What is America SCORES Bay Area?

America SCORES Bay Area is a unique after-school program serving San Francisco, Oakland West Contra Costa county. For the past seven years, SCORES has offered programming to Bay Area youth, weaving together soccer, poetry and service learning.

Now, at first, you might be saying, soccer and poetry? And service learning? How does that work? How did that happen? A part of a national program, America SCORES started in Washington, DC in 1994 by a local school teacher. She brought her own love of soccer and poetry together -- and it proved to be an incredible combination for her first team of girls. Rooted in team-based youth development, soccer provides SCORES team with a foundation of physical and emotional safety. Physically, SCORES programming gives structure to the most vulnerable hours of the days youth face- after-school. Together 4 or 5 days a week after-school, youth and coaches develop trusting relationships, weaving the web of mentorship and teamwork that creates emotionally safe spaces.

This space provides what's necessary to let creativity flow and voices emerge. SCORES poet-athletes take the community built on the field through play (and its great benefits, physical health and skills) and channel it into poetry. The words and poetry of SCORES youth speaks directly to their experiences - dreams, hopes, fears - it comes from the richness of their imaginations. It is such a gift to hear and read their stories.

This is possible because of the work of so many people. SCORES comes out of a diverse community of staff, coaches, community supporters, teachers, school sites, foundations and the youth themselves. Everyone involved contributes different things necessary to make this program happen. Their is a circle of giving involved in the experience of every SCORES poet-athlete.

And our teams are a big part of the circle. Each Spring, each SCORES team identifies an issue in their own community. Conceiving and directing their own projects, teams give back to their school and neighborhood communities through service-learning projects. From anti-bullying campaigns to raising awareness around environmental issues to starting clothing drives for those less fortunate, our teams learn experientially, the ethics of community engagement, civic service and being an active, vocal part of the change they want to see in their worlds.