We Are the City Spotlight: America SCORES
By Jenny Griffin
America SCORES is the home of the Poet-Athlete! We inspire youth in 30 public schools in San Francisco to lead healthy lives, be engaged and collaborative students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world. Our core offerings include soccer, poetry, and service-learning projects. Our innovative model improves participants’ health, increases academic engagement, and promotes community engagement. In 2022, we will celebrate our 20th anniversary serving the youth of San Francisco!
Teamwork underscores all SCORES programs. It’s the glue. Teamwork on the field translates to success in the classroom and a tangible impact in the community.
Being part of a year-round soccer team gives kids a sense of belonging and provides them with abundant opportunities to be physically active and socially engaged. Soccer practices integrate nutrition, skill development, fair play practices, and teamwork. At weekly Game Days at Crocker Amazon or Civic Center Plaza, SCORES poet-athletes proudly sport their SCORES jerseys and represent their teams.
Poetry takes shape in weekly writing workshops that help improve our poet-athletes’ writing, public speaking, and creative expression skills. Poet-athletes unleash their voices, share personal stories, create original works of poetry, and learn new ways to express themselves. Our poets can be heard on KALW as part of the Radio Poets program and on stage for community performances through our poetry slam celebrations.
SCORES poet-athletes become agents of change in their own communities, conducting research and identifying challenges to address through community service. Our poet-athletes develop creative problem-solving and collaboration skills as they design and develop their projects as a team. A collection of their projects can be viewed here.
Our soccer coaches, writing coaches, and core program staff are supported by a broad network of partners, volunteers, and donors committed to providing high-quality, accessible programs to all children. We could not do what we do without the help of our partners: DCYF, SFUSD, SFRPD, YMCA, BACR, CYC, IDHC, TELHI, Boys & Girls Club, R.O.C.K., Kroc Center, and Mission Graduates. It’s the big WE.
During the pandemic, America SCORES met the needs of newly remote students, increased our digital volunteer corps, and continued work that started prior to the pandemic to transform asphalt playgrounds to fields of green. We’re very proud of the storytelling we created about these efforts, and included our favorites here:
· America SCORES Tech Connect During the Pandemic
· America SCORES Engages Digital Volunteers to Serve Poet-Athletes in the Bay Area
· America SCORES Transforms Asphalt Playgrounds to Fields of Green, Even During the Pandemic
We see San Francisco as a vibrant, physically beautiful, diverse, layered, culturally engaging, forward-thinking place to grow up. We acknowledge the challenges for families, particularly around housing and finances, but also recognize the city’s enormous assets — its parks, open spaces, and cultural institutions along with its dynamism and receptiveness to all kinds of people.
We wholeheartedly believe all kids should experience joy, a sense of belonging, and be well prepared to navigate the future. We believe in a Bay Area rich with meaningful opportunities for all children: teams to play on; outlets for creative and physical expression; and pathways to develop their own voices.
Often, high-quality sports and enrichment programs are accessible only to those who can pay to play. By continuing to partner with programs like America SCORES Bay Area, San Francisco and DCYF can expand opportunities to more kids, especially those left on the sidelines.
We hope San Francisco can be proactive in recognizing the needs and interests of children, youth, and families as part of the broader community and support high-quality programs, safe play spaces, and comprehensive services that support them. Thriving kids and families make San Francisco a richer and more energized community for all of its residents.
We’re ready to slingshot out of the pandemic and are excited to return to in-person activities with all of our partners. In 2022, we want to grow in San Francisco with new partnerships and expand opportunities for girls. We want to create more safe play spaces where asphalt currently exists. We’re excited about our growing Middle School program and the experiences SCORES can provide to student-athletes on their pathway to high school and beyond. We’re excited for more high fives, more smiles, more poems, and more impactful community service projects.
