About:
AC Portland began in 2011 with the vision to transform communities and serve hundreds of local students through youth soccer.
Mission:
To empower students to lead healthy lives, succeed academically, and inspire positive community engagement, and to transform communities using soccer.
Programs:
AC Portland works to achieve their mission by providing two highly successful national programs:
* Soccer For Success: This is the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s youth development program using soccer as a tool to combat childhood obesity and promote healthy lifestyles for children in under-resourced urban communities.
The core component’s of AC Portland’s Soccer For Success include:
- Physical Activity (90 minute sessions at least 3 days/week)
- Mentorship: (Each site is staffed by coaches mentoring the participants)
- Nutrition: (Staff teach the basics of nutrition and the importance of developing healthy eating habits)
- Family Engagement: (Family members are provided information to help reinforce the program’s teachings at home)
* America SCORES: This innovative program integrates soccer, poetry and service-learning, with an approach that improves students’ health, academic achievement and civic engagement.
Recent evaluations of the America SCORES programs have found the following:
- Statistically significant gains in writing achievement
- Increased reporting of reading enjoyment and longer time spent reading independently
- Increased levels of physical fitness
- Increased reporting of feelings of self-confidence, self-efficacy and enjoyment of learning
- Increased frequency of daytime classroom attendance during the America SCORES seasons
How to get involved:
Visit the AC Portland website for upcoming volunteer opportunities.
Donate:
Make an online donation to AC Portland.
Contact:
* Website: http://acportland.org/
* Blog: http://acportland.org/blog/
* Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
