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In certain neighborhoods, one block — and in many cases, even a corner — can mean all the difference between friend and foe. So when 14-year-old Dominique Henderson from 21st and Mifflin streets showed up for an Adolescent Violence Reduction Partnership (AVRP) Hoops for Life practice he ran into a teen he recognized from 25th Street.
"At first I thought we was going to fight, but now it’s cool — we’re best friends," the Alcorn Elementary student said.
Gone are the days when "wrong side of the tracks" meant a span of miles if not sections of town, Mitch Little, AVRP area coordinator and a licensed social worker, told the Review.
"You would not believe how many ‘hoods’ are in a neighborhood. Kids really separating and creating their divisions. It happens in schools, too. It’s a human need to have something to hold on to and, in a place of desperation and rampant poverty and violence, there is still that need that has to be satisfied," Little, of West Philly, said.
Working to erase those lines are AVRP youth workers like Anthony Young from the 1200 block of Newkirk Street, who also is a Hoops coordinator. Assigned to high-risk youths like Henderson, Young works to prevent them from becoming perpetrators or victims.
One of about 15 AVRP youths in Hoops for Life, Henderson is one of Young’s cases, working with him since December. The greatest gift the youth worker has taught the teen is respect "for adults and peers," Henderson said, adding, "He’s my mentor. It’s like a father-and-son relationship."
For him, Young is a second father figure since the teen said he has a good relationship with his dad. While the compliment means everything to Young, he knows it’s all in a day’s work.
"I am very humbled in a way. I’m just taking it as a job well-done," the youth worker said.
The relationship born between Henderson and his friend from 25th Street is proof positive Hoops can make a difference.
"[Friendship] is our whole reason for doing Hoops for Life," Young said. "We deal with [teen conflict] day-to-day. What we have to do is redirect and mentor them and show them there are other ways of dealing with their issues."
According to Little, Hoops for Life is the only basketball program in the city that includes a life-skills class and, in his and Young’s opinions, the mandatory session for all players that takes place 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Dixon House, 1920 S. 20th St., is the most important part of Hoops.
"That’s one of our biggest components, where we get most of our information out to the youths," Young said.
Dealing with peer pressure, trust, sportsmanship and respect for oneself and others are some of the topics covered. Participation is key, as one exercise in trust, for instance, calls for interaction. A standing child is blindfolded, then told to fall backward into the waiting arms of his peers, Little said.
But basketball was chosen as the focal activity because of its popularity with youths, giving kids a chance to meet over a shared interest while breaking down preconceived notions.
"My thought was if kids are playing together and they can create relationships through that, then they are less likely to fight somebody based on a different school or neighborhood," Little said.
Today, neighborhood battle lines are drawn and the body count keeps stacking up — one high-profile example is the July 1, 2004, slaying of 15-year-old Malik Upchurch from the 1300 block of South 27th Street. Police said the innocent blood was spilled in an ongoing turf war with factions from 31st and 27th streets. Aleem Williams and Jermaine King were convicted of first-degree murder in ’05 and sentenced to life in prison.
Hoping no other youths will end up like Upchurch, Williams or King is what Hoops for Life is about, serving ages 10 to 15 in the 19145, ’46, ’47 and ’48 ZIP codes. A citywide antiviolence initiative funded through the Department of Human Services’ Office of Truancy and Delinquency, AVRP is locally administered by Diversified Community Services, a United Way social service agency based at Dixon House.
The 10-to-15 age range is targeted because, according to police statistics, that group is most likely to become victims or offenders — or as Little likes to say, "kill or be killed." A few AVRP key populations are those under 13 who have prior arrests; victims of violence or knowing someone who was a victim; having an incarcerated parent or sibling; a family or friend who was murdered; a history of running away; or having eight unexcused absences from school in one year.
"Some have committed crimes before the age of 12," Young said of participants. "Some of them are just victims of being impoverished. What I mean is Mom works all the time, they are alone and they have more opportunity to become a victim or offender by being out on the street."
The majority of children in AVRP come from single-parent homes. The organization provides crisis intervention and conflict resolution services on the street, where teens tend to congregate, and in homes. Home counseling involves children and often family members with the youth worker’s ability to refer them to other social service agencies. Hoops for Life was started in ’06 as part of AVRP’s community outreach to connect at-risk kids with their peers and address youth violence.
"We can’t expect to see drastic or long-lasting improvements in young people if we’re working with them in a vacuum. That’s why we need to see them in their environment with their peers. How are they acting or reacting when they don’t think we are looking? This instantly gives us the ability to give them tools on how to solve real-life problems in real-life terms. That’s what sticks," Little said.
Registration for the season that lasts March through June is in late February. With about 60 players facing off against each other in eight teams, three games a night are played between 6 and 8 Wednesdays at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 20th and Christian streets, and from 6 to 8 Thursdays at Bok Technical School, Eighth and Mifflin streets. About 10 volunteer coaches and other support staff, all of whom hail from the area, help run the program.
Teams sport different colored uniforms of matching shorts and jerseys. To even the playing field and because sometimes names can have certain connotations and secret meanings, Little said, squads simply are called "team one, team two" and so forth. Jerseys display the team number on the front and player’s number on back. Felix Martinez, 15, who lives on the 1900 block of McKean Street and attends Bok, plays for Team 5 and wears burgundy with his No. 59. "The number is a little high. I don’t know nobody in the NBA with Number 59," Martinez said with a laugh.
At Bok, the soft-spoken youth plays football as a linebacker and fullback and basketball as a point guard. A Hoops for Life member since ’06, Martinez loves to get his game on. "I just do it to have fun. Basketball and football are my favorite sports. I have met a lot of new people," the athlete said.
Like Martinez, Johnanna Riddick from 15th and Montrose streets has been with the league since it started and also plays for her West Catholic basketball team. One of only 12 females in Hoops, Riddick also is on the Marian Anderson Rec Center basketball team at 17th and Fitzwater streets. Many of the players, including Riddick, learned about the league through word-of-mouth; the 15-year-old heard about it from her brother.
"A lot of kids just hang out on the corners. [Hoops] gives you an opportunity to come in and get out of the streets instead of getting into trouble," she said.
The life skills have given Martinez a valuable lesson he lives each day.
"I’ve learned determination and how to stay out of the wrong crowd so you won’t end up locked up or dead," he said.
Contact Staff Writer Lorraine Gennaro at lgennaro@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
