DETROIT, June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The mission of the national Inner-City
Games and its Foundation is to provide opportunities for youth to participate
in free sports, educational, cultural and community enrichment programs; to
build self-confidence and self-esteem; to encourage youth to say "no" to
gangs, drugs and violence and "yes" to hope, learning and life. The Inner-
City Games (ICG) were founded in 1991 in the aftermath of the Los Angeles
riots. The Foundation was created in 1995 and its Chairman, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, expanded the program to thirteen other major U.S. cities
including Detroit. The Detroit Inner-City Games concept began when the
Detroit 300 Youth Committee decided that it wanted to organize Youth Games for
the Detroit 300 celebration in 2001. Get Active Detroit, an affiliate of the
Michigan Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports pursued and
secured a regional license. As a result, last March, Get Active Detroit was
awarded an interim license from the Inner-City Games Foundation. However, in
order in receive a full license, Get Active Detroit needed to launch an after-
school program before 2001.
Linda Jimenez, Executive Director of Get Active Detroit and Eunice Moore,
Director of Physical Education, Health and Safety for Detroit Public Schools
coordinated the Detroit Inner-City Games Academic and Leisure Summer Program
in the Detroit Public Schools. The general format of the program is to
provide an academic program with a strong emphasis on physical activities.
There are six Detroit Public Schools participating in the program: Goodale
Elementary, Jamison Elementary, MacDowell Elementary, Sherrill Elementary, and
Winship Elementary. The participants of this after-school program will be
involved in physical education, computer enrichment, field trips, arts and
swimming activities.
In addition, two Thursdays will be for cross-school collaborative
activities. Each school will visit another school and participate in fitness
activities. One day during the four-week program will be devoted to violence
prevention. The program is four weeks in length beginning July 10, and ending
August 3, 2000. Daily sessions are four hours in duration, starting at 1 p.m.
and ending at 5 p.m. Participants for this program will be any student from
Detroit Public Elementary Schools. The grade levels are 3rd thru 6th grades.
The capacity at each of the six sites will be 75 students. Registration is
scheduled for July 5th, 6th and 7th between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon at
each participating school.
This program would not be possible without collaboration of many
organizations: Cendant, the national Inner-City Games sponsor awarded Get
Active Detroit a grant for the program. Knowledge Adventure, also a national
sponsor, donated all the software programs for the computer portion of the
program. Youth Sports and Recreation Commission also awarded Get Active
Detroit a grant. AAA of Michigan donated all the computer hardware. Charlie
Kuntzleman, Chair of the Michigan Governor's Council on Physical Fitness,
Health and Sports and Professor at the University of Michigan, will administer
a pre- and post youth fitness assessment. Detroit 300 will assist with media
and public relations. Resource experts in preventive health, conflict
resolution and violence abatement will be provided through the Minority Organ
Tissue Transplant Education Program. Wayne State University provided in-kind
contributions as well.
The mission of the Detroit Inner-City Games is to create a safe and
nurturing environment in which every participant has the opportunity to enjoy
learning and being physically active. The Detroit Inner-City Games annual
culminating event in 2001, sponsored by Detroit 300, will be held at Wayne
State University on Friday, June 29, 2001.
For more information, contact Linda Jimenez at 313-577-5134, or visit the
web site at http://www.getactivedetroit.org .
The Get Active Detroit Fitness Council is an affiliate of the Michigan
Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports.
SOURCE Get Active Detroit Fitness Council
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Related links:
http://www.getactivedetroit.org
CONTACT:
Linda Jimenez, Executive Director of Get
Active Detroit Fitness Council, Wayne State University - Division
of HPR, 313-577-5134, fax, 313-577-9301
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