"There are shared languages that transcend what is written down or spoken aloud. Young people seem to understand this better than most. The teenagers at a recent after-school study hour in East Oakland spoke mainly in Spanish, but when they exchanged knowing grins, or burst into sudden laughter, it was clear that even behind a language barrier, this was an environment they trusted."
"Oakland Genesis offers academic training after school hours, but its primary hook is a youth soccer program, both for recreational play and more serious, club-based competition. Its founder, Matt Fondy, has big dreams for the nonprofit, including a large-scale renovation of Sobrante Park, a public field that shares its name with the East Oakland neighborhood surrounding it. The nonprofit's study sessions, held at Madison Park Academy in Sobrante Park, offer a kind of bonding space upended by the COVID-19 pandemic's worst days."
Oakland Genesis combines afterschool academic training with youth soccer to engage economically disadvantaged students in East Oakland. The program uses soccer’s cultural appeal among Latin-American families in Sobrante Park to create trust and peer bonding during study hours at Madison Park Academy. Oakland Genesis serves roughly 1,200 students annually across 10 schools, providing recreational play and a club team for serious athletes. Founder Matt Fondy aims for community improvements, including a large-scale renovation of the Sobrante Park public field. The program’s in-person bonding spaces were disrupted during the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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