Local Nonprofit Youth Sports Alliance provides after school activities to students in the Park City School District, originally the program was focused on involving elementary students in winter sports activities but has since expanded into more activities and more grade levels. Last year YSA expanded their programing outside of Park City to South Summit Middle School where they had 20% of the school participate in the program in the first year.
One of the participants in South Summit last year was Ellie Schiedel. Ellie was able to sample in three after school programs boxing, art and acting. We asked her which activity was her favorite.
“Oh that’s hard," Schiedel answered. "They were all fun in different ways but probably the art. Because all of my friends did it. We all did it together, so we all did like kind of the same art and it was just so much fun.”
Ellie’s mother Cam Schiedel says she appreciates that YSA gives an after-school activity for students who are not interested in traditional sports such as basketball and football.
“A huge variety of activities," Cam Schiedel explained. "From skiing, to mountain biking, to yoga, to boxing. Even things that aren't really necessarily sports related, like the drama or acting, and art. They were really affordable I feel they were priced where most any family would be able to take advantage of the programs. It's really nice to have somewhere for the kids to go. The middle school gets out at 1:30 on Friday, so that's three, four, five hours till some parents get home from work. It really is nice to have something for them to do that is constructive. Beyond just being on your phone or your iPad. I think the thing I noticed the most is she just had so much fun with each of them.”
YSA Executive Director Emily Fisher says they are hopeful to win the high impact grant from the Women’s Giving Fund in order to increase staffing and then increase the reach of their programs to every school in Summit County.
“We had great support and great participation in South Summit, and we would love for all kids in Summit County to have the opportunities that the kids in the Park City School District have," Fisher continued. "In the last five years we've gone from being in four schools and having 800 participants to being in 11 schools with 1,600 participants. We've done it all with the same staffing. Really if we want to expand to the rest of Summit County, we need some seed money just to expand our staffing. After a year to 18 months our program fees usually cover our staffing. We feel like all kids in Summit County should have the same opportunities as those kids in Park City.”
