Youth Giving Back to Youth: Part II

From Case Manager Judah Zuger:

On February 26th, Bronx Community Solutions held its second annual basketball clinic for Youth ages 7-12. It was held at the NYCHA Bronxdale Community Center which is a new state of the art facility located at 1000 Rosedale Avenue deep in the heart of the Bronx.

The clinic had five stations that teach the fundamentals: shooting, dribbling, defense, rebounding, and free throws. Judging by the smiles on the kids faces they had a great time. The kids asked if we would be back the following week. The staff enjoyed themselves too. We had local police officers as the team captains as well as members of the Bronx Community Solutions basketball team (former clients and other youth, ages 16-24). In field like criminal justice where a lot of interactions are cold and impersonal, it feels great to connect with youth and just have fun! In addition, it allows our 16-24 year old's to give back to their community in a positive way.



There where no winners or losses in this tournament. All of the kids received goodie bags with toys and then had pizza together. The overarching theme of the league, bridging the gap between youth, police, and community, was alive and well. By the end of the night the kids where tired out as their parents came to pick them up.