From Megan Rapinoe to the Youth of NYC: Utilizing Sport in Social Justice Youth Development

Shannon Schneeman
Nov 4 · 3 min read

The poet-athletes from America SCORES New York’s Mott Hall Middle School team listening to the legendary speech from hero Megan Rapinoe

The growth of utilizing sports as a vehicle for social justice has not been a subtle movement.

From Colin Kaepernick’s poignant statement about police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem to the US Women’s National Team, led by Megan Rapinoe, vying for equal pay on the world stage during the Summer 2019 World Cup, a conversation on the role of sport in the field of social justice has come to the forefront in a big way.

While for many, this change seems sudden, the utilization of sport to promote political movements is centuries old, and, logically, the connection is clear; sport values perseverance, discipline, and collective responsibility, all of which are key players in the fight for social justice.

With “fair play” at the center of sport development, sport does encourage a more humanitarian approach to an oftentimes inhumane world. While the prevalence of social justice in sports continues to unfold on a professional level, how do we engage our young people in this international conversation?

America SCORES seeks to do just that. America SCORES New York (ASNY) serves almost 1,500 young people throughout New York City through a combination of free after-school soccer, poetry, and service learning programming. ASNY’s focus is primarily on public schools in under resourced communities, where need is highest and where students and families have been historically deprived of opportunities to prosper as a result of systemic inequality.

A key part of ASNY’s mission lies in social justice youth development (SJYD).

“SJYD examines how urban youth contest, challenge, respond to, and negotiate the use of power in their lives,” says youth development scholar Shawn Ginwright. “The goal of SJYD is to build a more equitable society through the engagement of critically conscious citizens.”

ASNY’s established program structure allows them to fit well into the framework of SJYD and utilizes a poetry, soccer, and community engagement curriculum as a vehicle for their poet-athletes to be more engaged members of their communities. While 1,500 NYC youth are directly impacted by these opportunities, ASNY hopes to further that reach and impact New York’s young people on a larger scale.

On September 30th, 2019, America SCORES New York launched their 2030 Vision Strategy, a ten year plan with the goal of being NYC’s leader in social justice youth development through sport, self-expression and community. Aside from providing a safe space for them to engage with their teammates and coaches, ASNY programming gives young people a space to explore their identity, express their authentic selves, act together to make change in their communities, and use soccer as a means of healing from trauma.

By 2030, ASNY hopes to impact 15,000 youth with these opportunities to grow as athletes, as artists, and as active leaders in their communities.

With Megan Rapinoe, Colin Kaepernick, and countless leaders in sport as examples, America SCORES New York strives to continue working alongside their poet-athletes to intentionally make soccer, poetry, and service learning spaces where young people can reimagine the world and build a more just future for all.

Executive Director of America SCORES New York, a nonprofit that runs free after-school soccer, literacy, and service learning programming for NYC youth.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade