Making Use of Space
Last month, the Milwaukee Youth Sports Alliance (MYSA) announced a partnership with Milwaukee County Parks to bring MYSA member organizations to the Kosciuszko Community Center on the city’s southside as the new operator of the building.
MYSA was founded in 2019 as a nonprofit by the Milwaukee Bucks, Bader Philanthropies, and America Scores as an initiative to increase access to affordable youth sports programs. The organization works to ensure the success of youth during early development through sports while focusing on social and emotional intelligence. MYSA is the governing body of Milwaukee youth sports and is responsible for securing funding, aiding infrastructure development, and supporting youth organizations like the Running Rebels, Milwaukee Kickers, and Milwaukee Rec.
The building is meant to bridge the gap between Milwaukee youth and access to affordable sports programming. According to MYSA’s 2021-2024 impact report, youth participation in sports programs is trending down in underserved areas because of things like the privatization of sports leagues, access to role models, reduced physical education classes in schools, and fees.
Under Quentin Prince’s leadership, MYSA’s executive director, the organization is determined to pack the space with as many diverse sports programs as possible, including adaptive sports to create accessibility for community members of different physical and mental capabilities.
“The idea is if an organization doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar space, they can come into Kosci under the umbrella of the Milwaukee Youth Sports Alliance and offer programming free of cost to the organization to the participants. We want to just make sure they have access,” said Prince.
More Than the Sports
The community center will serve as a place to motivate the city’s youth to excel in growth and development, along with sports. MYSA plans to hold informational sessions for families and community members to learn about topics like financial literacy.
“Sports has always been used as like that carrot to bring kids into programs,” said Prince. “We get kids into programs by using that sports lens but we want to make sure kids understand that there’s more to life than sports but sports is something that’s not separate from youth development but it’s part of it.”
To participate in the programming click here.