Hoops in the Hood

Between June and August of 2009, the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council worked with local Ward offices, youth agencies, park districts, schools, residents and the Chicago Police Department to implement a traveling Hoops in the Hood program aimed at deterring youth from gangs and drugs while promoting healthy lifestyles.

The program was created by other community organizations and duplicated in the Back of the Yards with funding and technical assistance from the Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC) to help to combat increasing crime rates in the community by using activities in public spaces as crime deterrents. For this reason, rather than using park facilities to host the tournament, the BYNC cooperated with block clubs and local Ward offices to close a targeted block every Friday night between June 19th and July 24th, 2009 (with the exception of Friday, July 3rd). The program is designed to change local attitudes about community and bring a sense of hope and progress to residents, while giving them the opportunity to organize and reclaim their streets.

The Hoops in the Hood program gave about 95 youth ages 11 to 15 from 6 agencies – Cornell Park, Davis Square Park, Kids & Kops (9th District), Lara Academy, St. Michael the Archangel, and UNION Impact Center – an opportunity to participate in a five night basketball tournament on Friday nights. Participants were split into two age brackets consisting of 11 to 12 year olds and 13 to 15 year olds.

Please click on the thumbnail to see pictures from the 2009 Hoops in the Hood Season.