About

Many challenges confront young people in the United States every day. While the obstacles that must be faced can be seen as immeasurable, two of the most pressing issues facing adolescents today are the outbreaks of juvenile crime and childhood obesity. Each year the statistics become more disheartening.

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There are many contributing factors that influence the type and extent of youth delinquency. Risk factors are those causal conditions that increase the likelihood of negative outcomes such as delinquency and violence.  The effect that families, peers, schools, and communities have on delinquency is well documented. While static risk factors cannot be changed, dynamic risk factors can be mitigated through effective treatment and support. These include antisocial attitudes, antisocial peers, substance abuse, dysfunctional family environments, personality factors, and impulsivity. Research has shown that an appropriate strategy for addressing dynamic risk factors is to target individuals that are at-risk.

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In analyzing risk factors, many researchers have determined that there is a direct correlation between poverty and crime. Despite an allegedly growing economy, poverty in the United States has continuously risen. With thousands of school aged children residing in low-income households, juvenile crime is an obvious concern.

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Many times this delinquency is either coupled with or is a direct consequence of substance abuse. Young people are using mood-altering substances at increasingly younger ages, and studies of drug youth among youth involved in the juvenile justice system indicate high levels of abuse. Persistent substance abuse among youth is often accompanied y an array of problems, including academic difficulties, health-related consequences, poor peer relationships, mental health issues, and involvement with the juvenile justice system. There are also significant consequences for family members, the community, and society in general.

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Today’s schools face pressure to focus on standardized tests and consequently have placed less emphasis on the broader view of a healthy mind in a healthy body. However, an increasing number of educators and school board members are realizing, as the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) has written: “Health and success in school are interrelated. Schools cannot achieve their primary mission of education if students and staff are not healthy and fit physically, mentally, and socially.”

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By working feverishly to develop alternatives to destructive activities, we can begin to reverse these disturbing trends. Saved By The Ball’s basketball academy has worked, is working, and will continue to work to address the above needs via the provision of high-quality services to youth in the community.

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Saved By The Ball Foundation envisions reversing the aforementioned negative trends via the provision of high-quality academic and athletic services, combined with social initiatives targeted to youth ages 11 to 18. We seek to reinforce the positive effects of comprehensive youth intervention by offering life enhancing opportunities to those in our community, and we can only do this with your help.