Hi everyone! Welcome to Youth Get Next and many thanks for your time and talents. Everyone has a story … and here is mine.

It was the spring of 2022. I was fortunate to be part of a group of students invited to an inner city middle school to introduce the basics of Financial Literacy. During the introductory icebreaker, I talked about my many interests including my passion for the game of squash. Looking back, the response was perplexing but also predictable.  The students were confused and began looking at each other because they did not know what I was talking about. No one had ever played or even heard of squash, which caught me off guard.  I was in a room full of students of similar age who were motivated and athletic, but sadly against whom I would never have an opportunity to compete. It all seemed unfair. I realized that I did not face the same barriers to access as the students with whom I was speaking. As I walked out of the school that day, Youth Get Next was born.

Our mission is to introduce extracurricular activities, academic support and sports to youth lacking access. We want children to get out of their comfort zone and try new things. We want to level the playing field.  Our ultimate goal is to promote confidence, focus and discipline.

I am truly humbled by the support and guidance that Youth Get Next has received from its community partners, advisors and volunteers. Our team based approach has allowed us to positively impact youth development in so many ways! In such a short period of time Youth Get Next has been successful in creating squash and golf clinics, baseball clinics ending in a live scrimmage, onsite and virtual tutoring programs, mentorship programs, and sports equipment drives.

This is only the beginning of our story. Thank you for joining us on this amazing journey. I can’t wait to see how the story unfolds!