The Township Baseball Academy
This project's parent organization is The Township Baseball Academy
It operates in South Africa
It uses Baseball
Entered the Sport For Social Inclusion Award
More about The Township Baseball Academy
The Township Baseball Academy is the first black team to “break the color barrier”, to compete in organized baseball alongside white teams. Concurrently, we’ve created the continent’s first centralized Little League Baseball Program & school baseball league, maximizing participation while minimizing the need for private transportation, which excludes most South African children from participation in club sports. Our program utilizes the vehicle of baseball for experiential education delivery.
Through group interaction & personal introspection, children discover their potential abilities while passively immersed in English-language instruction. The lack of English poses the greatest challenge for academic success for black South Africans who most often aren’t exposed to English in their homes yet choose to study in English from 4th grade. By transferring the spirit of achievement from playfield into classroom, we ignite a thirst for knowledge among participants.
Academic enrichment instruction coupled with scholarship incentives yield tangible results in the form of improved success and attention at school, a strong sense of purpose and self-worth, and the ability to make a concrete financial contribution to the family unit. This serves to replace the despair and disillusionment that characterize poverty with determination, with the concept of the Black South African Student-Athlete-Scholar.