NEW ORLEANS — Nearly 100 youth gathered for the first annual Middle School Football Camp at Joe Brown Stadium. Students participated in activities, drills, and conversations with community leaders about setting career goals.
The focus of the camp was preparing student-athletes for all aspects of life beyond the football field on Saturday, Jul. 13. In partnership with Councilman Oliver Thomas, the free camp brought coaches from local high schools like Edna Karr and colleges, including Tulane and Southern University to mentor and get active with students.
"We're trying to work on having a foundation week, starting next year so we can have more activities for the young people ", said Jabbar Juluke with the C.O.A.C.H. Foundation that hosted the event.
Juluke is an associate head coach at the University of Florida. He also coached at Edna Karr High School for nine years, winning the Cougars seven district titles.
"Whether it's going to be financial literacy, health initiatives, real estate, savings or investing, and making sure they have resources that we can give to them and their families," he said.
On Saturday, members of the NAACP workshopped with the kids on eligibility and how to market themselves as student-athletes.
"The big piece is that 70% of student-athletes come from a single-parent household," said Alvianne Brule, CEO of The Eight Eighteen Foundation, which also hosted the camp.
The Eight Eighteen Foundation is a full-service sports agency missioned to educate and empower athletes and coaches to build a brand and legacy beyond their contracts.
"When you give the community resources, people show up," one volunteer said. After the camp, free backpacks with school supplies were given away and kids also got a free t-shirt for participating in the camp.
"It's just this big cycle of pouring back into our young people, our community in hopes that we can create better men," Brule said.
Middle School Football Camp
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