Full Court Peace Travel Basketball Teams
Fairfield County, Connecticut
The Problem
The public education system in Connecticut serves different demographics of youth in drastically different ways. Neighboring communities in Fairfield County, for example, have drastically different rates of high school graduation and high school dropout, college acceptance and future employment, as well drastically different general offerings of K-12 public education systems. Additionally, crime and poverty are ever-present within the towns and cities where the education system is repeatedly failing its constituents.
Full Court Peace also takes issue with the lack of opportunities that young people have to bond with their peers from different backgrounds and neighborhoods. We see a fragmented Fairfield County that is in need of change.
Our Solution
FCP seeks to alleviate these problems through a combination of activities, all of which are centered around team basketball. During the fall and spring seasons, we offer travel basketball programs that focus on four core values:
1. Collegiate-Mindedness: In the cases wherein it is an appropriate fit, we want all of our players to go to college, whether they'll play basketball or not. Through our Volunteer Program, and through the Federal Work Study Initiative, FCP provides weekly academic tutoring for its teams. Before our seasons begin, our team members are evaluated for their academic performance, and their potential areas of needed improvement. Each player is provided with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), which is strictly monitored and followed throughout the entirety of the season.
2. Camaraderie: We believe there are few better things for a young person to experience than strong friendships with his or her teammates. Through team-oriented drilling, as well as giving pairs of players the opportunity to lead practices, we focus on the cohesion and bond that can help transform the personality and character of our athletes.
3. Competition: We want to produce great teams that win, and teams that learn from their losses; that begins with the development of great individuals. As an organization, FCP is concerned with teaching of basketball's fundamentals, which many other programs fail to provide. While we understand that games are vitally important, we also consider it important, as well, for young boys and girls to learn basic dribbling, passing, rebounding, defense, and shooting skills before they develop bad, incorrect habits.
4. Community: We believe young people should be in touch with their communities, and provide services to better their neighborhoods and themselves.
First, FCP is well aware of the division that exists between neighboring communities in Fairfield County. For this reason, we aim for our teams to be comprised of an equal number of youth from cities and towns that differ in their socioeconomic statuses. Second, each of our teams are required to complete a basketball-related community service project in Fairfield County. They might help refurbish a local basketball court or raise money for a local basketball team's uniforms, and our older teams will have the opportunity to travel abroad on one of our many Ambassador Trips to Europe or Central America.
The public education system in Connecticut serves different demographics of youth in drastically different ways. Neighboring communities in Fairfield County, for example, have drastically different rates of high school graduation and high school dropout, college acceptance and future employment, as well drastically different general offerings of K-12 public education systems. Additionally, crime and poverty are ever-present within the towns and cities where the education system is repeatedly failing its constituents.
Full Court Peace also takes issue with the lack of opportunities that young people have to bond with their peers from different backgrounds and neighborhoods. We see a fragmented Fairfield County that is in need of change.
Our Solution
FCP seeks to alleviate these problems through a combination of activities, all of which are centered around team basketball. During the fall and spring seasons, we offer travel basketball programs that focus on four core values:
1. Collegiate-Mindedness: In the cases wherein it is an appropriate fit, we want all of our players to go to college, whether they'll play basketball or not. Through our Volunteer Program, and through the Federal Work Study Initiative, FCP provides weekly academic tutoring for its teams. Before our seasons begin, our team members are evaluated for their academic performance, and their potential areas of needed improvement. Each player is provided with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), which is strictly monitored and followed throughout the entirety of the season.
2. Camaraderie: We believe there are few better things for a young person to experience than strong friendships with his or her teammates. Through team-oriented drilling, as well as giving pairs of players the opportunity to lead practices, we focus on the cohesion and bond that can help transform the personality and character of our athletes.
3. Competition: We want to produce great teams that win, and teams that learn from their losses; that begins with the development of great individuals. As an organization, FCP is concerned with teaching of basketball's fundamentals, which many other programs fail to provide. While we understand that games are vitally important, we also consider it important, as well, for young boys and girls to learn basic dribbling, passing, rebounding, defense, and shooting skills before they develop bad, incorrect habits.
4. Community: We believe young people should be in touch with their communities, and provide services to better their neighborhoods and themselves.
First, FCP is well aware of the division that exists between neighboring communities in Fairfield County. For this reason, we aim for our teams to be comprised of an equal number of youth from cities and towns that differ in their socioeconomic statuses. Second, each of our teams are required to complete a basketball-related community service project in Fairfield County. They might help refurbish a local basketball court or raise money for a local basketball team's uniforms, and our older teams will have the opportunity to travel abroad on one of our many Ambassador Trips to Europe or Central America.
