Change 24 Lives for Aspiring Young People

Aim: LBA is hosting a traveling basketball tour for two weeks to provide young, disadvantaged Londoners with the opportunity of a lifetime!

London Basketball Association

Who Are We?

We are a registered charity in England and Wales (1164277), established in July 2012, with the goal of supporting vulnerable young people who are disengaged from education and at risk of anti-social behaviour, crime, and gangs across London. We raise young people’s aspirations, enabling them to realise their full potential and have better chances in life. LBA is constituted to work with people of all ages but our focus is on supporting young people up to the age of 24. 

The aim of our services is to improve outcomes across health, wellbeing, education and employment for disadvantaged communities across London, making neighbourhoods safer in the process.

We provide basketball sessions, holiday activities, volunteering and internship opportunities, and accredited courses for young people to become qualified in sports, coaching, and non-sports related disciplines such as safeguarding, duty of care and First Aid. We are proud to develop and deliver services where we connect diverse people and address some of the biggest challenges faced by our communities in terms of social exclusion, physical and mental health, lack of training and employment, and crime and anti-social behaviour.

Together with our funders and local partners, we support 8,000 socially excluded young people and families each year. We work with young people on the extreme margins of society who are not engaging in services. Our work is driven by an ethos of engagement and prevention, addressing specific issues that marginalised young people face which can result in compounded difficulties in their adult lives. The groups that we target and who benefit greatly from our engagement include black and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs) and youth from the LGBTQI+community. Our projects mainly engage young people between the ages of 5 and 25 years, most of whom are disadvantaged in one way or another, come from low-income households, and are inactive because of the lack of accessible services in their local areas.

Our Project

This summer, LBA will be taking 24 students on a tour to play basketball in different cities across the country. There will be a select group of 12 boys and 12 girls, hand picked by our CEO and Managing Director, to take part in the tour. These 24 individuals demonstrated outstanding talent and work ethic, earning them a spot on our life changing tour. The tour will bring these students away from their homes, and expand their horizons by introducing them to a variety of new cities. Each city will teach and drill them on the sport of basketball, and they will improve as a player throughout the process. More importantly though, the tour will be an eye-opening learning experience for everyone involved, and scouts will be watching our players with the opportunity to provide scholarships!

The tour will:

1. Teach fundamentals of basketball & teamwork

2. Teach the importance of education & networking

3. Instil life skills in the participants

4. Provide the opportunity to travel

5. Give young players a real chance to get scouted by college basketball teams!

The tour will bring them to different basketball courts and camps away from central London. The camps have been going on for well over a decade, and hundreds of players have benefitted from it in one way or another. Whether that was earning a college scholarship, learning crucial life skills, meeting experienced coaches and trainers, developing new friendships, building confidence through travel and sport, or simply opening their eyes to a new culture, this camp is a comprehensive experience for the players.

Most of these players have never had the opportunity to explore outside of London, so this will be an eye-opening experience that will help them mature as individuals, as well as basketball players.

Players will get the chance to meet face to face with US basketball coaches and make an impression.

In the past, 17 players were recognised for their outstanding talents, and were awarded scholarships to full-time education, changing their lives forever. 

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and an entirely life changing experience for these young players.

A Word From Our Managing Director, Sarah:

“I have attended the All-Heart AAU camp (one of the stops in our tour) since 2010, and have seen the major impact that it has on the kids who attend. Since I started working at the camp, 17 players have gotten scholarships to play in college, and I have seen these kids' lives change before my eyes.” 

A Word from Former Camp Attendee, Amare:

“This tour was one of my favourite experiences of my life. I met countless like-minded, hardworking individuals who I became friends with, and I improved as a basketball player at the same time. I was able to meet so many amazing coaches and trainers who saw my strengths and weaknesses, and who were able to make me a much better player. On top of that, the two weeks were full of immense fun, and this was an experience like no other that I will surely never forget. This was all possible through the LBA, and I am forever grateful!” 

Your Donation:

TRIP COST includes: Travel, accommodation, basketball courts and camps, all breakfasts, and all lunches for the players (during the tour).

Our goal is to reach £20,000 to help cover expenses for the players.

Get exclusive rewards for your generous donation (see below)!

IMPORTANT: 

We have received match funding from The Local Action Fund, so every £ pledged will be matched, meaning your donation will be doubled up to £250! 

Please chip in what you can and please share our Crowdfunder. 

Let’s give these kids the opportunity of a lifetime!

GREAT REWARDS FOR YOUR SUPPORT

£5 - Shout out on our social media platforms

£15 -Send us your highlight reel and we will post it on our social media platforms!

£20 – LBA T-Shirt

£25 - LBA long-sleeve top

£30 - LBA hoodie

£50 - 2 tickets to come and watch a London Lions game !

£75 - 1-on-1 coaching in the park with a professional LBA coach!

£150 – Name tournament award after you or your company 

£250 – Volunteering/CSR opportunity for your staff 

£400 -  'Player of the game' accolade named after you or your company throughout the season 

£750 – Corporate team-building event, organised by LBA 

£1,000  – Name tournament after you or your company - includes branding rights at the tournament

£3,500 – Name borough league after you or your company

See above image for merchandise!