By Rob Randall, Director of Middle School Initiatives
The Police After School Sports (PASS) program kicked off on January 25th with nine Student Resource Officers (SRO’s) leading after-school basketball in the five middle schools. By providing a space that allows youth and police officers to interact with each other in a positive, safe environment that involves play, skill-building, and teamwork, the PASS program cultivates healthy relationships between the two groups. Furthermore, police officers can provide mentorship to students. PASA is excited by the kick-off of the PASS program, as it marks an important effort to strengthen the relationship between the police community and city youth and to provide youth with a supportive and steady adult presence in their lives.
In the upcoming weeks, Frank Luca, Regional Director of One-on-One Basketball, and PASA’s Manager of Professional Development and Training will be leading the officers in a training series rooted in positive youth development with a focus on coaching strategies. Through training, we hope to empower our SRO’s to be more effective coaches and increase their resources in building relationships with youth participating in the AfterZone programs.
PASA is very grateful to IGT for donating $40,000 to support the PASS Program.