Sunset Park Homework Help
Street Soccer USA – NYC recently launched a reading and homework help group for our U7 and U9 teams in Sunset Park. As part of service coordination model, we do a needs assessment of where we can effectively support and refer youth and families to resources in their communities or provide direct services.
Each Wednesday our players take a break from soccer practice to sit down with their coach to study. Our goal is to emphasize all the hard work and effort our players put in on the field and how that applies equally to their off the field goals like academics. It also gives our kids a great opportunity to engage with their coach in a new way. The program’s been well received from players and parents both, living our motto that at Street Soccer USA we play for more.
The Street Soccer USA social service model has three components:
- Social Service Coordination
- Parent Engagement
- Off-the-Field Curriculum
Social Services Coordination is the process of connecting participants and their families to local community based organizations, which will assist them in achieving their off the field goals and needs. The task of providing information and coordination is the responsibility of all SSUSA staff, coaches, program managers, and social service managers.
Each city program contains a resource guide which is organized by service type, based on a hierarchy of needs:
- Primary / Emergency Needs
- Safety / Holistic Wellbeing
- Community / Social Connection
- Employment
- Academia
The goal is two-fold, (1) help participants explore their interests, meet their personal needs, and achieve off-the-field goals, and (2) build a culture and system of communities helping communities meaning empower the knowledge and skill of community members to aid each other resulting in stronger, healthier, and more self-reliant communities.
Parent engagement is the intentional development of respectful and mutually beneficial relationships between the parents or guardians of SSUSA youth players and SSUSA staff which inhabits shared responsibility for youth player learning, parent or guardian involvement in SSUSA activities, and culturally respectful responses to the interests and involvement of families in SSUSA communities.
The SSUSA parent engagement model focuses on five goals:
- A Culture of Inclusion
- Administrative Leadership and Openness
- Commitment, Respect, Communication, and Professional Competence
- Opportunities for Family Involvement
- Positive Outcomes for All Players
Parent engagement benefits the youth player, parent(s) or guardian(s), family, community, and the SSUSA organization. By addressing the needs of the child from an open, inclusive, and strength-based approach, we aim to build a positive relationship with the parent and guardian. This leads to greater support of the child, enhanced learning opportunities and retention of skills, and creative mechanisms of engagement based on the knowledge of the parents or guardians.
Ideally, this type of relationship allows SSUSA to not only better serve the child, but also allows SSUSA to access and assist with the needs, desires, and goals of the parent and family resulting in a dynamic, family-centered approach to youth development.
Off-the-Field Curriculum:
The goals of the Off-the-Field Curriculum are:
- To enhance the application of life skills on the field to off the field situations
- To connect participants directly to key resources and opportunities that they otherwise might not have exposure to
- To enhance parent and partner engagement and social capital among participants, families, volunteers, staff, and partners
- Expand participants’ worldview by exposing them to new experiences
For example, middle schoolers go to the library, visit a high school guidance counselor, shadow a day at a high school, or take a field trip relevant towards goals based on age / cognitive level.
Get involved in our off the field activities by coming to an orientation in your market. Inquire via our Join the Movement page on the website.