Team Roc looking to progress in the community!

The partnership between New York City Mission Society and Roc-A-Fella began in October 1998 when Damon Dash, Co-founder and CEO, Roc-A-Fella expressed a desire to support a basketball program for Harlem's young people that would provide them with a safe space to learn and grow. Mission Society designed Team Roc to reshape the lives of children who are at-risk of academic underachievement, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and other adverse behavior. This partnership is an example of how the traditional and emerging philanthropists are working together for the positive development of young people in communities of long standing need.

The program conceptualized by Shawn Arnold and Steve Harris, two former participants of Minisink. Shawn Arnold and Damon Dash were also childhood friends who played basketball at Minisink Townhouse. As a Harlem native Damon realizes the importance of giving-back to the community and the responsibility he and others of the hip hop community have to make a difference in the neighborhoods that represent their work. Young people in urban areas need to have a positive outlet that nurtures their growth and creativity. "We need to let them know that there is a world outside of their block where they can succeed in anything" says Dash. That is why he personally, along with the Roc-A-Fella Family, fully support and endorse the program named on their behalf.

HOW IT WORKS

Team Roc is an after school program offered at Minisink Townhouse, New York City Mission Society's community center located in Central Harlem. The typical program session begins by with a nutritious meal that prepares the mind and body for the program's physical and educational activities. The participants will then receive an hour of homework assistance. Team Roc also engages participants in other activities including such as; the Annual Holiday Art Exhibit and Residential and Day Camp.

The basketball program component is organized into age-appropriate divisions which compete in tournaments that require high level of teamwork, while challenging their physical and mental abilities. Team Roc develops a child's sense of responsibility to the team learning how to work work together toward a common goal.


Divisions:
Super 8 (8 and under)
Supper Biddies (10 and under)
Biddies (12 and under)
Midgets (14 and under)
Juniors (16 and under)


Team Roc actively connects the participants with their peers, their families, and their communities. During the year, the program conducts various workshops on topics such as violence prevention, health education, and other issues affecting their lives. Parent conferences are set up for staff to review with parents their child's progress and receive feedback on the program. To gain a deeper sense of community responsibility all participants are required to participate in community service projects such as clothing and food drives.

LADY ROC

Over the years Team Roc's growing popularity in the community and the identification of the gap in recreational services for young girls lead to the establishment of Lady Roc. The 2002 program year marks the first season of the girls' component in the program which follows the Team Roc model while promoting the importance of sisterhood in the field of women's sports. This group of dedicated and determine young women are setting a trend in their community when it relates to girls' sports.

OUTCOMES

Team Roc focuses on the progress exhibited by its participants in class work and school attendance. For example, in a recently completed year, most of participants achieved higher grades and improved their attendance at school, according to their official records. The social development of participants is monitored through a team process. The Team Roc staff work closely with each other, as well as parents and teachers through meetings and conferences to share different insights on the changes in an individual's behavioral patterns. Team Roc staff observe the participant outside of the home and formal classroom environment where they tend to be more "themselves." Meanwhile, basketball coaches evaluate cognitive abilities as exhibited in a collaborative spirit on the court or through athletic abilities. Team Roc has enriched the lives of many young people labeled "at risk" from the Harlem/Bronx community. Scholarships are made available to participants who qualify.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO MAKE DONATIONS TO THE TEAM ROC PROGRAM PLEASE VISIT US AT WWW.NYCMISSIONSOCIETY.ORG OR CONTACT INFO@NYCMISSIONSOCIETY.ORG.


FOR ONLINE DONATIONS FOR THE 2006 FIELD DAY FUNCTION, PLEASE SEND PAYPAL DONATIONS (MINIMUM $5.00) TO:

TEAMROC.CHARITY@YAHOO.COM

LARGEST DONOR WILL BE FLOWN TO NYC TO MEET DAMON DASH, HIMSELF AND TO BE APART OF THE TEAM ROC SPRING FIELD DAY FUNCTION IN NEW YORK CITY, MAY 2006