Transform Justice has partnered with Noah’s Arc Foundation and 30+ community-based organizations striving to promote violence prevention to host The One City Basketball League. Kicking off on May 20, the league included 28 teams of youths ages 16-25 that played throughout a span of four months, culminating the season with a championship game on August 26. The league strives to unify youths from Chicago’s South and West sides through playing basketball with one another and teaching them that positive inter-community relationships are possible and needed to create a safe society.
In addition to the basketball games, The One City Basketball League provides players with workshops and discussions that span financial literacy, art-based therapy, entrepreneurship, and trauma-informed mental health resources to provide additional support to participants. By providing these opportunities, it is a way for the league to promote its mission of reducing violence and crime among youth. It also teaches participants that through making connections and engaging with others, each individual can realize their potential and respect one another.
We hope that through The One City Basketball League, participants will take what they have learned and act on it in their daily lives:
- a positive self-image
- respect for one another
- the understanding that violence is an epidemic we must actively fight against.