, and civic engagement which inspires youth development by promoting fair play,
self-expression, commitment, and teamwork.

Core Programming

Health Through Soccer

Our approach to soccer benefits students’ physical fitness and healthy habits, but also improves students’ conflict resolution and problem solving skills.

Power Through Poetry

Poetry sessions throughout the Fall season provide poet-athletes with the opportunity to develop the four touchstones of language acquisition --reading, writing, speaking, and listening -- while teaching students positive modes of self-expression and communication.

Writing for the Community & One Hen

During the spring semester, the elementary school poet-athletes focus on student directed service projects that address neighborhood issues identified and researched by the students themselves. The middle school civic engagement component includes a financial literacy curriculum called One Hen, which guides students through the basics of starting a business and money management, as well as the importance of helping others.

Kicking It Forward

Kicking It Forward seeks to advise and prepare students for life after high school. Students collaborate to understand, develop, and utilize their passion and talents through a series of lessons, speakers, and internships.

Older Youth Programming

Saturday Night Lights (SNL)

A violence prevention program called Saturday Night Lights (SNL) was developed through a partnership with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, local law enforcement. and sports-based youth development organizations throughout New York City. In 2019, we were able to expand on programming and provide a safe space for students to play soccer on Saturdays during high crime times in Washington Heights and build team culture as students are coached on various soccer technical skills, followed by team scrimmages.

Coaching for Change Academy

The Coaching for Change Academy powered by Nike is in its third year of hiring 20 New York City aspiring youth coaches for a year-long paid professional development and mentoring academy. Youth coaches will build mentoring relationships, explore self through healing-centered engagement, learn to coach and navigate in digital spaces, develop professional skills, and make a difference in their communities.

OUR PARTNER SCHOOLS

We partner with NYC public schools, hiring and training their teachers to coach their students in soccer, poetry, and civic engagement programming after-school using our Literacy in Action curriculum.