Hands up!

Last Friday we started out first program of the semester at Francis Stevens EC. The Grassroot Project curriculum has lots of fun ways to get kids' attention. Instead of yelling "quiet" or "shhh," instead Athlete Coaches have key words or phrases that get the kids to respond in unison. All the sudden, the room is silent, and we are ready to move onto the next activity. It really works wonders- try it sometime when you are in a big group!

One such mechanism is the “Lions and Tigers and Bears”. When the coaches yell this out, all the kids respond “Oh My!” Another favorite is to simply yell “Hands Up”. Normally, the kids all put both hands in the air.

Once again, the kids at Francis Stevens continue to surprise us! This time, when TSpence yelled “Hands Up,” the kids responded: “ AAAND THEY STAY THERE!”

What would we do...

What would we do without Deidra aka Diva?!

Programs getting ready to ROLLOUT next week!

The Latest Shout Outs: The Show Down

To round out our Athletes2coaches training last weekend, we had our bi-annual Shout Out competition, to see which group of athletes could come up with the coolest shout outs.

Let's give 'em a G-Root!

3v3 Soccer Tournament: Grassroot Fest! October 2nd

BAREFOOT SOCCER.

FREE FOOD.

PRIZES FOR THE WINNERS.

Saturday October 2nd, 1-3pm at Kehoe Field

What more could you want?

Come help us support Grassroot Hoyas HIV/AIDS prevention programs in the DC area!

Form a team of three members, pay the entrance fee of $30 which includes awesome t-shirts with the above logo. We provide, Georgetown Cupcakes, Qdoba salsa bar, and more.

Even if you don’t play soccer come and help cheer for your friends!

contact kam276@georgetown.edu with questions

To sign up and pay your registration fee online, click here! All proceeds go to run our programs.

Peace up, AIDS down!

Shoutout to Grassroots from Newest Bison: Doriean Broady aka Dora

Initially I joined Grassroots because I felt the need to join a volunteer organization as a Freshman at Howard University. But now that I have spent two weekends with this squad and am now an official member, I realize the coaches are more than just a volunteer organization. They do more than just teach kids about HIV/AIDS prevention; they are lifelong mentors and friends to the kids involved. I feel like I am helping out my community but also I am getting something out of this.

The first Saturday was the toughest because at the time I was the only Bison at the meeting but after we started the ice breaker my comfort level increased because I realized we are all here for a common goal: to make an impact in someone' s lives. All of the games we played have key messages behind them. The coaches emphasized to always go over the key messages in all the games, because that 's the main focus, and to also have fun with the kids. I believe the kids will enjoy the games we will have to offer and I look forward to going to my first school and meeting the kids. I am forever grateful to me a member of the Grassroot Project.

Big Daddy G: Programs Coordinator reflects on Athletes2Coaches training

The 2010-2011 school year is proving to be yet another great year for THE GRASSROOT PROJECT!! It seems that our current athlete coaches at Georgetown, Howard and George Washington have continued to spread the word about what a great opportunity we have to use our status as student athletes to educate D.C. youth about HIV/AIDS. Large representations of newcomers who are learning the curriculum and returning athletes who have volunteered their time to help out at training have the future of Grassroots looking bright!

It's been an awesome experience seeing our programs come together at the beginning of each semester and I'm always amazed at how willing student-athletes are to volunteer their precious time for a cause they know is greater than themselves. Being at training everyday and working with these amazing student-athletes from George Washington, Howard and Georgetown has been an inspiration!

- Greg

From Maggie "GI" Girard: one of our newest Grassroot Hoyas!

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when everyone told me that Grassroots training is really fun. I mean, AIDS games?! Fun?! My own early AIDS education consisted of a video that basically repeated the mantras "DON'T HAVE SEX" and "DON'T MIX BLOOD TO BECOME BLOOD BROTHERS" over and over for 20 minutes (hooray for public schools in the 90s). But the first two days of training were a blast!

A lot of the activities were games that I played in elementary school, and it was really cool to see how they were turned into lessons not only about HIV and AIDS, but about balancing your life, standing up to peer pressure, and making good choices. Sending important messages in such a fun and interactive way makes me feel like a real role model that kids can like and respect, instead of making me seem like some random person sent into schools to terrorize children about STIs.

Also, as an athlete, I love meeting other athletes from different sports and different schools and seeing what kind of experiences we all share. My sport is such an important part of my life, and it's really powerful to be surrounded by people who are as dedicated as I am to their own teams and sports. It's pretty awesome that Grassroots recognizes how special athletes are and how much influence they can have on young students

Welcome to the Grassroot Project Blog!

Welcome to the Grassroot Project Blog! Throughout the year, we will have different athlete coaches, middle school youth, and guests posting about their involvement in the Grassroot Project.

We just finished the first weekend of the September 2010 Athletes2Coaches training. Our newest coaches come from 3 schools, 11 different sports, 20 different teams, and amount to SEVENTY awesome athletes and mentors!!

Check back to hear what it is like to be a new Grassroot Hoya from Maggie "GI" Girard, a member of the women's lightweight rowing team at Georgetown!

To learn about our Team Up program and our youth both in South Africa and DC, make sure to stay updated with the Team Up Blog!