Newsletter: August 2020

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Dear friends, When I became the Executive Director of Chester Upland Youth Soccer in late February, I looked forward to seeing smiling faces and witnessing growth. Instead, COVID-19 has isolated all of us, making the at-risk children we serve even more vulnerable. Knowing how much everyone is missing soccer and other important connections, we have attempted to stay in touch with CUYS families all spring and summer, and are now looking to deliver a fall season safely through Zoom.  The pandemic certainly brings many challenges to our efforts, but as we think creatively about this unprecedented season, we are finding many positives. For example: Typically we are constrained by space, as many of the schools where we operate hardly have room for children to play. Now, we can open up registration to unlimited numbers.  Because our Coach-Mentors will not be physically in the same space as our players, we can recruit role models from beyond our immediate geography. A few local high- and junior-high school students who are passionate about helping Chester kids are interested in serving as “junior coaches,” demonstrating skills on Zoom sessions and helping the younger children see yet another role model.  Zoom isn't the ideal format for engaging with children, but we are working hard to build a program that allows for our Coach-Mentors to develop meaningful relationships with players, and for players and their families to receive relevant and useful incentives to encourage continued participation from home.   There is proven value in keeping kids committed to sport. Young athletes do better in school, devote more time to studying, think more about their future, aspire to attend and graduate college, and have lower suspension and expulsion rates. (“The Benefits of Youth Sports,” 2017 National Council for Youth Sports.)   Want to take part in our efforts to make a difference in the lives of the children of Chester? Certainly we welcome offers of volunteer hours and financial support, but please also consider the easy, important and perhaps unexpected action step that we have highlighted below. And never hesitate to reach out with your ideas and other feedback. Thank you for your ongoing support. Be well! Jeannine Anckaitis jeannine@chesteruplandyouthsoccer.org ANTIRACISM = EQUITY IN ACCESS TO YOUTH SPORTS Former CUYS Board Member Evan Nesterak was living in Charlottesville in 2017, and captured his impressions of the city's infamous rally on video. After being paid by the band U2 for use of the footage, Evan generously decided to donate those earnings to CUYS, combating racism by supporting equity in access to youth sports.   This is a meaningful action in antiracism activism as sports open up opportunities that can change a life for the better, and yet access to sports is not currently equitable from one neighborhood to another. While only three miles apart, Chester High School, which is attended mostly by black students, has half the number of sports teams of Strath Haven High School, which is attended mostly by white students.   According to a May 2018 report generated by The Council of Economic Advisers for the White House entitled The Potential for Youth Sports to Improve Childhood Outcomes, “Youth  sports  may  help  participants  develop skills,  both  cognitive  and  non-cognitive. Cognitive skills include problem solving and analytical skills,and the returns they generate in the labor market are well-documented in the economics literature. Non-cognitive skills include motivation,  conscientiousness, perceptions  of  self-worth  and  social  skills—factors  that  have each been estimated to positively impact earnings and/or employment (Dunifon and Duncan 1998;  Kautz  et  al.  2014;  Heckman  et  al.  2006;  Deming  2017).   Extend access to youth sports by sponsoring a CUYS soccer player or team here. See Evan's moving report from Charlottesville here. Forward Share Tweet Read Later Share A GIVE-AND-GO FROM A GOLD MEDALIST The Community’s Foundation (TCF), committed to enhancing and improving the quality of life in Delaware County, PA, named CUYS its “Community Organization of the Year.” U.S. Women's National Team star Heather Mitts helped present the award via a personalized video! RUN UP THE SCORE Some who provide grants ask how many followers an organization has on social media. The bigger numbers, the better. So, can you please take a moment to help boost our numbers? It's almost as good as giving us thousands of dollars! Simply click the social media icons below to support us in this easy way, and please encourage your friends and family to do the same. Thank you. CUYS EARNS ASSIST AS CHESTER KIDS SCORE FREE TOYS With the help of a number of industrious volunteers including the Midgette family of Swarthmore, the Molloy family of Wallingford and the Ischiropoulos family of Media, Chester Upland Youth Soccer built and distributed 1,000 “Active Summer Fun Kits” for the children of greater Chester in early July. Each kit included toys that encouraged kids to stay active and healthy while maintaining important social distance. Our heartfelt thanks go to The Community's Foundation and The Foundation for Delaware County for supporting this project, and to the tennis teams at Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore Colleges for donating hundreds of balls. ROSTER ADDITION   We're excited to announce the newest member of our team! Oliver Steinglass joins us as our new Up2Us coach and Program Manager after graduating from Swarthmore College this May, where he studied art and psychology. A four year member of the men's soccer team at Swarthmore, Oliver co-captained the team to a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance last fall. Up2Us Sports, sponsored by AmeriCorps, is the nationwide leader in engaging, training and supporting sports coaches to serve as mentors and role models to youth living in some of America’s most under-served communities. Up2Us Sports’ research, training and on-the-ground initiatives empower sports programs across the country to become a united force for meaningful change. CLASSIC MOMENTS   What are your favorite soccer memories? Everyone associated with CUYS is invited to contribute to our Memory Bank, which contains fun and heartwarming stories and pictures that go back as far as when our program started in 2012. CREATING NEW FANS In time for Mother's Day, the CUYS family partnered with Chester organizations Making a Change (Team MAC) and Nurturing Our Treasured Elders (NOTE) to bring joy to the lonely residents of Belvedere Nursing Home. Families sent homemade cards and packages of snacks and craft activities to 2507 Chestnut St, Chester, PA 19013. Items are still being gratefully accepted so feel free to add what you can to our effort. TIME TO GO TO PRACTICE Anyone looking for ways to practice soccer alone in small spaces is welcome to check out our new At Home Activities page featuring a variety of videos and other resources provided by U.S. Soccer Foundation and others. Click here to donate to Chester Upland Youth Soccer Share Tweet Forward Read Later Share