Airborne Acrobats
The Airborne Acrobats are a performance tumbling troupe made up of mostly elementary boys that are part of the gymnastics program at Jireh Sports (For a detailed description of Jireh Sports and the programming philosophy, see below). There are two groups of twelve boys each. The top athletes make up the team that travels and performs. A second group of intermediate gymnasts are developing skills to someday become part of the performance team.
The Airborne Acrobats are led by two coaches, a technical director, and a spiritual director. There are another four adults who volunteer as mentors for the athletes.
The Airborne Acrobats will likely perform a maximum of 18 times each year. The Airborne Acrobats typically perform at half-times of sporting events and at neighborhood festivals and outreach events.
Each Acrobat Team practices three times per week as part of the after-school and summer evening program at Jireh Sports. Other activities for the boys include nightly homework sessions with tutors, devotions and dinner. Like all Jireh athletes they are presented with other opportunities throughout the year such as field trips and summer camp.
Jireh Sports
Jireh Sports is a Christian after-school and evening mentoring program of Shepherd Community Center that utilizes the tool of non-traditional sports to develop relationships with urban youth. Our mission is to transform the lives of urban youth in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood and adjacent communities by meeting their spiritual, physical, mental and emotional needs through significant relationships with mentoring adults developed around unique sports, recreation, and educational opportunities.
Jireh Sports ministers to youth through athletics. We offer sports that are unique to our neighborhood and to the urban environment. Programs include gymnastics, wrestling, rock climbing, tae kwon do, boxing, chess, and dance . We also provide academic assistance through tutoring and summer camp. Children develop relationships with mentors and athletic coaches where they receive academic encouragement, and spiritual enrichment.
Goals and Objectives
- Provide each child with a role model and mentor who is committed to the welfare of that child and committed to a long-term relationship
- Provide a safe environment where a child can grow, learn and have fun
- Provide challenges and the support needed to acquire the skills to meet those challenges
- Involve youth in meaningful and significant ways during non-school hours
- Supplement the child's education through tutoring and programs which enrich the child's overall life experience
- See young people come to know Jesus as their complete source of strength that will help them overcome all of life's obstacles
Core Values
Christ Centered
We are motivated and empowered to love others because God first loved us. While we were yet sinners our heavenly Father sent his one and only son to die upon the cross as atonement for our sins. He calls us and enables us to share this Good News with all.
Family Focused
Our mission is to break the cycle of poverty in the second generation. There is a culture of poverty which many children experience in their homes which does not encourage upward mobility and can sometimes be a hindrance to it. It is necessary to work with the whole family and begin to change the culture which can trap families and their children in poverty.
Community Minded Strong neighborhoods, with caring loving adults who support one another and whose doors are open to their neighbors, provide a foundation which can help direct children into making wise choices about their present behavior and their future direction.
Achievement OrientedThe children that God has placed in our care intuitively understand that they live in a world which says because you are poor, or black, or an immigrant, or an IPS student, or that you live in the wrong neighborhood you are not valued. The primary way to overcome this imposed sense of less worth is through providing children with experiences and activities that give them a sense of accomplishment and achievement. Their self-worth can then be based on two things; the first is that they are not a mistake and they are loved by the God who knit them in their mother’s womb and second that they are capable of accomplishing great things in this life.
Future Directed
Whether it is an addict trying to break his addiction, a person who is in extreme pain due to the loss of a loved one, or a hungry child living in poverty, the one thing that can move people forward is HOPE. Hope is the sense that the future can be better than the present. We strive to help children develop their "Future Story" and to allow that story to propel them forward.
Wholistic
The resources needed to break the cycle of poverty and incarcerations are not just financial. Other resources that those living in poverty often lack are Emotional, Mental, Spiritual, Physical, Support Systems, Knowledge of the Hidden Rules of class, knowledge of organizational structures, and Relationships/Role Models. At Shepherd we strive to empower children to acquire these needed resources.
At Jireh We Believe
- A strong faith is an integral part of individual character and the best tool for facing life’s challenges.
- The youth of our poor urban communities enjoy few of society’s privileges that help insure successful living.
- The attendant cycle of poverty is destroying an entire generation of young people
- A significant relationship with a loving adult in a supportive environment where a child has the opportunity to reach his/her potential is a proven method of building faith, confidence, and the tools for success.
- We are significantly helping to overcome the cycles of hopelessness and despair, one child at a time, by providing: a safe, fun environment, relationships with strong role models, physical challenges, and Christian Character education.
Community Need and the Specific Issues We Address
One of the greatest challenges facing America today is the condition of our urban communities. Nowhere is the devastation more visible than in the lives of the young people living in low-income, inner city urban America. These unfocused youth, seeking a place to belong and feelings of self worth are often lured by the temptations of drugs, gangs, violence and crime. Daily they face challenges that require strength of purpose. Unfortunately, they often make the wrong choices due to the lack of a value system which can point them in a better direction.
Martindale-Brightwood, on the near northeast side of Indianapolis (#7 on map below) is a low-income community. Median household income is just over $22,000. By comparison, median income for Marion County is $41,000. More than half the children in the community grow up in poverty, and most live in single-parent homes. Few homes meet health and safety codes. Churches and other houses of worship are popular, with more than eighty in the area. These nonprofits do not contribute to the neighborhood’s tax base, however, and there are no strong retail anchors to generate taxes for the area.
The young people of Martindale-Brightwood area are plagued with obstacles that often seem insurmountable.
- In 2000, 70% of the 3rd and 6th graders failed the ISTEP (Basic Standardized Testing in Math and English) test.
- In 2000, 69% of the 10th graders failed the ISTEP test.
- Over 80% of the middle and elementary students live below the poverty level.
- Over 50% of the families are headed by single mothers.
"...the area stands out in a CAP Index report commissioned by The Star and WTHR Channel 13. Cap Index, uses crime statistics along with census and demographic data to project a "Crimecast" score - a weighted risk of violent crime (homicide, rape and robbery) at any location in the United States. Crimecast scores are give on a 2,000=point scale, with 100 considered the average.
"Martindale-Brightwood received a score of 717 - seven time the national average. No other census tract in Indianapolis scored as high as 500, and many areas in outlying Marion County and the suburbs had scores under 20"
We assist youth in the Martindale-Brightwood area from our base at 2261 North Ralston Avenue in Indianapolis. Our base includes gym space, classrooms, and offices. We help the children in this community by through our mentoring, unique athletic opportunities, spiritual guidance, and academic assistance. Children benefit from the advice about general life issues, opportunities to develop a sense of accomplishment, and the comfort and wisdom that comes from a fulfilling spiritual life.
Programming Philosophy
We are deliberate about the type of sports we run. Each Jireh sport has special attributes that are conducive to the building of healthy relationships, discipline, and self-esteem.
There are three basic reasons that Jireh chooses to focus on certain sports. The first is that we desire to broaden the scope of potential activities available in the Martindale-Brightwood community. By focusing on non-traditional sports such as gymnastics and wrestling we provide outlets for children other than the traditional one which is basketball. This allows us to move out from under the statistically misguided stereotype of a potential professional career. Children begin to see that they can accomplish something and that accomplishment becomes a major springboard to building confidence and self-esteem.
The second reason for focusing on non-traditional sports is that they require a lot of personal discipline and lend themselves to goal setting. Each sport requires the perfecting of technique and intense practice. For many children who participate in Jireh setting goals for achieving a higher level is the first opportunity that they have had to think about the future. These sports lend themselves to teaching discipline and responsibility. Each Jireh sport uses an evaluative scoring system that makes it easy for staff members and participants to track progress in each skill area. For example, gymnastics routines have defined degrees of difficulty that judges can factor into each score. Wrestling moves are worth specific point values. Competitions enable our children to see how their progress compares with that of children from other areas.
The third reason for focusing on non-traditional, individual sports is that it requires close interaction between coach and student. This close personal coaching in turn enables each participant to develop a trusting relationship with an adult role model. As a mentoring/discipling program this is where the real growth occurs.
An added benefit to the program has been that as children participate in individual sports they begin to take responsibility for their own actions. This has meant that children move out from under the urban culture of trash talking. They also gain the sense of accomplishment that comes from a successful performance.