Curriculum of Change #Ally4Athletes
Words are not enough, protests are not enough, posts are not enough, we must take action. If interested read carefully.
Athletes Services Network America is a nonprofit program not only committed to the preparation of athletes to be successful in college and life; but to the education of these young athletes especially when it comes to social issues. According to ESPN, the most popular sport for girls and boys is basketball, with over 450,000 girls and 550,000 boys playing for a school-sponsored team. These numbers do not include those who are playing club. Black males make up 58.9% of NCAA Division I Basketball and 74.4% of the NBA, while only making up 7% of the U.S. population. (Note: According to the U.S. Census Bureau African Americans make up 14% of the U.S. population, the 7% is assuming half of the 14% are males.)
On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union successfully launched the first man-made satellite into space. This prompted Eisenhower to sign the National Defense Education Act into law. The law helped reshape education in the U.S. with a massive influx of Federal dollars. After the U.S. consistently scored lower than many other countries in math and science benchmark tests the Obama Administration spent seven years pushing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education forward with policies and budgets focused on maximizing Federal investment to increase student access and engagement in active, rigorous STEM-learning experiences; and meaningful efforts to inspire and recognize young inventors, discoverers, and makers. In both instances, both presidents used education as the solution. The answer is education.
As the basketball society, we have a duty to educate and provide a platform for the youth to search for answers. Education is always the answer to the problems of our country, but no one has been dedicated to educating our basketball culture. That must change. Basketball is the great unifier and arguably the most important sport for a black man. The only sport that takes black men across the globe and inserts them into different cultures in a positive way. Young athletes must be encouraged from a young age to search for answers but they need a platform and a curriculum to inform them and give them the space to search. ASNA will use Colorado Prep as a beta testing site for this new curriculum.
What does this mean if you are not black? It means that this curriculum will also be for you. We need allies of all colors, races, and creeds to commit to being educated with the truth and grinding for change. No matter what background, the only way these social issues can be changed is to first understand them. All of these negative ideas have been learned and Athletes Services Network America is on a campaign to give young athletes the opportunity to learn the positive. We are currently working with doctors, lawyers, coaches (professional, college, and high school), psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, teachers, professors, etc. to come up with the right type of curriculum for our basketball youth that will spring them forward with ideas, solutions, and unity. We need your help to continue this research and make this happen. A monthly recurring donation and an ongoing commitment in this fight is preferred.