PYB strives to empower people, mostly from under-resourced communities, to excel as students, athletes, and positive leaders. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, our student-athletes and community partners needed our help -- now more than ever before.
The educational, social, and emotional impact of this pandemic is very real, and it disproportionately affects under-resourced communities of color, communities that many of our PYB program participants call home. It is not an exaggeration to say that the people we serve experience genuine struggle each and every day as they face severe anxiety, fear, and economic security while sheltering in tight quarters alongside their immediate family, relatives, and friends.
As an organization that is deeply committed to the empowerment of young people, especially those from challenging circumstances and limited opportunities, we said to ourselves: "If not us, who, and if not now, when?" We created and adapted five different programs designed to help those from under-resourced communities to excel as students, athletes, and positive leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic.