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On behalf of the Sustainable Sport Foundation, I am happy to share our first public News Update since the SSF became an official 501(c)(3) youth sport non-profit.

With help from our boards + volunteers, we have been activating initiatives and planning exciting programs for youth athletes here on Nantucket.

We are very proud of the local + global partnerships we have built as well as the programs we are building to fill voids for youth athletes in our community.

But there is so much more in front us that we are even more excited about!

This email will bring you up to date on what the SSF has done, what the SSF is building, and to kindly ask for your help (not just money :-)

As a non-profit, of course we are constantly looking for donors + grants + awards to fund our operations and to help avoid a “pay-to-play” model for our youth athletes. But, that’s not the entire reason for this email.

We are currently looking to partner with local + global organizations that share a similar system (purpose, vision, + values +) with us AND grow our diverse network of mentors, coaches, mental wellness professionals, trainers, speakers, + to work within our programs.

And that’s where I’d like to ask for your help. Please feel free to reach out with any thoughts or names of people / orgs that you think might be a good partner for the SSF.

Thanks very much for taking the time to read this. And please know that your ongoing support of the SSF + our purpose is greatly appreciated!

Kevin Korn

This news update shares info on the following topics:

• SSF PARTNERS
• SUSTAINABLE SPORT ALLIANCE
• SSF MENTOR PROGRAM
• SSF MENTAL WELLNESS PROGRAM
• SSF SPEAKER SERIES
• SSF TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS
• SSF SPECIALIZED TRAINING
• SSF STAFF (hiring soon!)
• SSF DONATIONS

The SSF cannot exist without partners.

And we are super proud of the partners we have.

MAWKO is our principle partner that has funded our operations to date. When the SSF started out as an idea in 2009, funds + services were needed to take it to the next step. Without MAWKO, SSF simply would not exist.

Locally, the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club became a partner at the end of 2022. It was a no-brainer in that SSF programs aim to fill voids for youth athletes in our community. We work in partnership with the B&G Club and as an extension of services to youth athletes who are self-driven to achieve the next level.

Globally, SandSi and Sustainable Sport Lab have been partners since the start. With like-minded missions to “accelerate sustainability in and through sport” our partnership leverages this mission to youth athletes, our next-gen leaders.

Fit for Green recently became a global partner, whom we will support in their initiative to create active lifestyles for students in schools in the German schools where they will be operating.

As we grow and launch new SSF programs, our partner network will also grow.

We welcome any local or global orgs that believe in the SSF purpose “to empower youth athletes with skills for life + play + their future” to reach out to us.

When we created the Sustainable Sport Alliance in partnership with two other youth sport orgs - Bloomsbury Football in London & CSPro Academy in Zimbabwe - our intention was to collaborate on + promote shared messages about the empowerment of youth athletes and shared sustainability challenges that affect our communities.

The development of SSF athletes cannot be restricted to just our island community. This alliance creates an opportunity for our collective athletes to work together in advocating for environmental & social sustainability solutions that are present in communities around the world.

If you’d like to learn more, please visit our website and / or reach out to us.

The SSF Mentor Program will officially launch this Fall.

Each registered SSF youth athlete will be paired with a mentor who will remain available to him / her on a year round basis, assisting with topics related to school, sport, life, and overall well-being.

The mentor will serve as a consistent resource for their youth athlete, providing support beyond what is received from family, friends, and coaches.

The relationship that the mentor + youth athlete form will be priceless as each youth athlete develops athletically + socially, grows physically + mentally, and transitions from individual sports to team sports.

Mentors will provide guidance on challenging issues and offer advice on specific topics related to difficult classes, struggling on a team, or helping an athlete pursue opportunities beyond high school sports.

Our network of mentors come from both Nantucket and regions around the world with experience in high-level athletics, professional sectors, and leadership roles.

We have applied for partial funding from a local foundation to support this program. We do currently have a solid group of mentors that have offered to be a part of this. However, we welcome your thoughts on who might make a great mentor as well as potential funding sources to explore.

The SSF Mental Wellness program will launch this Fall.

This program will be a proactive mental health initiative launched in partnership with a health specialist organization and professionals.

SSF athletes will attend a bi-weekly check-in with a dedicated health pro who will provide support, answer questions, and assess the youth athlete’s well-being.

We strongly believe in providing our athletes proactive mental support from a qualified healthcare pro, as well as incorporating breathing + stretching + mediation into their daily lives.

By prioritizing mental well-being as much as we focus on physical strength + performance, we will help SSF youth athletes understand the importance of taking care of their overall well-being, inside and out.

There is currently no program like this in our community and we couldn’t be more excited to offer this proactive (not reactive) service.

Please feel free to contact us with names of mental-wellness professionals that include therapists, sports psychologist, yoga instructors, mediation guides, + who may be interested in taking part in this must-needed program.

The SSF Speaker Series will launch this Fall.

The SSF is partnering with its network of pro athletes, coaches, performance pros, and youth sports advocates to create an innovative program that will feature a series of webinars / seminars aimed at providing valuable information + insights to youth athletes + their parents.

Through this program, SSF athletes (and their families) will gain practical skills and knowledge to help them perform at their best on + off the field, while also promoting positive attitudes & teaching priceless life skills.

This series aims to share ideas, learnings, and experiences from accomplished people around the globe who will speak about topics that include: Social Media, Nutrition, Performance, College recruitment, +.

Speakers will present from different cultures and regions ranging from England to Zimbabwe to Vancouver BC. Exposing our athletes to different ways of thinking, problem-solving and sporting philosophy will be hugely beneficial to their development as athletes and leaders.

We are also exploring a podcast to partner with this series which would expand the reach of the information this program shares beyond our island community.

Please feel free to share names of people you think would be a good speaker in this program.

The SSF is creating a travel fund for our youth athletes to explore opportunities beyond Nantucket, helping broaden their experience and providing opportunities to pursue their athletic and developmental goals.

As we expand our network of coaches and collaborate with global orgs, we aim to provide opportunities for our athletes to visit these regions.

Exposure to diverse cultures, coaching styles, and levels of competition will be invaluable to our athletes' growth and development. Opportunities will include off-island camps, clinics, and specialized training programs in the US and abroad.

For our older athletes exploring college sports, funds will help them attend camps, clinics, showcases, and college visits. This financial support will eliminate a barrier to entry for many talented athletes looking to move to the next level but are restricted to do so because of finances.

This program will help ensure our athletes have an opportunity to explore these options and pursue their athletic goals.

The SSF will host specialized training clinics, camps, and sessions in specific sports to help our youth athletes increase their level of performance.

In partnership with the Nantucket B&G Club, this winter we successfully launched the 456 Futsal team. After promoting the program to their members, around 40 kids showed up to try-out for 12 spots on this indoor soccer “select” team. The team trained twice per week from Feb 1 to April 1st for a total of 13 specialized training (+ free play) futsal sessions. We plan to expand this program next Winter to reach even more youth athletes.

The SSF is also targeting a multi-sport camp for the last two weeks in August prior to the start of the school year where there is an identified gap in the local calendar.

SSF specialized training programs are currently funded by MAWKO and volunteer coaches, however in the future they will be funded by donations from athlete’s families + SSF partner contributions.

Please reach out if you have an idea for a specialized training program in a specific sport and / or you would like to help

Simply put, we need to hire a staff asap.

The SSF is a fully operational non-profit foundation that has identified key programs to launch in our community that will fill immediate voids.

The opportunity to provide our island’s youth athletes with “more” has been present for many years and the SSF programs we have created anxiously await their launch dates so they can deliver immediate results in our community.

Private donations that provide the SSF with unrestricted funding will allow us to hire a staff and fuel general operations that many restrictive grants do not allow.

If you are able to make a donation, great… here’s the link. And if you are not, no worries. But if you don’t mind sharing the link to anyone + everyone that might be able to, we would greatly appreciate it.

Please also take a look at the staff page and consider any people in your network that may be a good fit to apply. We also need high school and college interns (who could receive credit at their school) so as the summer season arrives please send any candidates our way.

Spread the word please - about donations and about the roles we are looking to fill. We need to build our team to support SSF programs and over deliver to our community!