COURTS FOR KIDS
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Mission Statement
We partner with communities to create safe spaces for kids to play sports. Every court building project is a collaborative effort with the partner community and a team of volunteers from North America, who help with fundraising and work alongside the community closely to make the project a reality.
About This Cause
How an Athletic Court Benefits the Local Community: We believe every child should have the opportunity to enjoy sports, and yet a lack of access to safe, well-constructed facilities remains an obstacle throughout the developing world. Our mission is to bring the joy of sports to all children, everywhere, by building courts in challenged, impoverished communities across the globe. We bring this vision to life by assembling teams of committed volunteers, traveling to communities in need, and then working in close partnership with local leaders, organizations, schools, churches, and other invested members of the host community to build athletic courts for their children. The Value of Sports: (from a report by the United Nations) • Studies show that regular physical activity and play are essential for physical, mental, psychological and social development. • Sports presents an opportunity for marginalized groups to experience social inclusion. • Sports emphasizes control over one’s own body, something which is particularly valuable for girls, women, people with disabilities, people living in conflict areas, or people recovering from trauma. • Sport, as a universal language, can be a powerful vehicle to promote peace, tolerance and understanding. Through its power to bring people together across boundaries, cultures and religions, sport can promote tolerance and reconciliation. • Sport can be a catalyst for economic development. Benefits for Partnering Communities Our sports courts provide communities with more than a place to play, often becoming central gathering places for local residents, sites of traditional celebrations, festivals, ceremonies, dances, etc. They become a powerful social and cultural asset, providing a common area to bring people together. In addition, courts are used to generate income, provide physical education classes to youth, and host sports teams and leagues that represent their community. They have even been used to dry rice! The community determines the need, initiates the process, and is an equal partner in every project. The community wants the court, and has a stake in its success.There is no better way to connect with a group of people from a different culture than to work alongside them, creating a space that will benefit the entire community. It is sustainable, will last for many years and impact thousands of children. “The court is in use nearly all the time. It has been a critical and amazing addition to the community and it is already resulting in reduced youth vagrancy, smoking, and drinking. Our unemployed youth spend their time playing and hanging out in a sports area instead of the side of the road. They are channeling all their excess energy into basketball and soccer while also making stronger, healthier relationships with their peers. I cannot thank Courts for Kids enough for seeing this project through.” ~In-country parter Impact on Volunteer Teams: We believe every North American should have an immersion experience in the developing world. Every one of our court building projects is also deeply meaningful for our volunteer team, which stays in the community, works alongside the local people, eats the local food, and participates in cultural and educational activities. Our teams come with humility and work hard, long hours for the first several days. The universal language of hard communal work breaks down walls and barriers between our team and the local residents, and paves the way for a rich, life-impacting cultural exchange. “When the court was complete and the kids were playing basketball, I felt like I had completed something with meaning for the first time in my life.” ~High school student An immersion experience in the developing world offers many gifts: • chance to see the world through the eyes of others • fresh perspective on life • awareness of global issues • unique opportunity to see one’s own culture in new light • connection to the humanity of others around the world • challenge to stereotypes and prejudices • awareness of the opportunities many North Americans take for granted • making a real difference in the lives of people. • time to unplug from technology • opportunity for new friendships • increased empathy, compassion, and love “I had a sense of empowerment when I left, knowing that in many ways my perspective on the world and my role in it had changed. This feeling has guided me over the last 3 years towards opportunities that I wouldn’t have considered if I hadn’t volunteered with Courts for Kids.” ~College student