Tag has established Hoops for Kids (HFK), a basketball-based youth empowerment project, in slums and communities of two major cities in Kenya — Nairobi and Kisumu —to instill vital life skills in at-risk and vulnerable youth. With the support of Kids Connect Network, for the last three years more than 15,000 children in Kenya have benefited from our combined life-skills education and Basketball training.
The project featured after-school centers, educational basketball clinics and youth mentoring, along with providing athletic equipment and coaching. Participants become less vulnerable to social ills and raise the life aspirations. As a result, they exhibit marked improvement in their school attendance and academic performance.
Hoops for Kids underwent a significant expansion thanks to the support of Jochnick Foundation. We extended our reach to include 5 additional locations across Kenya, doubling the number of at-risk youth benefiting from this program. We also increased our impact through developing a uniquely integrated training program for youth workers and teachers that incorporates life-skills training, sports coaching, and life coaching.
During times when the children were off school, we ran basketball academies, half- or whole-day programs combining life skills and basketball training. The project provided a safe haven for the children, keeping them away from anti-social behavior.We also ran several weekend clinics, which was especially helpful for children who had to comefrom further afield. Additionally, we arranged multiple basketball tournaments, between the various HFK groups and with other teams.
Tag provided a wide range of basketball equipment to our HFK groups, such as balls, replacement hoops, as well as suitable clothing. We also invested heavily in creating a life-skills manual – we call the Playbook – for the coaches to follow as they introduce the kills to the children. We invested in training the coaches, so they would be adequately equipped to manage all aspects of the projects, including health and safety. We undertook ongoing Infrastructural Improvements and renovations to provide suitable grounds for the children to play and changing room for them to dress.
With the support of the Ferguson Trust, we launched Hey-Kenya, helping our youth with career guidance, employability skills, and linkages to job and education training. Together with our on-the-ground partners, we supported young people with access to technology skills, apprenticeship programs and a range of vocational training opportunities.
Strategic Objectives
- To provide youth with an integrated life skills and sports program that reduces exposure to prevalent social risks, such as early motherhood, substance abuse, and gang violence
- To provide quality sports infrastructure for the promotion of sports, life skills and healthy living in the slum
- To improve school retention rates in primary school and opportunities for higher education for vulnerable youth and especially girls
- To improve the quality of life-skills education that is currently not highly effective to ensure youth make the good choices for their future
