HUDDLE UP FOR BALTIMORE'S KIDS

Project Play: Baltimore is a multi-year initiative designed to help stakeholders grow the quality and quantity of sport options available to local youth.

Organized by the Aspen Institute with support from Under Armour, it is based on the simple idea that no single organization can do this alone. Only through teamwork can leaders and caregivers provide every child an opportunity to play.

The project is guided by the eight strategies for the eight sectors that touch the lives of children, as identified in the Aspen Institute report, Sport for All, Play for Life: A Playbook to Get Every Kid in the Game. Since 2015, more than 100 organizations around the country -- from professional leagues to grassroots providers -- have used the report to introduce or shape youth programs.

Baltimore has a rich history of developing its children and communities through sport. Babe Ruth emerged from this dynamic city, as did many others who helped define sport in America over the past century. Once, just about every neighborhood in Baltimore had a recreation center, venues to build healthy children and future leaders. Access to those assets has been disrupted.

In November 2016, Under Armour and Kevin Plank opened a refurbished, 30,000-foot recreation center, the UA House at Fayette, operated by Living Classrooms. The innovative space is a venue to convene leaders and grow access to sport in the broader community, leveraging the unique assets of the Aspen Institute: its knowledge of Collective Impact methodology, expertise in youth sports, and network of engaged national organizations.

Project Play: Baltimore represents the first model community effort by the Aspen Institute's Project Play. To maximize effectiveness, the first three years will focus on East Baltimore, specifically a two-square mile area that is home to 16 schools and 12,000 children. Learnings will be shared across Baltimore with the ultimate goal of creating a template to inspire and empower other urban areas across the U.S.