AT BAT
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Mission Statement
At Bat’s mission is to increase the number of at-risk youth that participate in baseball and softball. (The organization defines at-risk as a child whose household income is 200% below the federal poverty level).
About This Cause
Our Past: At Bat hosted a one-day baseball clinic at Belle Isle Athletic Field in July 2016 to introduce six to 13-year-olds to the fundamentals of baseball. During the 2017-2018 school year, At Bat piloted its first after-school program in collaboration with Voyageur Academy, a Detroit charter school. With limited funding from UAW Ford and individual donations, the organization successfully taught 26 youth baseball and nutrition principles, built self-esteem, and applied academic concepts to real-life examples through structured activities. The after-school program was facilitated by one At Bat staff member, one local volunteer and four University of Michigan college students. In the same school year, At Bat and Voyageur Academy collaborated once more to provide youth after-school programming. This year, the organization introduced a youth program quality assessment tool to collect internal and external data about the quality of programming with partners at Youth Development Resource Center (YDRC). The data collected revealed that At Bat provided an emotional safety and supportive environment for youth participants. In the Summer of 2018, At Bat reached hundreds of youths by partnering with the People of Palmer Park, Metro Detroit Youth Day, Boy Scouts of America Detroit, United Way Meet-Up & Eat-Up Block Party, Boys & Girls Club of Highland Park, and local Neighborhood Block Parties. Throughout the summer, At Bat had the pleasure of hosting five one-day baseball clinics and a summer camp that introduced youth to baseball and softball activities. Youth gained basic baseball and softball knowledge, and learned how to properly throw, catch, and hit. In the Summer of 2019, At Bat received a grant from the United Way of Southeast Michigan (UWSEM) via its Meet-Up and Eat-Up program. This grant allowed the organization to provide two summer camps at River Crest Apartments and Baha’I Center. In addition, At Bat was able to give youth encouragement and provide engaging sporting activities for six weeks with the support of one At Bat staff member and one college intern. In the 2019-2020 school year, At Bat was selected to participate in the Ford Community Corps program. This program allowed the organization to collaborate with Madonna University to provide a Sports and Science after-school program for the students at Saint Vincent Sarah Fisher Center. Through the duration of the after-school program, At Bat was able to successfully support youth in skill building and activities that drive home concepts in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) while learning baseball and softball with the support of one At Bat staff member and three science students from Madonna University. In the Spring of 2021, one At Bat staff member facilitated a spring clinic in partnership with Life Remodeled where children ages six to 13 learned about concussion awareness and throwing techniques. The data collected from the event presented a high score in structuring activities for showing kindness by having youth collect their balls after throwing them into a net then giving them to the next person in line. Another high score was given in support for valuing differences as youth were taught different throwing techniques after everyone acknowledged their dominant writing hand (right or left). In baseball, the dominant hand is the throwing hand, and the non-dominant hand is the catching hand (the hand the glove is placed on). In the 2021-2022 school year, At Bat partnered with Carver STEM Academy to provide an after-school program. Students from the after-school program had the pleasure of going on a field trip to the University of Michigan where they received a college tour from the college students in University of Michigan English 126 class. After-school program participants got to play on a college baseball field, take part in a college tradition by painting on the University of Michigan historical rock, visit a college students dorm room, gain a first-hand experience of college by walk the campus, interacting with other college students (who were not the tour guides), and visiting the local library. In the Summer of 2022, At Bat collaborated with Detroit Public School Community District (DPSCD) to provide summer enrichment to Priest Elementary-Middle School and Charles Wright Academy. Summer enrichments were facilitated by four At Bat staff members and 11 youth workers (ages 13 to 24). At the completion of programing student participants where able to showcase their new skills to peers and summer site faculty members. Our Future: The constant decline of African-American Major League Baseball (MLB) players. From 2015 to 2022 the MLB has seen a 2.6% decline in African-American participation in the past seven years. That is a .37% decline every year. Nevertheless, the sport of baseball has not been made assessable and affordable for African-American youth participants. Therefore, unintentionally disqualifying African-American participation and advancement into the sport of baseball via collegiate and/or professionally. A prime example would be the 2022 World Series which feature no US born African-American player. Youth participation in sports is oftentimes hampered by families’ financial inability to cover costs of lessons, equipment, and/or transportation, which is why At Bat works in partnership with local communities and schools such as Peterson Playground (Old Redford), and Carver STEM Academy. These partnerships help provide affordable programming to youth, thereby increasing their accessibility to the sport. At Bat's 2023 program goals include teaching all youth: o Fundamentals of Baseball: youth will learn baseball essentials which will grant them the ability to properly throw, catch, hit, play different fielding positions, and engage in a five-inning game with peers. o Social Emotional Learning (SEL): assist youth with acknowledging and understanding emotions they encounter while participating in sporting activities. o Healthy Competition: teaches youth the value of competition so they learn how to self-evaluate, set meaningful goals, and develop sportsmanship. o STEM Education: youth will engage in STEM related baseball activities (such as creating and testing hypotheses for baseball rules i.e., if a glove is needed in baseball and if communication is needed in baseball) that challenges them to critically think, and advance their knowledge in a particular subject. o Basic Understanding of Nutrition: youth will learn about healthy snack alternatives and making meaningful food choices.