Harlem Lacrosse And Leadership Corporation

HARLEM LACROSSE'S MISSION IS TO EMPOWER THE CHILDREN WHO ARE MOST AT RISK FOR ACADEMIC DECLINE AND DROPOUT TO RISE ABOVE THEIR CHALLENGES AND REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.

AS THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC CREATED CONSTANTLY CHANGING CONDITIONS IN THEIR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES, HARLEM LACROSSE CONTINUED TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENT-ATHLETES AND HELP THEM TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS. WE OPERATED HYBRID PROGRAMMING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, CONTINUING TO SUPPORT STUDENTS BOTH IN-PERSON AND WITH ONLINE AND ASYNCHRONOUS CLASSES. WE WERE EXCITED TO GET BACK ON THE FIELD FOR MORE AND MORE PRACTICE AND PLAYING OPPORTUNITIES AS SCHOOL AND LOCAL ORDINANCES AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS ALLOWED. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS:AS SCHOOLS TOGGLED BETWEEN IN-PERSON, HYBRID, AND VIRTUAL SCHOOL, HARLEM LACROSSE SUPPORTED STUDENTS TO ADAPT AND REMAIN ENGAGED. BOTH STUDENT-ATHLETES' FAMILIES (92%) AND OUR SCHOOL PARTNERS (95%) AGREED THAT BEING PART OF HL IMPROVED ACADEMIC MOTIVATION FOR THEIR STUDENTS. AT A TIME WHEN FAMILIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY WERE STRUGGLING TO STAY CONNECTED TO ACADEMIC AND ATHLETIC COMMUNITIES, 90% OF STUDENTS REPORTED FEELING CONNECTED TO THEIR HL COACH AND 95% OF FAMILIES REPORTED THAT THEIR STUDENT-ATHLETE IMPROVED RELATIONSHIPS WITH ADULT MENTORS. SCHOOL PARTNERS INDICATED THAT HL PROVIDED CONSISTENT AND STABLE SUPPORT AT A TIME WHEN OTHER PARTNERS STRUGGLED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO STAY CONNECTED TO STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.OUR HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS IN PARTICULAR HAD ANOTHER PHENOMENAL YEAR, IN SPITE OF CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCES. 100% OF PARTICIPANTS IN OUR HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS GRADUATED (COMPARED WITH 80% OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS NATIONWIDE), AND 94% OF THE CLASS OF 2021 MATRICULATED TO COLLEGE OR A POST-GRADUATE YEAR IN THE FALL OF 2021. ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS:ACCESS TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS ONLY GROWN IN IMPORTANCE DURING THE PANDEMIC, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUTH, BUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY HAS DIMINISHED, WITH PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY CLOSING, MERGING, AND DOWNSIZING. CONVERSELY, HL ADDED PROGRAMS DURING THE 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR, AND CONTINUES TO INCREASE ATHLETIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH. AS A RESULT, 82% OF STUDENTS AND 97% OF FAMILIES FELT THAT THEIR STUDENT IMPROVED AS AN ATHLETE DUE TO PARTICIPATING IN HL'S PROGRAMMING LAST YEAR. AMONG OUR POSTSECONDARY ADMITS FROM THE CLASS OF 2021, 69% PLAN TO PLAY SPORTS IN COLLEGE. HARLEM LACROSSE ALUMNI ARE STANDOUT PLAYERS ON COLLEGE TEAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IN THE 2020-21 YEAR, WE CHEERED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FIRST DIVISION I MATCHUP BETWEEN ALUMNI WHEN FORMER HL-BALTIMORE PLAYERS DYMIN GEROW AND UMBC FACED OFF AGAINST LENAIJAH FERGUSON AND HARTFORD COLLEGE. WE ARE THRILLED TO SEE THE SUCCESS OF OUR ALUMNI AS LEADERS ON AND OFF THE FIELD.SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL GROWTH:PARENTS, GUARDIANS AND EDUCATORS HAVE NOTED THE PERSISTENT AND CONCERNING NEGATIVE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING OF YOUTH. BOTH SPORT AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH TRUSTED ADULTS CAN HELP YOUTH DEVELOP THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SKILLS TO BUILD RESILIENCY AND ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS. IN 2020, 94% OF HL STUDENTS GREW IN AT LEAST ONE OF OUR FIVE CORE AREAS OF SOCIAL EMOTIONAL GROWTH. FURTHERMORE, 83% OF FAMILIES AND 95% OF SCHOOL PARTNERS REPORTED THAT HL STUDENT-ATHLETES GREW IN THEIR ABILITY TO EMOTIONALLY SELF-REGULATE, A PARTICULARLY CRUCIAL SEL SKILL DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.