Junior Giants
This project's parent organization is Giants Community Fund
It operates in United States
It uses Baseball
Entered the Sport for Sustainable Cities and Communities Award
More about Junior Giants
Oakland, Stockton, Richmond: California residents know these communities as some of the toughest in the state; they are home to Junior Giants. Conversely, most have never heard of Willits, Plumas Lake or Parlier, but Junior Giants thrives here as well. From inner cities to tiny towns, Junior Giants seeks to improve individuals and their communities in areas where baseball is unaffordable or simply unavailable.
The benefits of youth sports cannot be underestimated. Since 2008, participation in baseball among 6-12 year olds has decreased 14%. Shockingly, 38% of children 5-17 in the U.S. are obese. The need for access to sports is evident.
Junior Giants seeks to do more than simply encourage kids to throw a ball and run the bases. Our focus on health, education and bullying prevention is equally important as we find low-income students are six times more likely to drop out of high school; one in five U.S. children is obese by their fifth birthday and one in three students report being bullied during the school year.
The opportunity to play baseball is the hook, but Junior Giants uses the sport to teach more than just balls and strikes, but to change lives on and off the field.