Discussion Thread: Sport Outreach Mission and Vision

Sports Outreach Mission & Vision

Jordan Donald

Masters of Sport Management

SMGT 504: Foundation of Sport Outreach

Dr. Kevin Heisey

September 1, 2024

Mission Statement

Our Mission is to provide all young people of the Memphis community, who may face struggles daily, with unbelievable and countless opportunities to prosper through accessible sports programs. We aim to help them develop their interpersonal skills, self-confidence, educational mindset, their love for their community and their faith through ministry. Leading them to be model Memphians to provide the next generation with even better tools. An article from Global Sport Matters, that helped shaped our mission, shares, The report found that youth who played sports had higher levels of self-esteem, self-efficacy, and social support and lower levels of depression, loneliness, self-derogation, and fatalism than their peers who didn’t participate in sport. (Burtka 2023)

Vision Statement

Produce a second to none experience when it comes to Sport Outreach Organizations instilling development and successful in each and every kid who comes across our program. Providing all the tools and then some for them to reach their full potential. Envisioning them graduating with them achieving all personal goals, prepared to dominate success, being a phenomenal person, and a lover of Christ. An article from LeagueApps, which helped us shape our vision, states, positively affecting kids’ lives is about more than just teaching them the ins and outs of the sports they’re playing. It also means providing them and their coaches and parents with the opportunity to connect and engage with one another and with kids in other communities. A successful youth sports organization is focused on developing the complete athlete on and off the field and ensuring that all kids in your community have access to the benefits of sport. (Wickes 2023)

Organizational Structure

When looking at the organizational structure of our program we would love to have a great group of people who are willing to work every day knowing that the work they put in daily is for a greater good and to change the lives of many. We want to invest in the city continuously, so we want to make sure the people who are within the program serving our city are indeed people born and raised in Memphis. We want to have an authentic We would love to have the foundation of having an CEO and President as our main two heads of the program. We will utilize an executive director that will be in house every day to work with our kids and developing our staff within. As we grow, we know we will develop kids who will want to give back to their community and the kids who are now in similar shoes they once were. We would love to hire formal members of our program to be our program directors to make sure we have the same continuity throughout the years for us to come. Then we will have Youth Captains followed by their volunteers. Our volunteers will be the kids who came through this program at a young age that are now in high school and want to have the opportunity to give back while they are in college or immediately after graduation. They will shadow our Youth Captains on a daily basis to have a better understanding of the job.

Staffing and Funding

When diving into the funding of our program, the best route for us to pursue is through grants, scholarships, donations, fundraising, partnerships, and collaborations. When looking at the opportunities to get grants and sponsorships through government agencies and foundations that support community development and willing to support our sport initiatives. When also working with donations and fundraising, we must advertise our mission to people with like-minded ideas to push or initiative. We can set up a one-time donation or recurring donations for those who continuously want to support our program. We would also host charity events throughout the city throughout the years in to share our mission and vision to attract people who want to support. Lastly looking at partnerships and collaborations, many big name organizations have companies that have warehouses in the city of Memphis. Reaching out to them seeking help to develop our program and kids could be beneficial, whether it is a monetary donation or a physical donation it gives us the opportunity to develop the program we are building. An article from Medium shares, Well-funded youth sports programs have the potential to engage the community, garnering support from local businesses, sponsors, and volunteers. Community involvement contributes to the sustainability and success of the program, creating a sense of pride and unity. (Harris 2024) A biblical passage that has stuck out to me when working through this and the importance of running a functional sports outreach program is John 3:30, He must increase, but I must decrease. Serving the Lord, it is crucial for me to step back and let the lord take over and flourish. Living through his name and his glory brings us much more than just speaking of it. Let him use us as a demonstration and his word will glorify everything we do.

References

Burtka, A. T. (2023, April 17).  Youth sports are more important than ever for Kids’ Mental Health. Global Sport Matters. https://globalsportmatters.com/health/2023/04/12/youth-sports-programs-more-important-than-ever-kids-mental-health/ 

Harris, F. (2024, March 25).  Investing in potential: The crucial role of funding and resources for Youth Sports Programs. Medium. https://medium.com/@franharris/investing-in-potential-the-crucial-role-of-funding-and-resources-for-youth-sports-programs-c98fb4161567 

Wickes, M. (2023, May 30).  The role of community and impact in your youth sports organization. LeagueApps. https://leagueapps.com/blog/community-and-impact-in-youth-sports/