February 2022

Coaches Breaking Down Barriers

This past week Rob Marcus, founder of Coaching Corps Racial Equity and Access in Youth Sports Task Force, met with members from the Collaborative, Eric Worley from Philadelphia Youth Basketball and Valencia Peterson from Open Door Abuse Awareness & Prevention, to gain insight on the impact sport has on Philadelphia's community.

Valencia “Coach V” Peterson, Founder & CEO of ODAAP (Open Door Abuse Awareness & Prevention), provided unique insight into her organization’s mission and how she uses football to connect with young men. She describes how inequity in access to sports during the pandemic negatively impacted her violence prevention efforts. Coach V also discusses working together with other local leaders and organizations in the Collaborative to overcome these barriers.

Eric Worley, Co-founder & Program Director of Philadelphia Youth Basketball discusses the rich basketball tradition of his organization and the role it plays in building his kids as students, athletes, and positive leaders in the community. While some of the barriers have historically pertained to systemic issues like lack of access to out-of-school programs and recreation centers, his organization, Philadelphia Youth Basketball, and the Collaborative, are educating city leaders on the principles of sports-based youth development and making great strides in growing their support.

Click here to watch their full interviews

Celebrating 50 Years of Title IX: Philadelphia Women In Sports

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Dr. Nikki Franke

June 23, 2022, will mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX, arguably one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in America's history. To celebrate this historical anniversary, the Collaborative will be highlighting the significant contributions of Philadelphia women who have left their mark on the sports world and in the lives of many. This month's feature is fencing legend Dr. Nikki Franke, Head Coach of Temple University's Women's Fencing

Fencing has been a big part of Dr. Nikki Franke's life for more than 50 years. The sport has taken Franke, who grew up in Harlem, N.Y., all over the world as an Olympic athlete. She was a member of the 1976 and 1980 U.S. Olympic fencing teams and a two-time U.S. Fencing Association national foil champion.

Fencing provided her with an opportunity to not only receive a good education, but the chance to have a long and distinguished career as the women's fencing coach at Temple. She launched Temple’s women’s fencing team, building what had been a club team into an NCAA Division I team. She was the first Black woman ever to coach an NCAA Division I fencing team. Her Temple teams have earned 874 victories in NCAA competition and coached Temple to an NCAA championship in 1991–1992.

Outside of coaching, Franke focuses her efforts on engaging and providing opportunities for young athletes. She is a co-founder of Black Women In Sports Foundation, a non-profit foundation based in Philadelphia that encourages black women and girls to participate in all areas of sports, including coaching and administration

Click Here to learn more about Dr. Nikki Frank and her impact

If you'd like to nominate a Philadelphia woman who has made significant contributions to the world of sport, click below!

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Events and Opportunities

The Philadelphia Youth Football Summit

March 26th

Save the Date! Join PPR and the Collaborative at the Philadelphia Youth Football Coalition Summit on March 26th at Lincoln Financial Field. The event will include training sessions specific to youth football orgs (SBYD, youth nutrition, non-profit basics, etc), and feature local govt & elected officials, as well as representatives from PPR. More information coming soon!

Social Media Strategy for Nonprofits

March 8th, 5 pm- 6 pm

Creating and executing a social media strategy can seem overwhelming for many businesses, especially nonprofits. Senior Social Media Account Manager at Slice Communications, Matt Smith is here to help you understand the different social channels, how to develop the right content, implement best practices, and more.

DEI Session: Understanding the Causations of Poverty

Watch Recording Here

Password: PYSC-CP05 (case sensitive)

Volunteer Coach with Safe-Hub this Spring!

As a Safe-Hub coach, you can give back to your community as a role model for young people and join the global Safe-Hub community to empower the next generation of leaders. If you are passionate about supporting young people and have experience with team sports, it’s a perfect fit! Fill out an interest form for the spring season here and find more info about Safe-Hub on our website at usa.safe-hub.org.