“As a city, we can’t do anything on our own,” Tyrik Wilson, Youth Sports Initiative Manager for the City of Boston, said in an interview. “The only way we’re going to make change in the city is by gaining the respect of these programs that have been doing great work.”
Through the city’s Let’s Play Boston initiative, Carter-Williams has partnered with the Boston Public Schools and his organization, NDUR for Athletes, to provide the mental health and mindfulness workshop series to the players of two BPS basketball teams, English High School and Charlestown High School. Along with the course, he also donated 20 air purifiers to the Boston Public Health Commission.
In an effort to bolster youth sports resources, former NBA Rookie of the Year and Massachusetts native Michael Carter-Williams was the keynote speaker Thursday at the final session of a four-week wellness course for some local high school student athletes.
Carter-Williams said he wants prioritize communities and schools where he can create authentic relationships with students. His step-father played basketball at Charlestown High, and he has known the basketball coach at English High since elementary school.
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“I wanted to get to the heart of the city,” he said in an interview. “I want to be a role model for the kids in the city.”
The series started in October and held weekly virtual meetings initiating conversations on emotional health, nutrition, financial literacy, mental health, and mental control while playing sports.
Boston has continued to contribute programing and resources to increase youth sports involvement.
In May, Mayor Michelle Wu announced the launch of Boston’s first Youth Sports Hub, an online directory where families can find nearby sports leagues and programs for children in elementary school through high school.
According to Boston’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 34 percent of high school students were involved in at least one sports team in 2021 — a 10 percent decrease from 2019.
“I know the potential that the city of Boston has and I’m trying to maximize that, Carter-Williams, said.
Wilson and Carter-Williams said they want to make Boston a place that can develop student athletes and potential professional athletes while giving youth supplies to navigate their education and development away from sports.
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“This program is a call to action to all the guys that choose to find their own way of giving back,” Wilson said. “Community pride and tradition is something that we definitely want to rejuvenate in the city.”
Auzzy Byrdsell can be reached at austin.byrdsell@globe.com.
NBA veteran assists with Boston’s youth sports development
