Tutor/Mentor

COMMUNITY PARTNER

Athletic Advantage

ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP

Duties

• Facilitate life-skills classes from a pre-developed curriculum (see sample list of classes below) while applying information from personal and educational experience.  We have a total of 29 classes which will go from September 13-May 4.
• (Optional) Mentor students in small groups and/or individual setting. Student athletes are required to participate in outreach volunteer programs that are put on by Athletic Advantage as well as other community based volunteer organizations. Some include: Athletic Advantage Jr. High Combine, which is a free athletic speed and agility clinic, educational workshops for Jr. High student athletes in grades6-8 Community Gardening with Tanner Gardens Elderly Facility, St. Mary’s Food Bank, and local churches, schools, and community serving entities.

NCAA ROADMAP-PART 2
We will finish our exploration of the College Recruiting Handbook. We will go over the rules and regulations for college prospects. We will cover the different contact periods and what can and cannot be done during those periods.

GOAL SETTING & ACHIEVING THE MARKS  In this session, participants will discuss their personal and career goals.  Develop a strategy to move closer to their goals and begin a practice to achieve them.

TIME MANAGEMENT
Students will learn critical tools that will help them manage their busy lives as a student and athlete. Tools will include, but aren’t limited to how to build a schedule, prioritizing tasks, and effective time management with big projects.

LEARN HOW YOU LEARN Studying –
Exploring -Llearning techniques and  study tips tailored to individual student needs is the focus of this session.   Because students  obtain and retain information differently, the focus is to help students discover different methods of learning that suit their learning needs.

 CULTURE AND ITS ROLE IN SOCIETY
Students will examine different cultures and learn about their customs, traditions, and personalities. The goal is to help foster understanding and respect for coaches, fellow players, and society as a whole.

SCHOLARSHIPS- PART  1:FINANCIAL AID
Students will learn the pros and cons of Financial Aid and Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans.

SCHOLARSHIPS- PART 2:SCHOLARSHIPS
Students will examine various scholarships that are available to them. (Ethnic, Athletic, Major, Academics, etc.)

•  Athletic Advantage also offers opportunities for students to be involved in ongoing community based volunteer projects.

Population served

The target population served through this internship are students primarily from low-income or poverty- level areas. Many students represented in the target population have come from an area beset by low expectations, lack of time and resources, and environmental influences. As a result, student achievement levels have fallen below satisfactory levels. Consequently,  many of the students in the targeted population may experience difficulty reading, writing, or doing basic math, at grade level. Our current numbers are growing  and we anticipate growing into other areas outside the South Phoenix area. However, our program is based at  South Mountain High School and erves the African- American, Latino, and Native American student population. Currently, we have approximately  40 participants enrolled in the program.

During the 2011-2012 school year, students attending high school in the Phoenix Union High School District experienced a decline in academic scores. In 10th grade alone, students scores dropped one point in math to47%, two points in reading to 66%, and followed the state trend, falling 10 points in writing to average 51%. (Phoenix Union High School District [PUHSD], 2011)

Community need/impact

Less than 1% of Arizona student athletes continue onto higher education on scholarship.  In fact, in 2011 on 55 student athletes committed to division 1 program. There was only 2 that came from a Phoenix Union High School District (Betty Fairfax, South Mountain High School)  (Preps, 2011)The mission of Athletic Advantage is to confront several factors which may contribute to the lack of students matriculating through college on scholarship. For example, contributing factors are related to poor study habits and the lack of one-on-one attention students may receive from instructors. Additionally, Athletic Advantage strives to provide student athletes with educational tools, personal development, strength and conditioning skills, and networks needed to make it to the next level of collegiate sports and beyond.    It is the belief of Athletic Advantage  that filling in these gaps associated with the aforementioned factors will not only help student athletes, but students at large, which we are aiming to serve through our organization and partnership with Arizona State University.

The positive impact this internship will have on the students in this community will help improve the following areas:
•  Standardized and class assessment scores
•  Academic grades in core subjects of Reading, Writing, and Math (maybe even life skills since you mentioned this earlier)
•  Academic/testing resources will be available to compete at the proficiency levels of their more affluent peers
•  Parent, community, and scholastic involvement
•  Graduation rates which contribute to students’ success in  higher education
•  Access to positive role models  who are actively pursuing college degrees

We feel that providing the resources and exposure to additional life paths will inspire students  to look beyond their current status and help them build the right skills, attitudes, and goals to successfully be admitted and succeed in collegiate studies.