Our History
The Brooklyn Youth Sports Club was founded in 2009 as an academic support and college-preparatory initiative serving kids from all over Brooklyn. In our first year, BKYSC worked with 30 students, most of whom lived in Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, East New York, Brownville and Bushwick. This first group of fourteen and fifteen year olds kids were all really good kids and showed a true passion for the game they loved; they also had no program to turn to for academic support and college guidance. That where BKYSC came in.
After the first year with that first group, it was clear that the greatest impact we could have as an organization would be based on the idea that basketball could serve as an entry point to meaningful learning and academic engagement. In 2011, BKYSC implemented the academic component of the program. Ever since, in order to step foot in the gym, BKYSC has required all students to participate in a minute-for-minute ratio of academic support programs. This policy is non negotiable; it is also the reason our programs works - our kids are actively engaged in our programs and work hard because they are motivated by their own passion and interests. From there, the possibilities for learning and growth are unlimited.
Ultimately, the goal of the organization is to assist students in their pursuit of college enrollment. Since inception, BKYSC has maintained a 100% college enrollment rate. Those first thirty kids - and then every single BKYSC kid after that - has gone on to enroll in college. With over $3M in scholarships awarded to BKYSC youth, an average SAT score increase of almost 250 points, and now over 300 program participants per year, BKYSC will soon celebrate 10 years of providing quality programming for kids all around Brooklyn!