Game Plan
Game of Life (GOL), located in Federal Way, WA, was the first program to come out of the Federal Way Youth Action Team, a collective impact formed in 2016 to address the disproportionality of Black and Brown youth in the county juvenile justice system and to give young people an alternative to violence.
GOL was started by Mental Health Therapist and a Corrections Supervisor who are also former high-level High School Basketball coaches and division one basketball players. In researching the most effective programs for young men of color, none were able to keep their attention and build relationships the way basketball has.
In every community of color there is a hoop culture that exists and transcends poverty, homelessness, racism, and many forms of mental health problems. The Game of Life Mentoring has capitalized on the deep rooted attraction to hoop that is shared by many in minority communities, using it to gear their lives toward the trades, starting businesses and finding success in education.
Basketball has been the true secret sauce and the best possible way to engage the otherwise disengaged. GOL meets twice a week at a local gym where youth between the ages of 15-25, play 4 on 4 pickup basketball with positive reliable hoop court monitors from their community.
Invaluable life lessons are taught through hoop including, evaluating choices (seeing the whole court), understanding consequences, (living with your calls/ decisions), and how to avoid letting your emotions get the best of you in an intense game.
The young men receive a nutritious meal, healthy conversation, referrals/ access to needed resources, and ultimately learn that winning isn't everything. Real credibility (street cred) is playing the Game of Life with integrity, resources and the proper rules.
GOL isn't just physical fitness, but emotional support as well. Many of the participants have experienced variety of challenges, i.e. homelessness, school suspensions, substance disorders, gang violence, incarceration, anger management, lack of access to mental health counseling. The game is 90% mental!
Our Emotional Fitness Program serves as culturally appropriate counseling that offers the ongoing support young men of color desperately need. This program helps youth open up to receive services, move into employment and ultimately gears them towards becoming successful citizens in their community (Hall of Game). GOL also host Emotional Fitness classes in elementary and Middle schools in WA. State to catch the youth early to avoid some of the pitfalls that happen to youth of color.
This is all created with on the court relationships.
We have decided that due to the unforeseen pandemic, all the Game of Life Seattle programs will focus on Outdoor activities.We realize that our in the gym activities have been a source of stress relief for our participants as well as physical and emotional fitness. We have done extensive research on the safest ways to get young men and women of color out moving while social distancing and fishing was number one on our list, outdoor hoop was number two.
Our New Plan
We created a lottery to choose from our 170 participants to see which youth will be the first within the Game of Life to catch their first fish. Once the ordnance is lifted on outdoor recreation, we plan on taking as many youth of color fishing as we can possibly transport, but for now, we have three brand new twelve passenger Mercedes sprinter vans that will allow us to social distance while taking as many youth of color fishing as safely possible, our goal is to take 1,000 young minority men and women fishing each year.
Our new program is called First Fish. The First Fish program is a national program that encourages young men and women of color to experience the outdoors while capturing the excitement of catching their first fish. We have partnered with another organization to offer the education around conservation of fish while we focus on building a new generation of lifetime fishermen.
We will be adding pictures of our youth and their fishing stories throughout this whole fishing season and joyous occasion. Stay tuned.
The first winter outing will be a day trip with about 3-5 people in the
vans for social distancing. I am excited to get things started and am excited to pass on a hobby that has allowed me to have another outlet besides basketball.
Fishing teaches the brain about patience. If you think about it in life everything takes time and sometimes when we rush things they don't turn out so well. I want my peers to understand that there is more to fishing then catching fish. I cannot promise a fish every cast or every time you go but, what i can promise are the makings of new friendships, shared stories, freedom to speak your mind, a stress free time and to get away from hearing cars and loud music.
My objective is to give you another outlet that you can do at anytime of the year and anytime of the day. fishing is like anything if you try, if you put the effort an d time in, You will catch something.
My names Quintin Bethea and I have been fishing since I was 3 years old. I specialize in bass, all panfish, perch, walleye, sturgeon, and salmon. I fish all year around as much as I can, or should I say as long as basketball allows me to.
I am excited to share my stories and listen to yours. I will be teaching you to have patience, respect, integrity, and how to have fun without the uses of technology. Thank you Coach Winston for the opportunity to work with you and the Game of life Mentoring organization. I got introduced to the game of life program through basketball and it is an honor to be able to create a fishing section to this program.
Next summer we will be camping out of tents but, since it is winter we will fish places where they have cabin lodges. Come enjoy a time where your social status doesn't matter, your social media aint going no where.
With it being winter time please come prepared for the cold. By that I mean Jackets, long underwear, spandex, beanies, gloves, hand warmers,, wool socks or double sock up, winter boots or shoes you don't care about and winter jackets.
Fishing with Q
Game of life mentoring
© 2019