Community Youth Center: Nurturing Young People through Sports

August 23, 2024 

To conclude our monthlong series highlighting sport for development organizations in our network that are serving young people through sport, today meet our Head In The Game grantee, Community Youth Center (CYC). The Concord, California-based nonprofit supports local youth by teaching valuable life skills through academic and athletic activities. We spoke to Program Director Mawuko Tugbenyoh on the organization’s work to help develop well rounded, thoughtful, confident and strong youth. 

CYC provides San Francisco Bay Area youth aged 3-18 with opportunities to participate in a range of extra curricular and academic programs regardless of their economic means. It believes in creating safe spaces for youth to develop dedication, discipline, desire and the confidence to pursue excellence in all areas of life. The Center offers ten athletic programs encompassing gymnastics, wrestling, judo, soccer, boxing and more, as well as access to two academic centers, top facilities and coaches. 

CYC's athletic history dates back to the early 1980s. In 1995, what started as the small 'The Little C' boxing club, underwent a transformative shift in their approach aimed at creating positive change for the entire community. The club decided to place a greater focus on financially disadvantaged people and local neighborhoods impacted by drug use, gang violence and crime. Concurrently, CYC wanted to address school youth programs which were facing funding cuts. In response, its expanded mission to promote athletic and academic excellence took shape. Over time, it has become known for creating safe spaces where students can grow at their own pace without financial barriers. 

“As the founder of the Center grew up in Oakland and was well aware of how sports kept him safe and out of gangs and drugs, it was vitally important to him that places like CYC needed to exist” explains Tugbenyoh. “Community is necessary to the development and prosperity of us all. Providing a safe environment for youth and becoming a place where they can get resources for support is important for us. We are dedicated to making sure that the kids, regardless of background, have the opportunity for the same quality athletic experience regardless of economic status.” 

Tugbenyoh says that top challenges youth in the community face arise from the growing disparity of incomes. The cost to sustain a household is growing for families and the institutions providing support are increasing but not quickly enough to close the gap. Because of this, low-income families struggle to provide meaningful time to their kids due to long working hours and holding multiple jobs. There is also a lack of dedicated spaces to teach young adults the needed skills to be successful. 

CYC addresses these challenges by providing free to low-cost activities, places where kids can spend time with their families and life-skill workshops. Its sports classes emphasize character and respect. The Center has a total of 2,025 members and serves around 700 people per week. Each session teaches the values of camaraderie, sportsmanship and especially the three D’s of the Center: Discipline, Dedication and Desire. Its academic centers provide subject-specific tutors, study strategies and time management skills.

“While empowering the kids to cultivate transferable life skills, we ensure that kids are accountable. Through a clear structure, our members are able to have a better sense of responsibility. We want them to speak to coaches if they have an issue in class to empower them to advocate for themselves. Following up with them on their academics requires them to be an active participant in improving their future,” Tugbenyoh shared. 

He notes that it's important for CYC to help kids balance their education with their physical wellbeing to ensure they can manage mental and physical success in the future. “I believe that sport is the best avenue for kids to learn life skills because it is tangible and measurable to them and their peers. The skills are constantly being assessed and evaluated, which promotes continued growth... I just don’t see a better way for young people to experience a multitude of emotions and practice the skills to manage them within an hour of play.” 

Tugbenyoh said that Head In The Game (HITG) – a program of Beyond Sport powered by the Z Zurich Foundation – has made the organization more aware of the different resources available to celebrate and support kids’ mental health: “Being a part of HITG has really supported the exposure of our coaches and staff to being aware of the challenges many of our kids face. Improving their aptitudes only makes them better coaches who are better equipped to serve our community. It has allowed us to have more dialogue and collaborate more when facing some of the wider issues in our community.” 

With the fall school year fast approaching, CYC is looking forward to another year of supporting Bay Area youth. The Center has recently become a testing site for exams to provide more local access to the community. It has also begun hosting interns to give more opportunities for young people to develop their skills as they transition into the labor force.

Head In The Game program is currently offering expanded Coaches Training, click here to learn more and register.  Young people can find diverse resources to support their mental wellbeing by clicking here.