H4CD's Goal Youth Soccer Program gets $25,000 from Foundation for Black Black Communities

Hope For Community Development Goal Youth Soccer Program gets $25,000 from Foundation for Black Communities through the Ontario Youth Wellness Grant

Hope For Community Development is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of the Ontario Youth Wellness grant from the Foundation for Black Communities to support Black communities to explore ideas, projects, structures, and systems that positively impact youth wellness through sports and recreation in Ontario’s Black communities.

Our funding will be invested in safely expanding our soccer program, which is offered free of charge to youth in our community.

The goal is to keep kids healthy, active, and moving. This will keep them engaged in positive life activities and prevent them from participating in unlawful activities. Attendance is high and consistent, and the feedback has been very positive.

While this made a meaningful impact, we’re looking forward to having kids compete in a soccer league with other soccer teams during the summer. This grant will help us to rebuild our sports and recreation programs by providing a physical outlet for 50 youth in an environment that promotes physical activity, introduces them to activities that they may not have had the opportunity to try, and will facilitate social interaction among peers.

Participants will be broken up into small groups based on their age, with volunteers assigned to each group. We will practice as a team and we will work on skill development, drills and fitness under the supervision of a coach, volunteers and staff members through an in-door and out-door format.

Hope For Community Development recognizes and acknowledges the challenges faced by underrepresented groups, and is committed to ensuring that these groups have access to recreational activities in a safe environment. Participation in Hope For Community Development ’s sports programs is age-based rather than skills-based, which allows children to interact with others in their peer group and participate in all activities, regardless of their skill level. This encourages kids to try activities that they may not have had the opportunity to participate in due to financial constraints, skill level or cultural differences.

All programs are gender and culturally inclusive and free of charge, to encourage participation from families that may not be able to afford programming for their children.

Hope For Community Development will continue to work to increase the quantity and improve the quality of wellness programs for Black youth in Ontario and Canada.