Philadelphia

In Philadelphia, we partner with recreation centers and other community-based and non-profit organizations to introduce young people to the game and provide fun, safe, and positive recreational and development opportunities for kids of all skill and experience levels at no cost.

Background

In August 2021, through Philadelphia Adult League Softball, we collaborated with the Tommie C. Howell T-Ball Program, Men of Mill Creek, and USA Quickball to offer a free weeklong Baseball + Softball Skills Camp for children ages 6 to 15 that engaged 41 young people while Mill Creek Recreation Center was closed for COVID-19 testing. In July 2022, we partnered with the Mill Creek Recreation Center to offer weekly USA Quickball clinics for youth participants in Philadelphia Park and Recreation's six-week day camp hosted at Mill Creek.

Current + Future Programming

Since incorporating Change Up Sports, our priority for 2023 is to grow the number of young people in Philadelphia exposed to and involved in the game, as well as engaged in complementary youth development programming, through a range of community partnerships and initiatives:

Recreation Center Clinics

For Summer 2023, we partnered with the Tiffany Fletcher/Mill Creek Recreation Center in West Philadelphia to offer weekly Quickball clinics on Wednesdays for 19 young people as a part of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation's six-week day camp. We also partnered with Happy Hollow Rec Center in Germantown to offer weekly Quickball clinics on Mondays as a part of their Parks and Recreation day camp for 19 young people. In addition, we partnered with the Lucien E. Blackwell (LEB) Center and the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) to host a free youth PIzza + Kickball Night at the LEB Center on June 21 for 37 young people.

Community-Based Clinics

This summer, we also partnered with a range of community and non-profit organizations. In July and August, we worked with African Family Health Organization (AFAHO) in Southwest Philly to host both Quickball clinics and kickball on Tuesdays and Thursdays as a part of their three-week STEM camp for 16 young people ages 8 to 11 years old, as well as a one-time kickball clinic for 14 young people ages 12 to 18 in their African Youth Empowerment Program (AYEP).

In addition, we partnered with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Health Equity to participate in two of their Community Health Partnership Clinics in Cobbs Creek in both May and August to faclitate a throwing station and provide healthy snacks for over 250 community residents. We also participated in the Mill Creek Family Fun Day event in August.

This fall, we partnered with the Community of Compassion CDC in Cobbs Creek--one of six Community Evening Rescource Centers (CERC) throughout the City to provide a safe place for young people ages 6 to 18 to go between 7pm and 2am each night--to host seven weeks of weekly kickball and Quickball sessions with up to 30 young people, including three pizza party nights.

Community Engagement Events

For 2023, we are hosting ongoing young and community engagment events with partners throughout the City and, on May 19, hosted a Stop the Bleed training at the Tiffany Fletcher/Mill Creek Recreation Center through Penn Medicine Trauma Center.