Beyond Sport

Award Entered:
Sport for Conflict Resolution Award
Parent Organisation:
The MGR Foundation
Project Host Nation:
United States
Overview of Project:
With many parents working, many young people lack adult supervision during evening hours, during which most high-risk behavior—including criminal activity—takes place. Many youth also live in communities with high crime rates. In 2005, the 11-17 age group represented 54% of violence-related admissions to the Illinois Trauma Registry. The MGR Foundation's mentoring program, Team M3, designed to provide an alternative to gangs, conflict, and violence for at-risk youth, joins adult mentors with students to train for, run, and complete the Chicago Marathon. These students are not athletes. Comprised mostly of Latino and African-American youth, the children who attend these schools are targeted for gang participation, and comprise most of the offenders and victims of gang violence. Team M3 was initially implemented in three of Chicago's underserved schools, and currently, nine Chicago high schools are participating. A growing body of literature suggests that afterschool programs are effective in addressing many of these challenges by providing youth with enrichment opportunities to build positive life skills, and can make a difference in areas such as academic achievement, and conflict resolution. Our mentors work with students from these schools to lead them toward healthier and more productive lives.