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Education. Basketball. Exploration.

Helping urban youth become leaders on and off the court. The Academy focuses on creating a supportive environment for academic growth, character development, positive peer relationships, and providing cultural experiences.

IN 2021 A BIGGER WORLD FOUNDATION LAUNCHED THE ACADEMY — A NEW YOUTH DEVELOPMENT BASKETBALL PROGRAM — TO SUPPORT STUDENTS IN WAUKEGAN, IL IN LEARNING LIFE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES THROUGH THE GAME OF BASKETBALL.

The Academy, By A Bigger World Centers Around Three Important Pillars

Education. The Academy’s focus is to provide all our student-athletes with the support they need on and off the court. The game of basketball provides ample opportunities for coaches to mentor students and impart life skills. Through a developed curriculum of reading interventions, skills and strategies, social emotional learning, and tutors The Academy meets students where they are and helps them grow. Through academics, guest speakers, peer mentoring, and tutors, students learn concepts like teamwork, overcoming adversity, perseverance and respect.

Basketball. Our focus is on fundamentals, basketball terminology, and learning to be a good teammate. As students learn new skills and techniques, they will do so in a context without the pressure of games or fans. This context allows them to be kids and simply enjoy the game of basketball.

Exploration. Each exploration provides a unique experience for the students and is tied to concepts they are learning on the court and in the classroom.

“The Academy means family, leadership, and opportunities. The Academy has given me guidance for life choices. I have learned how to manage my emotions and have gained confidence. It means a lot to me.”

-Ivan O., 8th Grade

Our Students are MVPs

Every day they are putting in the work to be leaders, both on and off the court.

The Academy helps support and develop decision making skills, team work, accountability and community in all of our student athletes. Students dedicate themselves to reaching challenging goals and building supportive relationships in the foundation. Together we know we can help each other be the best as teammates and in life.

✨ Give the Gift of Opportunity On Giving Tuesday, December 3! ✨ We’re thrilled to kick off our #GivingTuesday Campaign with a BIG goal: raising $20,000 to send our student-athletes on an unforgettable Spring College Tour to Atlanta, Georgia an
School’s out but The Academy’s student-athletes are hard at work in the gym and the classroom to keep improving. In the gym, Coach Deshawn and Coach Mike worked on skills development and conditioning. In the classroom, Ms VanCleve, Mr Dev
The results are in and our student-athletes’ hard work each afternoon is producing results in the classroom. In the first quarter of the school year, 51% of our middle school student-athletes achieved a GPA above 3.0! We’re so proud of
We’re proud to see The Academy represented on all middle school teams in Waukegan! We caught the 6th/7th grade game at Abbott yesterday and look forward to seeing all our student-athletes compete throughout the season.
We’re proud of all our student-athletes competing this weekend! They’ve been working hard all summer on the court, in the weight room, and in the classroom to develop the daily habits and mindset it takes to achieve their goals.
Yesterday we had a great experience at @cookingskillsandsocial learning to roll our own sushi. Their chefs walked us through all the ingredients and taught different rolling techniques. Afterwards we got to try our creations!
Today we welcomed @rfumslife Community Care Connection to educate our student-athletes regarding personal hygiene. Through a fun trivia game, they shared about developing good sleep habits, washing habits to prevent body odor, proper dental hygiene,
This summer our student-athletes have spent their mornings learning the history of basketball, doing readings on the origins and development of the game. Today we read Kobe’s “Dear Basketball” poem, reflecting on his imagery and poe
Ivan and Marshon recently returned from their 10 day trip to Duke University with @nslcleaders. They had an amazing experience in the program and we look forward to watching them@continue to grow as leaders at The Academy. “I had an amazing e
Monday and Tuesday The Academy was thrilled to work with Emmy nominated spoken word artist Trey Baker. Our high school, middle school, and tutors all learned about our values, poetry, and the power of using our voices. Thank you @treymbaker
The Academy's annual boat day in Milwaukee! The rain didn't keep us down, we ate, sang, danced and got to drive the boat. Wonderful day out on Lake Michigan with our amazing student athletes!
Last Friday, The Academy's high school and middle school programs worked to give back to the world! The Academy student athletes packaged nutritious meals to help those who need it around the world. Thank you for the great experience Feed Our Starvi

Student Spotlight

The Academy congratulates our 8th grade team who is traveling to Champaign to compete in the 8th grade State Championship @seeyouatstate.

These young men have been working towards this goal all school year. All student athletes have improved their GPAs over 3.0 and have been practicing and training with Coach Deshawn and Coach Jones at 5:30am twice a week on top.

We are extremely proud of these young men’s accomplishments and are ready to watch them compete!

Go Academy!

About

Our school-year session is broken into three terms. We encourage students to begin the program at the start of a term.

School-Year Program

  • During the first half of the year, The Academy focuses on building our culture and becoming a team.

  • Basketball season is a time for The Academy to support and encourage our students with how far they have come in the school year.

  • In April and May, The Academy’s focus is on persistence, growth, and ending strong. These two months are focused on continuous goal setting, persistence, and focus with basketball and academics to end the year in the best way possible.

The Academy runs an eight-week summer program for incoming 5th graders to rising 9th graders in Waukegan, IL. 

Summer Program

  • These eight weeks are filled with engaging and critical thinking lessons and activities and end each week with an exploration field trip. Students learn about themselves, making good choices, hands-on reading and science activities, student leader and passion projects. On the court, students focus on all areas of basketball and teamwork.