WNBA Engages Youth Ahead of 2024 All-Star Game
July 19, 2024
As part of AT&T WNBA All-Star 2024 weekend, taking place in Phoenix, Arizona through tomorrow in the US, the WNBA is taking a focus on the next generation. Through social impact events that support education, youth development, inclusion and more, it is engaging over 5,000 youth across the city and its surrounding communities. The league is also encouraging community and civic engagement and building confidence through sport.
Ahead of Saturday's All-Star Game, the WNBA hosted its first-ever "WNBA Changemaker Day" with partners AT&T, CarMax, Deloitte, Google, Nike, U.S. Bank and Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council (GSACPC). The day was dedicated to advancing, elevating and empowering underrepresented groups through the power of sport. WNBA athletes, volunteers from each Changemaker partner and Girl Scouts assembled boxes that included activities focused on life skills, STEM and the outdoors to encourage creativity and problem-solving to 6,000 Girl Scouts in grades 4-8 across Arizona. An expo where girls completed activities and gained free access to WNBA’s digital mentorship platform was also part of the event.
WNBA talent also shared inspiring messages that were livestreamed to Girl Scouts nationwide with the theme of "if you can see it, you can be it." Since 1912, the Girl Scouts organization has created safe places for girls to foster their individual growth, character, self-sufficiency and leadership. Across the country, its members participate in activities that help them discover their strengths, take on challenges and make a difference. The GSACPC chapter serves more than 12,000 girls from kindergarten through 12th grade across central and northern Arizona, including on The Navajo Nation, Hopi Lands and military installations.
Jr. WNBA and AT&T also hosted two events to inspire hundreds of girls from the Jr. Mercury Legacy League which is helping to grow the game for young girls. The first event was a basketball clinic for elementary schoolgirls and the second included a panel discussion and workshop focused on mental wellness and goal setting. Additionally, the junior league and Microsoft hosted a STEM experience for middle schoolers showcasing how STEM is integrated into sports science tools and techniques. There was also a basketball clinic for Native American youth with Rise Above.
Other activations included four renovated basketball courts at Rose Mofford Sports Complex and a renovated basketball court and a mural at Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) De Colores – a domestic violence shelter that provides resources and a safe space for families in need.
During the All-Star Game, the WNBA and State Farm will donate $1,900 for every assist made, which will enhance STEM education and provide access to mental wellness resources in communities across the country. The WNBA Cares State Farm Assist Tracker Program donates $5 for every assist made during the regular season to enhance STEM and mental wellness resources in classrooms and afterschool programs across the country.