As expected, day two of the L.A. LMP Training Camp was a success!  Saturday I briefed readers about some of the amazing PlayCity projects-in-the-making. Yesterday these activists devised specific plans to execute their ideas from the previous day.

Groups collaboratively organized strategic plans for their said projects and events.  More specifically, these groups focused on composing mission statements, objectives, and action plans.  

But no one ever said project development was easy - as noted by Scott Bryer, of the "Shoeless Footrace" group: “[putting together a mission statement] is harder than I thought.”

(Right: Scott Bryer)

Naturally, some of the groups experienced snags along the way, particularly when trying to agree upon objectives and narrowing the focus of their mission statements.  One group, “Unity Through Sport,” had difficulty deciding upon a specific angle, or common thread, that could facilitate the organization's overall mission.

“It all goes back to education,” said Ryan Macabasco while addressing his group. With the help of YouthNoise's Regional Outreach Manager, James Toney, the group formulated educational incentives for their target demographic (kids ages 12-14) by working with local schools and teachers.

(Ryan Macabasco)

(Center: James Toney)

Another group, “Lead L.A.,” also confronted challenges while trying to narrow the focus of their overall mission statement.

Jessica Onyepunuka recognized the importance of having a cohesive strategy, “we have to keep the ideas connected,” she said while addressing her group.  “Lead L.A.” hopes to use sports as a means to empower youth and provide them with the necessary skills to be leaders in their communities.

(Left: Jessica Onyepunuka)

The group, “Just Like You” hopes to exchange ideas and cultures via sports.  This group's promising mission is “to create global awareness in youth through the propagation and presentation of world outreach by sharing international sports and games.”  

I sat down with this group while they were formulating their ideas.  I wondered about the specificity of their mission statement.  Though I understood the basic idea, I wanted to know more about the group's mission in a more direct way, so I asked: “what is it that you want to accomplish?”

“We want to use sports as a catalyst for social change,” said Amy Wunderlich.  Group member, Jerry Darko (who initially thought of the idea on Saturday), told me that the organization wants to encourage the idea that “I am just like you” through youth sports.

(Amy Wunderlich)

This group's focus on transnational bridging through sport is quite promising because it is unique and spans across cultures.  I look forward to following this group's progress over time.

Another group, which was tentatively named “Team Girl” while I was talking with them, envisions Division I female college athletes mentoring and building bridges with younger female athletes, ages 12 to 15.  Though I understand that coming up with a name at this stage is not as important as formulating objectives and mission statements, I still decided to play devil's advocate with this particular group.

Coming from an educational background that critically analyzes the cultural, political, and economical issues of women and girls I was curious about the name “Team Girl.” So I asked the group if they had considered the political connotation behind the word “girl,” especially since college-age women (adults) would be included in the “Team Girl” demographic.  I certainly was not encouraging the group to change the name but, rather, invite them to consider the potential backlash they might receive simply because they used the word “girl.”

I mentioned that some folks might scrutinize the term “girl” as undermining the overall mission to empower female athletes, particularly those female athletes who've passed the pre-pubescent stage.  Though this might be a moot point to some, it behooves us to think about culturally accepted perceptions of women and girls.  However, just as other words/terms have been reappropriated, this group considers the term “girl power” as a strong and positive message for young girls and women.

I must say that I'm very excited to see where this group is heading.  The group's goals and ideas are quite admirable especially considering the myriad of issues young girls and women face, from teen pregnancy, to obesity, to body image issues, and the list goes on.   

After the workshop sessions wrapped up, the groups convened in the lobby to play a little game.  Activists participated in a social networking/building activity that required them to guess the name of the person pinned on their backs by asking a series of questions.  This game was not only a nice break in events, it ended up being a great way to socialize and laugh together. 

Fun times!

After the game, groups reconvened in the main Coliseum room (or what I like to call “the lab”) and met with YN staff to set up future meetings concerning their projects.

At the end of the day, everyone gathered together for one last photo-op – a finale of all finales, closing out an amazing weekend comprised of enthusiastic collaboration, diligence, and endless possibilities to change the world.

(Photography: tara l. conley)