Camp ABC 2014

We had a lot of fun !   We spent most of July working on our Math and Basketball Skills.  This should be a great step for a successful school year.  I want to thank all our teachers , sponsors and students for making this a very productive camp. 

Sincerely,

Coach J

Instrumental Society

ProjectUplift has partnered with Instrumental Society too add to our tool box to help our clients reach their fullest potential .  Music is Math and it is a natural way to communicate to all generations.   Instrumental Society vision is to raise the awareness of our children through positive messages and current beats.   We look forward to this partnership and we will keep you aware of the events that will be upcoming !!!

Reflections of a Middle School Basketball Coach ; First Season

Well we had a eventful season our record was only 4 wins and 6 losses.  I still think it was a very good year because we established a new culture or awareness for the athletes.   If we would have kept the same outlook we would have won perhaps 3 more games but at what cost.  Now the student/athletes know if they do not take care of their off the court responsibilities they will not play.  I also think we planted some seeds for the outgoing 8th graders who would eventually learn this most valuable lesson . Hopefully it will speed up the process.  We have 6 players coming back it bodes well for the future.   With a spring and summer program we should hit the court running and studying next year.  Praise Yah !

Coach J

Musing from a middle School Coach

Well are record is 2 and 2 in a very competitive league.  The Coaches understand the balance of letting the players play under a non restrictive system based on fundamentals and instinct.  The biggest barrier is break apart the earlier training of me first !   For most of my athletes athletics is the only place where the understand the  highest percentage behavior HPB: unselfishness !!!  With that awareness the likely hood of winning goes up significantly.  They feel , see and experience HPB.  My job is to build the bridge of trust so that I can open them up to change behavior most importantly off the court !

Musings from a Middle School Basketball Coach

In the beginning of the year I had 5 possible Division One basketball players.   After the 3rd game I am down to 3 !  We have installed a week to week probation program.  The players must have a clear slate in order to play in the up coming week games.  The two players that are not part of the program anymore ; one has withdrawn form the school and the other chooses not to play.  The reason the one player has withdrawn from the school is that the teasing from other students was relentless.  Our schools are a direct reflection of our society.  The physical and verbal abuse is a daily occurrence !
As a Male African Decent Coach I am trying to show how to be strong and compassionate.  We are also trying,  by example,  to instill unselfishness .  We are in the process of breaking down the players psyche in order to rebuild a more evolved way of thinking.  A slow and arduous task . The hardest part is to make sure my EGO and motives are altruistic and not lower myself to the norm .  Which is putting some one down in order to boast  myself esteem.  Coach J

ABC Camp at Largo Middle

Starting in July, Project Uplift Tampa, Inc. (PUT) will be running the first ABC Camp at Largo Middle, a title one school in Largo Florida.

A stands for Academics, B stands for Basketball , and C for Character.  All three will be combined in a unique curriculum for at risk boys ages 11-13 attending Largo Middle .  Academics will emphasize Science, Math and Literacy.  The Basketball will be coached by John J. Johnson a former professional basketball player and college coach.  The character curriculum will be taught by all. 

The camp numbers will not exceed 25 students, so that we have a 5-to-1 teacher to student ratio.  2 hours of academics/character curriculum , lunch and two hours of basketball.   Most of the staff will be certified teachers that will be at the school year round. 

Thanks again to our sponsors , Chemed Corp.  Morgan and Morgan , and Amscott !!!

Character Centered Coaches Clinics

             
 "Character Education is not another thing on your plate 
                  
                     IT IS THE PLATE"
     
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.  Intelligence plus character that is the goal of True Education.  MLKing Jr.-Nobel Prize Winner

Character is a life long endeavor and requires a developmental approach.  Three spheres are needed, cognitive, emotional, behavioral for character development.  Knowing the good, desiring the good and doing the good.  By first seeking to understand character development, coaches are better equipped to help student/athletes develop good character.  The percentages state that the athletic field or court is the best place to start while in the school environment !  Our clinic goal is to jump start the educational process for the coaches and to give them the tools needed to be successful.  Coaches are  the place to start because they have the ultimate carrot, "Playing Time".  With this carrot the student/athlete will be motivated to learn more about Character and how it can play a role in making the right choices.  At the end of the day we are the sum of our choices please give these young adults a fighting chance to make better ones !!!

We just completed our summer Pre-Stem At-risk Educational Camp !  To see some coverage look at Youtube; Projectuplift39

For more details call or email Coach J ; 813-447-4887 or Projectuplift39@yahoo.com