CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Hoops in the Hood kicked off its 16th season this summer, helping kids develop a love for basketball and creating safe spaces across 17 Chicago communities.
“I think that's critical, especially with the way things are right now,” said Alex Anaya, a program officer for sports recreation and community safety at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). “Just to have a safe space to exercise, where they don't feel threatened by going out of their neighborhoods and shooting some hoops.”
Each year, hundreds of young athletes ages 8 – 19 play in the summer-long leagues, which blend street basketball with other recreational activities designed to prevent violence and develop youth leadership skills and teamwork.
“There's a lot of different activities, but the main attraction is always basketball,” added Anaya. “We’re trying to highlight that there's really positive things happening in some of these communities that get some of the bad press.”
This summer also marks the launch of the first-ever all-girls’ league program to be a part of Hoops in the Hood.
More than 30 all-girls teams are participating from across Chicago in the elementary and high school league
Anaya told WBBM Newsradio this year he’s focused on collaboration.
“We want to start collaborating with law enforcement and having our kids participate in events like what we're planning to do at the end of this month,” he said. “We’ll have an all-star game where our girls will participate with Chicago police officers from the 6th District.”
The all-girls game against Chicago police officers will take place July 30th outside St. Sabina Church on Halsted Street.
Hoops in the Hood has events scheduled throughout the summer across 17 different neighborhoods in Chicago.
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