While the rain kept them indoors for most of the morning, the more than 100 students at UVI’s Sports and Fitness Center were still all smiles at the prospect of hitting the field for some up close and personal time with National Football League greats.
This is the second year that Youth Lifeline America — a national non-profit with a year-round presence in the territory — has pulled together students from all three islands to participate in the free "Weekend of Champions" camp, which pairs the fun of sports with lessons in everyday living.
At the heart of the movement is Roland Williams, former St. Louis Rams tight end, whose Youth Lifeline organization brings both high-profile stars and local community members together to empower children. At the inaugural camp last year, he had said he fell in love with the territory when visiting and was inspired to set up shop.
According to camp organizer Cedric Cobb, Youth Lifeline is now established as a certified on-island charity, while Williams himself is now a V.I. resident. The "Weekend of Champions," meanwhile, has also expanded to include a girls’ camp, which has drawn 50 to 75 participants.
"We’re always talking about how it takes a village to raise a child, and we firmly believe in that adage, but you also have to ask yourself, where are the villagers when you need their help," Cobb said Friday. "Well here in the U.S. Virgin Islands, we find that the villagers come out in droves to help, and that right there says a whole lot about the community, so anything that we can do to galvanize professionals or do anything the direction of helping to enrich the lives of the kids in the Virgin Islands is always great."
While teaching kids sport basics such as technique and discipline, the camp also prides itself on instilling a variety of life skills in its participants. Cobb said that prior to coming to camp, all students take an LSAT — or, Life Skills Assessment test — that Youth Lifeline has developed over the years while working with universities on the mainland.
"It tells us basic life skills information outside of what the kids would learn from school or being part of an athletic team — those things that can really arm you or put you in a better position in life just because you know them," Cobb said.
Cobb said every year, the kids — both in the territory and abroad — do "horribly" on the test, scoring in the 20th percentile or lower.
"But by the time they’re done with the three-day camp with us they’re up in the 90th percentile, learning things like computer Internet competency, financial literacy, diversity training, leadership development, health and nutrition," Cobb said. "And this is a consensus across the board. We’ve also done camps in places like Utica, New York, where the median income is higher and most kids are going to private schools and the scores are just the same. So we hope we can supplement what they’re learning and fill the gap."
This year’s camp had many repeat participants, including 14-year-old Rohan Samtani, who said he had "a lot of fun last year."
"I loved going out and playing in the field, and I learned a lot from the instructors," Samtani said. "We learned things to prepare for the game, like doing push-ups, but we also learned life-skills, like respecting others and respecting ourselves."
Another valuable lesson last year was how to better communicate with others, added 18-year-old Giavanni Bird. While Bird giggled as he said his mother made him come back to camp, he also said he "had a lot of fun" on the field and was looking forward to getting back into the action.
The camp also brings out many local leaders and volunteers, including Sen. Patrick Simeon Sprauve, who spoke Friday about the benefits of using sports as an outlet for mentoring local youth. Sprauve said one of last year’s participants went on to play football in college, and he is anxious to see where this year’s crop of youngsters will go.
A new volunteer this year, Antilles School graduate and athlete Conn Davis said he was recruited by local J.V. Flag Football Commissioner Dwayne "Juice" Maduro to help coach the students.
"It’s a very short camp, but I hope to help them learn a few things, a little bit of technique, instill a little bit of fun of the game, which is important at that age because without having fun, it’s difficult to stay focused and move forward," Davis said. "Life skill-wise, sports is a good medium for children to learn life lessons, and that seems to be a big part of what this program is about."
