We use sports to:
student athletes towards educational opportunities after converting raw talent into the skills required for entry into college athletic programs.
teens to service and local enrichment activities in order to instill a sense of responsibility, belonging and investment; key requirements for building a civically engaged individual.
student-athletes and parents on how to prepare for post-secondary pathways, including playing baseball on the college level, tech ed, entrepreneurship, military, etc.
youth towards their promise by using the historical journey of past African American legends as the road map.
L.E.A.D. provides year-round, direct service programming to up to 300 equity-challenged youth in 3rd-12th grades. Our student-athletes are from inner-city communities throughout Atlanta and Metro Atlanta. Our year round programming consists of activities across our four pillars of focus: academics, athletics, civic engagement and commerce. Our programming is delivered in a trauma-informed, healing centered, culturally responsive framework that is centered around our student-athletes’ racial, linguistic and cultural identities.
Allow L.E.A.D. staff to build trusting relationships with our athletes while teaching the leadership, life, social and job/career preparedness skills inherent in athletic development.
Civic Engagement must become a part of one’s DNA in order to develop leaders who have a strong sense of responsibility and commitment to their communities. L.E.A.D. Athletes complete over 2,000 hours of combined community service annually.
Sports are a proven catalyst for academic growth. Our programming harnesses the transferable skills learned on the field—discipline, focus, teamwork—to help youth excel in the classroom and beyond.
Commerce shapes the social and economic culture of our communities and our world—and sports play a powerful role in both. By including commerce in our curriculum through paid internships and career days, we help student-athletes see the possibilities for their futures and prepare them to step confidently into them.
Our Lady Jr. Ambassador and Ambassador Programs currently serve middle and high school girls in the Washington and Douglas Clusters.
Our Jr. Ambassador and Ambassador Programs currently serve middle and high school boys in Atlanta Public Schools.
* Both Tennis & Baseball are offered
Sports-based youth development (SBYD) provides a high potency, active environment where fun and learning take place.
As an MVP Of SBYD™, we prepare our Ambassadors to be community leaders who are workforce, college and career ready, our unique position in their lives is to develop their social emotional learning (SEL) capacities. Through support from the Laureus Sport For Good USA Foundation, Community Foundation For Greater Atlanta and Advance The Lives, we use a resource called Hello Insight to assess and develop our programming and our youth. Through Hello Insight, we track our boys’ and girls’ development across the following SEL capacities:
In the early 1900s, the U.S. government turned to athletics to prepare men to fight in World War I. The results were clear—American soldiers were physically, socially, and mentally prepared. Inspired by this success, the country began investing heavily in athletics, including high school sports.
Today, Black youth in Atlanta face a different kind of battle—three curveballs that threaten their success: crime, poverty, and racism.
Our sports-leadership model provides year-round training and development to help youth win the game of life.
We fuse:
This integrated system meets youth where they are, guides them along our Pathway2Empowerment, and helps them chart a course toward a sustainable life of significance—empowering them to break cycles of financial and social poverty in their families. Our graduates are prepared to be Major League Citizens.
We intentionally use sports to break down barriers for equity-challenged youth facing the curveballs of crime, poverty, and racism. Recognizing the trauma these challenges bring, we deliver programming through:
L.E.A.D. is focused on using its programming and resources to positively impact public education in Atlanta and across the nation. In 2009, L.E.A.D. formed a partnership with Atlanta Public Schools (APS) through the Atlanta Partners For Education Program. Since becoming a partner, L.E.A.D. has grown from serving 20 student-athletes to serving over 300 student-athletes from APS and throughout the southeast through programming and partnerships.
We are especially grateful for our partnership at the historic Booker T. Washington High School, the home field of the L.E.A.D. Rookies and Jr. Ambassadors.
If your school would like more information about LEAD Programs, contact Kelli Stewart.
Civic Stats™ – Building Major League Citizens
Civic Stats™ is L.E.A.D.’s proprietary evaluation system that measures a student-athlete’s growth in four key areas: grades, attendance, behavior, and community service.
Through Civic Stats™, we motivate youth to excel not only in their sport, but also in the classroom and their community. By organizing and leading service projects that benefit underserved youth and neighborhoods, our student-athletes develop leadership, character, compassion, and good citizenship.
Civic Stats™ is more than a measurement tool—it’s a pathway. It holds our youth accountable, celebrates their progress, and ensures they are earning opportunities, including scholarships, through consistent excellence on and off the field.
The result: young people who are prepared to be Major League Citizens—leaders in life, work, and community.
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