Take That!

It’s time to end bullying in sports. It’s been more than a month since Sayreville, NJ, caught our national attention as yet another example of bullying in youth sports.   Unfortunately, Sayreville is not alone.  Bullying in sports programs goes undetected in our schools, parks and playgrounds across this nation. Yet, bullying in youth sports is preventable.

Three basic steps to prevention:

1. Train Coaches
2. Establish and Enforce Team Codes of Conduct
3. Inspire Student Athletes to See Sportsmanship as Leadership

Training coaches is by far the most important step.  A trained coach sets the example through their language and through the way they intentionally build positive relationships among their players.   A trained coach creates team traditions such as cheers and songs that emphasize cohesion and unity.   A trained coach knows how to  use practices and game days to develop leadership skills in all players which leads to greater teamwork and mutual respect.   And a trained coach knows exactly what to do if he/she observes or suspects that bullying is taking place.

Up2Us teamed up with The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation to develop trainings for youth sports coaches to prevent bullying.   You can access more information on these trainings at info@up2us.org or check out our coaching tips on how to make your team bully-free.

At Up2Us, we see sports as a critical tool for developing life skills in our youth.   We view coaches as the most transformative adults for inspiring young people to achieve their personal success on and off the field.   Bullying is neither a life skill or a badge of success.   For National Bullying Awareness Week, I challenge every youth sports coach in the nation to join Up2Us and The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation in ending bullying on our courts, in our fields, playgrounds, and locker rooms.

Paul Caccamo

CEO and Founder

Coach Across America RFP Deadline Extended!

Please note the deadline for the Coach Across America RFP Deadline has been extended to Sunday, January 4, 2015 at 11:59pm EST. 

If you are interested in hosting coaches through our Coach Across America (CAA) program  in 2015-2016 to help build capacity at your organization and serve more youth, please complete the online application.

NOTE: There are different applications for organizations in New Orleans and Miami.

Coach Across America Request For Proposal 

Coach Across America Request For Proposal - MIAMI

Coach Across America Request For Proposal - NEW ORLEANS

Coach Across America (CAA), the flagship program of Up2Us, is the first nationwide effort to mobilize young adults to be coaches in underserved communities.  Beyond financial assistance for coach wage/stipend, CAA supports member organizations to recruit, train, and supervise CAA coaches that serve in their respective programs.

Up2Us will host our first technical assistance webinar on the CAA application on Tuesday, November 25 at 11:00am EST.  To register, click here.  During this orientation, CAA staff will review the application and answer questions related to the program.  We will reach out with more information on our second webinar soon.

If you have any questions regarding the CAA application, please contact your CAA Program Manager (for returning Host Sites) and/or:

Isabel Pradas Director Coach Across America 212-563-3031 ipradas@up2us.org

Connecting Inspiring Vets With the Right Jobs

On Veterans Day, we should think deeply about what we are doing (or are not doing) as a nation to support veterans at home. According to the Army Times, unemployment for post-9/11 returning vets is 9.2 percent. This is considerably higher than the nation’s unemployment rate of 5.8 percent. More alarming, the Department of Labor states that for vets under the age of 25, the unemployment rate is 25 percent. It’s fair to say that we as a nation have been unprepared to meet the needs of the roughly 3 million young Americans who have completed their military service and returned home.

So what can we do about it? I had an idea, and it’s working. Let’s create jobs that engage veterans as leaders and problem solvers for the challenges facing youth in America. After all, veterans possess a unique set of skills from leadership, discipline and team building, to a sense of purpose and mission.

Why not employ those skills in urban parks, schools, playgrounds and nonprofits to inspire kids who need these adult role models to guide them away from violence and other negative behaviors? This year, Up2Us announced a new initiative to do just that, Operation Coach.

Operation Coach engages returning veterans as paid youth sports coaches in underserved communities throughout Miami. Through a partnership with the Miami Heat, Laureus USA and Mercedes-Benz USA, Up2Us hired, trained and placed eight veterans to work with almost 750 at-risk youth. Not only did the youth gravitate to the presence of these war heroes in their parks and playgrounds, but the veterans found that being a coach helped them more easily transition into domestic life.

Here are a couple of their stories:

Former Marine Sgt. Alvaro J. Ayala, currently teaches and coaches martial arts classes at an Up2Us member organization called Outside The Ring Champion. Alvaro grew up in Nicaragua and moved to Miami at the age of 12. After high school, he enrolled at Harding University, where he played soccer for a year before enlisting in the Marine Corps. Alvaro became a Sergeant Marine Embassy security guard and served in many parts of the world during his 51/2 years of military service. Upon his honorable discharge, Alvaro returned to Miami to continue his education and is currently enrolled in Florida International University while serving in Operation Coach.

“I didn’t want to be anything else,” said Alvaro. “I realized that being a coach is what makes me happy. That I really enjoy it regardless of how much money I’m being paid, so I decided to go for it as a career.”

Alvaro’s desire to make a difference in the lives of kids has provided him with a renewed sense of purpose and motivation to succeed.

Another success story is Kleiton V. Almeida, a former Petty Officer Third Class in the Navy. Kleiton currently works at an Up2Us member organization that is a public school that services six homeless shelters in Miami. He was born and raised in Brazil. During this time, he fell in love with sports and, in particular, soccer. When Kleiton moved to Miami as a teen, his passion for soccer continued and his desire to give back was born. He went on to enlist in the Navy.

He was an accomplished boatswain mate earning a Navy and Marine Corps achievement medal for his contributions as a master helmsman.

He served honorably and was deployed to the Persian Gulf during operation Iraqi Freedom.

Upon his discharge, Kleiton faced challenges transitioning into mainstream society, but he continued his studies in physical education as he promised his mother he would do before serving in the military. In May, he graduated with a physical education degree from FIU. His unique blend of compassion and discipline has earned him praise from the Eneida M. Hartner Elementary School principal and staff where he serves in Operation Coach, and his kids love him!

“I came at them with discipline,” said Kleiton. “But at the same time, I came at them with the attitude of: I’m here for you and I’m here to help you, so if you need anything you can come and talk to me. You can come see me and I will do my best to help you.”

These are just two stories that illustrate the way in which returning veterans can use their unique skills and knowledge to improve the lives of the nation’s youth, and the communities in which they live.

This Veterans Day, let’s remember those who have served our country abroad and honor their service by creating meaningful employment opportunities for them back home.

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This piece was also published in the Miami Herald and The Hill.

My Secret: I Don't Coach to Win Championships

I coach a team of 10-11 year old girls for a dedicated volleyball club in New York City.  Parents bring their girls, ages 10-18, to this club with the intention of winning tournaments and signing scholarships.  I’ve even had parents of my 11 year-old players pester me about their college recruitment.  What my players, parents and club directors don’t know is that as a coach, I don’t aim to create championship 11-year old volleyball players.  I aim to create a positive sports environment and act as a mentor for my players when they need one. I use the sport my players and I both love as a tool to build and instill the characteristics and traits that create great 11-year old girls, and here are the secrets on how to do it: Secret #1: I create an encouraging team culture I shape a culture for our twice-weekly practices around encouraging your teammates, whether they are on your side of the net or the other.  This takes time—especially in a sport where each point is scored by a ball hitting the ground and a player making a mistake.  Instead of individual goals, I set team goals.  Instead of having each girl get 5 serves over the net, I say lets get 50 serves over as a team.  This teaches players to set goals and to work together to achieve them.

Secret #2: I make practices fun If practices aren’t fun, players won’t come.  It is that simple.  My players are at the age where most females begin to lose interest in sports because it just isn’t fun anymore.  Instead of starting practices with lectures or drills, I begin my practices with Taylor Swift blaring and an intense game of tag.  I make every drill or activity into a game, and use music when I can to keep the environment fun and relaxed.

Secret #3: I never reveal my favorites We coaches do have favorites on our teams.  The challenge is to treat each kid like they are your favorite.  I believe in getting to know each of my girls.  I distract them from conditioning exercises by letting them tell me about what is going on in their life.  At Friday practices, we do abdominal exercises while each girl waits anxiously for her turn to tell the team about her exciting weekend plans.  I urge players to tell me some inconsequential detail about their lives, this way if they have something serious come up, they won’t feel uncomfortable talking to me about it.

Secret #4: I arrive at every practice over caffeinated. All of that energy has to come from somewhere.  Really—It helps.

And here is the secret even I didn’t know—while you’re busy teaching all of these things, the championships often happen along the way.  We finished the season as the top 11 and under team in the tri-state area and went on to Nationals to finish 13^th in the country.

My girls haven’t figured it out yet—this secret plan I have for using volleyball to shape them into better people.   A few parents have though—seeing positive changes in their daughters since they began playing on the team, and they don’t seem to mind.

Alex Bondy Graphic Design & Brand Manager Up2Us

Pam Shriver hosts Tennis Clinic for Los Angeles Youth

On September 29, nearly 100 students from South Los Angeles attended an Up2Us tennis clinic hosted by tennis great and ESPN broadcaster, Pam Shriver.  Shriver was joined by a group of Coach Across America coaches who had just completed an Up2Us Coach Training Institute where they learned techniques for using sports to mentor at-risk youth.

[WATCH] Coach Roy Williams Supports Coach Across America Coaches

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGlR8eSbxdk Hall of Fame Coach, Roy Williams, of the University of North Carolina Mens Basketball team, congratulates Coach Across America coaches on the work they have done to mentor at-risk youth through sports. Coach Williams encourages coaches to leave a positive impact on players and to develop an environment that helps players become good people.

[LISTEN] NPR Segment Highlights Trauma-Sensitive Coach Training

The creators of Only a Game, a National Public Radio (NPR) show on the untold stories in sports, joined Coach Across America coaches and host site supervisors at the fifth annual Coach Training Institute in Boston last month.  Only a Game highlighted Up2Us' innovative trauma-sensitive coach training and how Beyond the Ball, an Up2Us member organization, has used sports and coaching to transform the Chicago neighborhood of Little Village. Over the course of the four days, 115 Coach Across America coaches and site supervisors participated in interactive workshops and discussions on the foundations of sports-based youth development, trauma-sensitive coaching, and managing challenging behavior.  Additionally, they built new networks across state and organization lines, which  will serve them well throughout their terms of service.  This year's event was the Up2Us Center's largest yet in Boston!  Furthermore, we were excited to welcome the eight coaches who are part of our pilot Operation Coach program, which places post-9/11 military veterans as coaches at Up2Us member organizations in the Miami area.

Click below to listen to the segment from NPR radio program, Only a Game:

[Watch] Up2Us Celebrates AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary

On September 12, the Up2Us team helped AmeriCorps celebrate its 20th Anniversary all over the country.  Over 50 NYC Coach Across America coaches and VISTA members recited the AmeriCorps pledge in Times Square to commemorate the first pledge taken 20 years ago.  DC coaches attended the national AmeriCorps 20th celebration on the White House lawn with President Obama and President Clinton speaking on the importance of national service.  Up2Us also attended state celebration events in Illinois, Florida and Louisiana. AmeriCorps has been invaluable in the Up2Us history, as in 2009 it provided Up2Us one of the first grants to begin hiring its first Coach Across America coaches. Since then, Up2Us has grown and placed over 1700 Coach Across America coaches to use sports to transform the lives of America's youth.  These trained coaches can lead to significant increases in physical activity that reduces the risk of obesity.  Coach Across America coaches have helped youth in the worst performing schools to refocus their energy into educational pathways that lead to college and successful careers.

In addition to supporting coaches, AmeriCorps has also supported over 100 Up2Us AmeriCorps VISTAs.  VISTAs work as a part of the Up2Us team to build capacity in grassroots organizations that use sports-based youth development to improve the local community.  These volunteers help to increase the effectiveness of sports organizations all over the country.

Up2Us is proud to be a part of the first 20 years of national service.  Happy birthday, AmeriCorps!

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Coach Across America coaches from the DC area attended the AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary ceremony at the White House!

Photo by Coach Joseph

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The Up2Us NOLA team attends the Louisiana state event for the AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary.

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Coach Across America coaches and AmeriCorps VISTA members celebrate in NYC.

Coaches Cycle to Raise Money for Operation Coach

Cycle Forward for Operation Coach was a great success!   Our New York Coach Across America (CAA) coaches came to sweat and cycle on behalf of their generous sponsors.  Fitness expert, Zack Schares instructed three intense, but fun spin classes set to a live DJ and energetic music.   We are very grateful to everyone that participated and donated to make our first Cycle Forward event a success.  All of the money donated will go towards Up2Us’ veteran coach initiative called Operation Coach, which employs post-9/11 veterans to serve as coach/mentors to youth in underprivileged areas. A huge “Thank you!” to you to everyone that was involved!

For more information on live DJ cycling classes, visit www.zaxfit.com

Yahoo! Finance | NFL Star Prince Amukamara Joins Up2Us as Ambassador

Originally posted on Yahoo! Finance on September 10, 2014.

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Sep 10, 2014) - Up2Us (up2us.org), a national not-for-profit organization leading the movement to promote sports as the solution to the critical challenges facing America's youth, announced today that New York Giants cornerback, Prince Amukamara, has joined the organization as an Ambassador. Amukamara, who has excelled during his three years in the NFL, will connect with youth participating in sports as an Up2Us Ambassador by sharing experiences from his athletic career, how he has overcome obstacles in order to succeed in sports and life, and the important role that sports and mentorship can have on a child.

"Athletics play a bigger role in an individual's life than one may think. It isn't just about physical health and a fun time," said Amukamara. "It's much more than that. I've met coaches, players, trainers, mentors, and many others who have helped shape who I am as a person today, and I can only hope that through my Ambassadorship with Up2Us, that I can give back and serve as a friendly resource for youth who are finding their way in life."

Up2Us trains and places the nation's best and brightest coach-mentors in cities across the country through its Coach Across America program (CAA). These coaches bring sports-based youth development to many underserved communities and help inspire children to make the right choices in life and believe in themselves. CAA coaches understand that every program session, practice or game is an opportunity to teach a lesson that can impact a child's future.

In 2013, approximately 536 CAA coaches served 53,600 kids. After leaving the program, 86 percent of youth surveyed reported a high competence on a set of skills that contribute to healthy decision-making. Among programs that collect academic data, 96 percent of coaches reported that the youth in their programs improved their grades.

"Prince exemplifies everything we believe in at Up2Us, and we couldn't be more excited and thankful to have him on board as an Up2Us Ambassador," said Paul Caccamo, president and founder of Up2Us. "The generation of youth we work with at Up2Us greatly admires athletes like Prince, and the impact Prince will have on these individuals goes beyond teaching them how to throw or catch a football, but helps teach them the importance of hard work, dedication, perseverance, and to remain hopeful."

To learn more about Up2Us and its programs, visit www.Up2Us.org

About Prince AmukamaraPrince Kelechi Amukamara is an American football cornerback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected 19th by the New York Giants in the 2011 NFL Draft. He won his first Super Bowl, winning Super Bowl XLVI with the Giants in 2012. He played college football for the University of Nebraska, and earned All-American honors. Amukamara was born in Massachusetts with both parents native to Nigeria. He attended high school in Arizona, where he excelled most notably in track and field. He is also a devout Christian. Sports Illustrated has described Amukamara as being "physical, possessing solid football speed and top ball skills" and gave him a "first round grade."

About Up2Us
Established in 2010, Up2Us (www.up2us.org) is leading a national movement to advance sports as a solution to the critical challenges facing today's youth, including childhood obesity, academic failure, and youth violence. Up2Us accomplishes its mission by uniting more than 1,000 sports programs that provide life skills development to this nation's most vulnerable youth. In 2010, Up2Us launched Coach Across America (CAA) to provide its member organizations with well-trained, highly effective coaches. CAA is a national program that challenges young adults to give back to their communities through a year of service as coach-mentors. To date, Up2Us has placed more than 1,700 CAA coach-mentors nationwide, reaching over 133,650 children. Up2Us is supported by the Laureus USA Foundation in partnership with Mercedes-Benz USA, Nike Inc., the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the U.S. Department of Justice.

A Special Birthday Wish…

All of us celebrate government when it makes smart investments that result in the betterment of all of our lives.  Great examples of this have been the Internet, our GPS systems, micro-chips, and even the vaccines that keep us healthy. In the same vein, I say we celebrate AmeriCorps.

Just think about it. Talented adults are teaching in thousands of schools because of AmeriCorps.  Millions of children are receiving health and nutrition education because of AmeriCorps.  Millions of seniors receive emotional support because of AmeriCorps.  Disaster sites like New Orleans are rebuilt again because of AmeriCorps.  And now, sports is being revived in inner cities because of AmeriCorps.

This week, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps: one of our federal government's major success stories.   We need to recognize that AmeriCorps has often provided the seed money to “great ideas” that we have since taken for granted as they have become the fabric of our American lives.

My own program, Up2Us, was based on a simple idea: a coach can be the most transformative adult in a child’s life, especially children who are in underserved communities and lack adult role models. AmeriCorps provided me the opportunity to hire and train my first coaches in 2009.  Since then, thanks to public-private partnerships, I’ve hired more than 1,700 coaches who have committed themselves to serving more than 133,650 at-risk youth in more than 60 different sports.  This simple idea has had powerful results: our trained coaches can reduce violence by up to 40% in urban communities.  Our trained coaches can lead to significant increases in physical activity that reduces the risk of obesity.  And, our trained coaches have helped youth in the worst performing schools to refocus their energy into educational pathways that lead to college and successful careers.  And now, thanks to AmeriCorps, my program is ready to take the innovative training we have developed for our coaches and make it available to the estimated 6.5 million volunteer coaches who want to be more effective at teaching life skills to their teams.

Up2Us is just one example of the power of AmeriCorps has to light a spark that impacts a nation.

Happy 20th Anniversary, AmeriCorps.  When I Google “national service" on the the internet, I will smile broadly at how many of the 52 million results were made possible by you!   And, I’ll smile also knowing that Google was made possible by our federal government, too.

Paul Caccamo

Executive Director and Founder, Up2Us

NY Jets Donate Bikes to Up2Us Members

On Thursday, August 7, 25 New York City area youth, from Up2Us members I Challenge Myself, Shred Love and Street Squash Newark, received new bicycles and helmets from Barnum Financial Group, an office of MetLife and the Foundation for Life as part of Barnum’s “Bikes for Kids.”  The presentation occurred at MetLife Stadium, prior to the New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts preseason game.  Following the presentation, the Jets treated the youth and invited guests to tickets to the football game.Click here to see television coverage from SNY.