Is
Anyone Coming To The Rescue? YES!
By Jeremy
Silman
When I was a child, I
remember going to kindergarten and excelling in my favorite activity: nap time.
I would lie on my blanket, exult in not having to experience the stigmata of
failure that was often associated with more demanding endeavors, and drift
off--virtually one with the class--to a world of peaceful, fat-building,
serenity.
Unfortunately, as the
years rolled by and sleep ceased to be a gradable pursuit, students all around
me began to experience some serious setbacks: feelings of alienation (one
teacher can only do so much when faced with the needs of dozens of children),
feelings of inadequacy (subjects that proved difficult loomed as
impossible-to-scale chasms), and weight gain (yes, I continued to seek mastery
of sleep at home, avoiding any kind of physical activity as if it were a
disease).
In my day, these
all-too-common problems were never adequately addressed. Fortunately, we now
live in more enlightened times, and shouldn’t hesitate to ask some serious
questions: What can children do that are experiencing difficulties with
academics and/or fitness? How does the system cope with children who are rapidly
developing low self-esteem and are unable to make friends or comfortably
participate within the often-stressful confines of group activities? What
recourse does a child have when he wants to learn a game such as tennis but can’t
afford the basic equipment necessary to pursue it?
A newly formed
partnership between the City of Burbank, the Luther Burbank Middle School (3700
W. Jeffries Ave. Burbank, CA 91505 Ph: 818-558-5322), and the Youth, Education
and Sports Foundation (YES), has taken a firm step towards solving some of these
dilemmas by creating a collaboration that merges the existing academic
after-school program with a sporting program dedicated to the study of tennis.
Why tennis? Imagine a
sport that offers very little chance of serious injury,
a sport that offers children fantastic levels of physical fitness, a sport that
promotes quick thinking, decision making, and the formation of strategic
concepts that improve the child’s performance in virtually every other
subject, be it physical or intellectual. Tennis offers all these things and, as
a result, has begun to be embraced by forward thinking members of the community.
This new program is a
logical extension of the already existing partnership (created in September,
1997) between YES, a non-profit organization, and the city-owned Burbank Tennis
Center. Already very active in the Burbank community, YES has hosted, within the
Parks and Recs, several community tennis days, initiated the Pathway 1-2-3
Program, created junior tennis leagues, and, as of this year, are the official
organization hosting the sanctioned Jack Kramer Junior Tournament--played solely
on Burbank courts. Since YES is wholly devoted to improving the lives of
children through tennis, it was only natural that they cast their eyes on the
school system.
Realizing that public
schools aren’t at liberty to seek funds from the private
sector, YES stepped in and offered a collaboration that allowed new monies to be
sought by YES for the school’s tennis program. YES also brings in coaches and
provides for their payment, equipment, creates a program and schedule, manages
the programs to make sure things run smoothly, arranges free tennis camps and
clinics for promising students, and arranges yearly tournaments with prizes.
Clearly, such a package was hard for the Luther Burbank Middle School to turn
down! Now, instead of getting out of school at three and wandering the streets
(or sitting at home in front of the television) without any direction,
interested children suddenly have another, far more exciting, option: they can
participate in academic study from 3 to 4 (giving them a huge edge over children
that don’t wish to make use of this opportunity), and then have the time of
their lives by studying tennis, playing matches, and even winning prizes from
4-5. Everything, from the academic work to the tennis lessons available in
beginner, intermediate, and advanced to the tennis equipment and t-shirts are
free. Students who have already shown good academic practices by maintaining a B
average or higher can choose to only take tennis.
The YES mission statement
is very clear:
- To develop a safe
environment for community tennis.
- To promote outreach
programs for economically disadvantaged and "at risk" children.
- To build healthy
bodies and minds through academics and athletics.
If you would like
to get further information on the YES schedule
of tennis events so that your child can participate, or if you would
like to find out how this kind of program can be introduced into your
child’s school or spread throughout the greater Los Angeles area, contact
Jan Quaglia (President of YES), Marianne Zaugg (the founder), or Eric
Mann (program director) at: Youth, Education & Sports Foundation
4647 Kingswell Ave. Suite 127 Los Angeles, CA 90027
Ph: (323) 663-6549 E-mail: yesfnd@aol.com
www.yesfoundation.com
