A police officer and four children sit in a circle on a gym floor, engaged in conversation. The children and officer appear relaxed, suggesting an open, friendly discussion in a community setting.

Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center
Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center

Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center

United States of America

United by Sport

General support

Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center

Partner

United States of America

Location

3 Years

Duration

A police officer shakes hands with a young girl on an indoor tennis court, while other adults and children watch and interact in the background. A digital clock and glass windows are visible above the scene.

Community details

In 1961, Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center set out to do something that had never been done before, and it would create a long-lasting impact. That year, it became the first indoor non-profit tennis club built by and for African Americans in the United States. Since then, it has worked with marginalized young people and their families in Boston. It leverages the power of tennis to create opportunities on and off the court for its community members in the Blue Hill Corridor area, sparking social change.

About the organization

Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center’s program Volley Against Violence equips young people with tools to address conflict and challenges in non-violent ways. The program teaches participants personal and social responsibility. It brings young people and police together through a common activity - tennis - where they can learn with, and from, each other. Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center’s curriculum has five main elements:

Respect emphasizes the importance of including everyone and how to resolve conflicts without violence.

Effort focuses on self-improvement, trying new things, and working hard to go the extra mile.

Self-direction highlights setting personal goals and resisting peer pressure.

Helping emphasizes being empathetic to others and displaying leadership qualities.

Transference focuses on how to be a role model and carry everything learned to other parts of life, including home, school, and the participant's community.

A police officer smiles while tossing tennis balls to two children holding rackets inside an indoor tennis court. The children are reaching up to hit the balls.

Three men stand on an indoor tennis court: one holding a racket, one in casual clothes, and one in a police uniform. They are talking near the net, with sports equipment and barriers in the background.

United by Sport

Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center empowers African American and marginalized communities through the power of tennis. Its efforts enable the next generation to have the skills and tools they need to work through conflict without violence. Through tennis, Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center inspires people across Boston to take charge of their lives and become role models in their community.

Requested grant amount

€150.000