[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
By Rama K. Ramaswamy
Community Investors (CI) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, established in 2014. Their vision continues: to improve the physical, mental heath and wellness of children through community sports-based youth development. Their mission is to create positive, impactful experiences to plant the seeds for mental and physical wellness and strengthen the emotional and social fabric of adolescents at a vital time in their lives.
Thanks to the Wellesley Hills Junior Women's Club, Community Investors is bringing back Girl Power Hour on October 27 from 2:30pm-3:30 p.m. at the Wellesley Middle School gym B. According to founders Jospeh P. Roberts Jr. and Chris Cavallerano, this event is "play for all, no fees, and no boys!"
The 2016 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey reported that "increases in stress over the last decade is driven by an increase among females. Reports of stress among females rose steadily from 35% in 2006 to 47% in 2014, and then further to 49% in 2016. Reports among males have been steady at 22% since 2014 and have not changed substantially since 2006.” It also reported that "as in previous surveys, reports of stress increase during the high school years, nearly doubling from 25% in 9th grade to 48% in 12th grade.”
The report also stated that "stress related to school issues is most common, reported by two-thirds of youth (66%), followed by stress related to social issues (33%). Specifically, 68% of students are stressed often or very often about getting good grades in school, 62% are stressed about being able to finish all of their work and study enough, and 49% are worried about plans after high school. School-related stress is higher among females than males, and is highest in 11th and 12th grades.”
CI's strategic priorities, to name a few, include the creation and management of after-school activities with entertaining and supportive environments, promoting physical activity while building life and leadership skills, encouraging coaching and leadership development for students and teachers, and creating "community sports collaboratives" of town-based youth sports organizations to provide structure for consistent collaboration.
CI hopes to build a model organization that ultimately serves other communities.
This Girl Power Hour event will feature members of the Wellesley College soccer team as guest "coaches,” along with Odessa Sanchez, coach for the Wellesley High School Raiders cheer team.
Free registration is available at: http://goo.gl/gDnZ9K.
