Can the game of basketball be used to help improve the lives of at-risk youth around the world?
Justin and Lindsey Kittridge, founders of a Boston-based nonprofit called Shooting Touch, believe that it can. Their mission is to use the power of sport to deliver health education, intervention, and empowerment to children and families throughout the world. They began in 2007 by offering free basketball clinics to low-income youth in Boston. The organization is funded by grants and private donations.
After recognizing that inner-city girls in Boston lacked sporting opportunities, Shooting Touch began a free basketball program called G3: Getting Girls in the Game. As is the case with all their programs, G3 is about so much more than basketball. It’s about educating and empowering girls and teaching them the importance of good nutrition, body positivity, self-esteem, and healthy living habits. By partnering with female officers from the Boston Police Department, Shooting Touch has helped foster positive relationships and trust between community members and local police. G3 gives female police officers the opportunity to mentor girls and provide them with positive role models.
In 2012, Shooting Touch introduced their programs to the African nation of Rwanda. When asked why Rwanda was chosen, Lindsey Kittredge says, “It was at the top of our list because after the 1994 genocide, 67 percent of the population was under the age of 25. So there were a million-plus children who needed this type of programming.” More than 800,000 Rwandans were killed in just 100 days during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. At least 3.5 million others were displaced from their homes, and many were forced to flee to refugee camps.
Denne historien er fra March 2018-utgaven av Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids.
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Denne historien er fra March 2018-utgaven av Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Animal Central
From golden frogs to big cats to colorful birds, the national animals of Central America represent the geography and cultures of the region. For a quick sampling of creatures plain and beautiful, common and rare, read on.
31 Countries Biosphere
The Trifinio Fraternidad Biosphere Reserve is located at a spot where El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras converge. A biosphere is the layer of planet Earth where life exists.
THE LEGEND OF THE QUETZAL BIRD
A Mayan Tale retold by Pat Betteley illustrated by Amanda Shepherd
Semana Santa GUATEMALA'S HOLY WEEK
What if Easter preparations meant dyeing sand, collecting pine needles, and staying up all night to work on an art project that you knew would be ruined the very next day? Well, welcome to Guatemala’s Semana Santa, or Holy Week.
ME OH-MAYA!
The Maya are groups of people who live in parts of Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. Their ancestors created a great society. At its peak, from 600-900 C.E., the Maya civilization was more advanced than its neighbors in the Americas.
Playing Games Honduras-style
Would you play the same games in Honduras that you do in the United States? You might. Children in Honduras enjoy many of the same games North Americans do. They go fishing and shoot baskets. They play sandlot baseball—called bate (BAH tay). They fly kites and ride bikes. Their parents may go horseback riding or play golf or tennis.
LIVING A LONG LIFE IN THE Blue Zone
Most people would like to live as long a life as possible. No one really knows why some people live longer than others, but did you know that where you live can play a big part in how many years you’ll be alive? If you live in a Blue Zone, chances are that you will live much longer than people in other parts of the world.
ATTENTION WORLD: Belize Saves Their Coral Reef
Sea turtles float in clear waters, colorful corals hug the ocean floor, and aquatic animals glide among the mangrove roots. Welcome to the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, the second-largest coral reef in the world (Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is number one). Several years ago, this reef was in crisis, heading toward destruction. But the people of Belize fought back to save their reef’s health.
The Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a 51-mile long canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
This is Central America!
It’s time to visit Central America. But first, it helps to know exactly where Central America is. Despite its name, it is the southernmost part of North America, which can seem a little confusing. It makes up most of the isthmus dividing the Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean Sea. An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses and has water on both sides.
