Post by beatthestreets on Aug 14, 2013 10:35:24 GMT -5
Support Beat The Streets Providence
My name is Billy Watterson and I am a junior on the wrestling team at Brown University. This summer I started a not for profit called Beat the Streets Providence that will start wrestling teams in schools serving the disadvantaged inner city youth of Providence. This program is an amazing opportunity for the youth of Providence to experience the many benefits of wrestling and to grow the sport of wrestling in Rhode Island.
Here is more info about the program:
Beat the Streets Providence's mission is to put a wrestling mat, team, and coach in every Middle School in Providence and later every school in Providence. The intent of this mission is to provide the disadvantaged youth of Providence with a positive after school environment in which, day in and day out, they will be in touch with strong mentors.
In Providence a program like this is a must. Like most urban centers in the United States Providence public Middle Schools have no school sponsored team sports. At such a sensitive time in a young person's life this is a critical gap. After school sports offer a positive environment for students after the school day ends- a simple, yet important thing which many inner city youths lack, a community of supportive peers, and most importantly good mentors, examples, and, hopefully, inspirations. Our program will be able to provide great mentors through a partnership with the RIC and Brown U. wrestling teams, as well as many other community volunteers-- from lawyers, to businessmen, to government leaders-- all whose lives have been positively effected by wrestling.
The other benefits of the program are numerous. We will promote attendance through daily attendance checks - if you miss class you effectively miss practice- as well as end of program attendance awards to incentivize staying in school. This is extremely important as 37 percent of Providence students are chronically absent (defined as missing 20 percent of more of classes). We will encourage academic achievement; again this will include award incentives, including an end of year scholarship that will be awarded, but also will include optional tutoring for 45 minutes at the end of practice once a week. Beat the Streets PVD is also fully co-ed and will teach self defense to girls as a form of empowerment. These are still just a few among the many other benefits of our program, including: fitness, high participation/equity, and low cost.
Furthermore, Beat the Streets PVD has a deep belief in the beneficial power of wrestling in particular as a means of youth development. For many reasons, wrestling is in a unique position to help the urban youth of Providence. Wrestling is a sport that anyone can do - it's not expensive, requiring nothing more than a mat, shoes, and protective headgear. It is also a sport that anyone can succeed in. You don't need a good team-it's just you out there on the mat. This self-reliance breeds self-confidence. You don't need athletic ability- the more talented athlete will lose to the wrestler who works harder every time. In wrestling the playing field is level. No matter how big or small you are, the other wrestler is the same size, therefore, it's up to you to tip the balance. This teaches hard work. When you combine hard work and talent you get a little thing called ambition and a big thing called success. This I believe is the most important thing our program will do, because disadvantaged Providence youth have often had no one believe in them and, thus, often do not even believe in themselves. Not only will we connect our students with mentors who believe in them, but wrestling will teach them to believe in themselves.
This is something I can personally attest to: I was a Middle School student of mediocre ability and an athlete of zero ability- a certain pick for dead-last in dodge ball. Middle school wrestling instilled in me the values of hard work, discipline, and ambition, eventually teaching me that if I worked hard enough I could do anything. Wrestling turned me into an A student, eventually an Ivy League Division One student athlete at Brown University, national qualifier, and successful college student. It is our mission to spread the same transformational opportunity of wrestling to all Providence Middle School students.
Over the course of the summer Beat the Streets Providence has gained significant momentum. We have recently incorporated and have already raised 15,000 dollars in pledges over a few short weeks. We have formed key community partnerships with the Rhode Island Wrestling Association, the Providence After School Alliance, and AS220. Through RIWA we have chartered a wrestling club and thus will have access to liability insurance, competition, and discounted gear. Through the Providence After School Alliance we will be offered as a pilot program at Nathan Bishop Middle School in the fall and with the success of that program have access to all 5 of the 6 Providence Middle Schools in which PASA is represented. We are currently filing for 501 C3 status, have a fiscal sponsor, have begun to accept financial commitments, have created practice plans, are interviewing prospective coaches, and are ready to get going in the fall.
All the pieces are in place to start making a real difference in the lives of Providence youth come September 30th. By supporting this program we can take a big step towards building Rhode Island wrestling to another level! Now all we need is your support. Please donate today!
In order to donate please visit us at:
http://www.beatthestreets-pvd.org/#!donate/c1ghi
My name is Billy Watterson and I am a junior on the wrestling team at Brown University. This summer I started a not for profit called Beat the Streets Providence that will start wrestling teams in schools serving the disadvantaged inner city youth of Providence. This program is an amazing opportunity for the youth of Providence to experience the many benefits of wrestling and to grow the sport of wrestling in Rhode Island.
Here is more info about the program:
Beat the Streets Providence's mission is to put a wrestling mat, team, and coach in every Middle School in Providence and later every school in Providence. The intent of this mission is to provide the disadvantaged youth of Providence with a positive after school environment in which, day in and day out, they will be in touch with strong mentors.
In Providence a program like this is a must. Like most urban centers in the United States Providence public Middle Schools have no school sponsored team sports. At such a sensitive time in a young person's life this is a critical gap. After school sports offer a positive environment for students after the school day ends- a simple, yet important thing which many inner city youths lack, a community of supportive peers, and most importantly good mentors, examples, and, hopefully, inspirations. Our program will be able to provide great mentors through a partnership with the RIC and Brown U. wrestling teams, as well as many other community volunteers-- from lawyers, to businessmen, to government leaders-- all whose lives have been positively effected by wrestling.
The other benefits of the program are numerous. We will promote attendance through daily attendance checks - if you miss class you effectively miss practice- as well as end of program attendance awards to incentivize staying in school. This is extremely important as 37 percent of Providence students are chronically absent (defined as missing 20 percent of more of classes). We will encourage academic achievement; again this will include award incentives, including an end of year scholarship that will be awarded, but also will include optional tutoring for 45 minutes at the end of practice once a week. Beat the Streets PVD is also fully co-ed and will teach self defense to girls as a form of empowerment. These are still just a few among the many other benefits of our program, including: fitness, high participation/equity, and low cost.
Furthermore, Beat the Streets PVD has a deep belief in the beneficial power of wrestling in particular as a means of youth development. For many reasons, wrestling is in a unique position to help the urban youth of Providence. Wrestling is a sport that anyone can do - it's not expensive, requiring nothing more than a mat, shoes, and protective headgear. It is also a sport that anyone can succeed in. You don't need a good team-it's just you out there on the mat. This self-reliance breeds self-confidence. You don't need athletic ability- the more talented athlete will lose to the wrestler who works harder every time. In wrestling the playing field is level. No matter how big or small you are, the other wrestler is the same size, therefore, it's up to you to tip the balance. This teaches hard work. When you combine hard work and talent you get a little thing called ambition and a big thing called success. This I believe is the most important thing our program will do, because disadvantaged Providence youth have often had no one believe in them and, thus, often do not even believe in themselves. Not only will we connect our students with mentors who believe in them, but wrestling will teach them to believe in themselves.
This is something I can personally attest to: I was a Middle School student of mediocre ability and an athlete of zero ability- a certain pick for dead-last in dodge ball. Middle school wrestling instilled in me the values of hard work, discipline, and ambition, eventually teaching me that if I worked hard enough I could do anything. Wrestling turned me into an A student, eventually an Ivy League Division One student athlete at Brown University, national qualifier, and successful college student. It is our mission to spread the same transformational opportunity of wrestling to all Providence Middle School students.
Over the course of the summer Beat the Streets Providence has gained significant momentum. We have recently incorporated and have already raised 15,000 dollars in pledges over a few short weeks. We have formed key community partnerships with the Rhode Island Wrestling Association, the Providence After School Alliance, and AS220. Through RIWA we have chartered a wrestling club and thus will have access to liability insurance, competition, and discounted gear. Through the Providence After School Alliance we will be offered as a pilot program at Nathan Bishop Middle School in the fall and with the success of that program have access to all 5 of the 6 Providence Middle Schools in which PASA is represented. We are currently filing for 501 C3 status, have a fiscal sponsor, have begun to accept financial commitments, have created practice plans, are interviewing prospective coaches, and are ready to get going in the fall.
All the pieces are in place to start making a real difference in the lives of Providence youth come September 30th. By supporting this program we can take a big step towards building Rhode Island wrestling to another level! Now all we need is your support. Please donate today!
In order to donate please visit us at:
http://www.beatthestreets-pvd.org/#!donate/c1ghi