THE PROGRAM

Participating middle school students will be assigned to a collegiate sports team. They will work with their assigned team throughout the course of the program. Our program will run from September through May and consist of three different phases.

Phase One: Collegiate Competition

Our participating students will attend four collegiate sporting events. They will watch their assigned team in action against other college teams. Games will take place at the partner university athletic complex. Students will be asked to record moments of teamwork, sportsmanship and leadership. Level The Field will use these forms to evaluate our student’s ability to identify these key skills over the course of Phase One.

Phase Two: Sports Clinics

Our participating students will attend four sports clinics. These clinics will take place at our partner university’s athletic complex. They will be facilitated by their assigned collegiate team and university coach. Children will learn the rules of their assigned sport, practice key skills, and play the game alongside their peers and their assigned college team.

Phase Three: Classroom Instruction

Our participating collegiate athletes will visit their assigned middle school group at their school. They will meet once a week for seven consecutive weeks. Teachers from our partner middle schools will be assigned to each group and facilitate the Level The Field social curriculum with the help of our collegiate athletes. The curriculum will consist of team building activities and role playing scenarios. Our collegiate athletes will be called upon to share their experiences on and off the field as they relate to our curriculum.

Target Sports: Soccer, Basketball, Baseball and Softball

Level The Field has identified Soccer, Basketball, Baseball and Softball as urban sports. Students do not need expensive equipment to play these sports. Moreover these are team sports that will allow children to practice teamwork, communication, leadership and other social skills targeted by our curriculum.

Target Social Skills: Communication, Conflict Resolution, Leadership, Teamwork, and Time Management

Level The Field will address these social skills during all three phases of our program. In order to be productive in and outside of the classroom all of our participating students will need a foundation to build these skills. We believe that collegiate athletes possess these skills as a result of their participation in high- level athletics. These skills cannot be taught in any textbook. They are learned through social interaction. Our participating students will have access to college athletes, sports clinics, and classroom instruction to learn, acquire and practice the social skills targeted by Level The Field.