AMERICA SCORES

The America SCORES model was developed in 1994 in Washington, D.C., by Julie Kennedy, a public school teacher concerned that her students, lacking constructive after-school options, were at risk of gang activity and other dangers after class. Turning to her experience as an athlete, she began teaching her class soccer after school. In bad weather, she turned to her other passion, poetry, and began teaching her students how to write and perform their own. Soon, her students were more engaged in class, performing better academically, and being more active. By adding a service-learning element, Julie saw that her students developed confidence and learned that they could affect change in their community. Schools across D.C. took notice and the program expanded, becoming a national organization in 1999. ? America SCORES now serves youth in 12 cities across the United States and Canada: Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Portland (OR), San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Vancouver, and Washington, D.C. To date, America SCORES has touched the lives of more than 100,000 urban youth.