By Saahara Glaudé
Special to The Birmingham Times
Young Stars, Inc. was created and designed in Birmingham, Ala. by Joe Brown, a former New Yorker and Small College All American who spent over three decades devoted to improving the lives of young people through sports education. His son Joe, a former Clay Chalkville High School Star and Delta State College Player, creates lesson plans for each Young Star.
Dedicated to facilitating an atmosphere whereby youth can flourish in sports performance, Young Stars, Inc. sets a standard of encouragement by teaching students a belief in personal responsibility, habits of hard work and demonstrating a commitment to excel. Brown begins the Young Stars, Inc. road to sportsmanship with youth mentoring, after school programs, child care development, summer camp, entrepreneurial training, G.E.D. certification classes and overall academic enrichment. Young Stars, Inc. is equipped with a full court gymnasium, small basketball individual training court, game, music and movie entertainment rooms.
Into its fifth season, all Young Stars, Inc. programs are supervised by qualified individuals who have committed their time and talent to help youth succeed. Brown, the Executive Director of the organization oversees all student and coach interaction, while employing his years of training and experience in recreation and resource management. The organization has worked diligently to become an aggressive resource in broadening the scope of recreational sports and leisure activities; instructing in sportsmanship, love of the game, and the ability to think fast under pressure. Brown aims to improve the quality of children’s lives and assist them in finding direction for future interests.
Supported in part through a variety of revenue streams which include program fees, grant funding, admissions and sales, Young Stars, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and is a member of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) where Brown serves as Director of Basketball Operations for the state of Alabama. AAU holds two major tournaments: State Qualifier and
National. Those who come in 1st or 2nd in the State qualifier for the National Tournament, which varies from Disney World, Memphis and Texas depending on the age group, are issued AAU Gold, Silver and Bronze medals – and High School Juniors are eligible for college scholarships. As a member of AAU, Young Stars, Inc. currently has over 20 youth teams selected based on age group, and supported by 30 qualified volunteer coaches.
Catering to boys ages 6 to 14, Brown anticipates the inclusion of girls by Summer 2014. Young Stars League teams range from 10 to 12 in number offering two different categories: Instructional and Competitive. Birmingham Ala. is the site for the last two years for “The United States Youth Games” city-to-city which is predicted to be here again 2014.
Young Stars boasts “Our mission is simple: To Create Young Stars.” When I asked founder Joe Brown what that means he responded, “I want to give every student athlete – regardless of where they come from: race, neighborhood single parent – an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams.” Brown went on to say “sports is just a vehicle” in obtaining dreams that don’t even include sports.”
Brown goes on to say of Young Stars, Inc., “This organization attempts to steer children away from the influences of drugs and gang violence by providing safe and positive alternative activities. Also, our fitness initiatives are designed to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity.”
Since its beginning, Young Stars, Inc. has served over 1000 players of all ages, many of whom have benefited from scholarships. With the success of the development of the Nike traveling team they’ve won several state championships. This competitive Nike traveling team allows communities’ most talented athletes to travel both statewide and nationally to face others of their skill level.
One standout Young Star is 17 year old TaWarren Grant who attends Mountain Brook High School. TaWarren grew up in Midfield and attended Midfield HS his Freshman year where he delivered the Hit Game Winning Shot to seal the victory for Midfield. He has played with Young Stars, Inc. since the 5th grade and is a three-time State Champion and High School State Basketball Tournament winner. In his Sophomore year he made All Tournament Team. This year as a Junior, TaWarren is The MVP (Most Valuable Player) in the state scoring 22 points against Blount High School. Brown says, “We are proud that this budding super star – they call G Man – is part of Young Stars Basketball family.”
Brown strongly feels that while static risk factors cannot be changed, dynamic risk factors can be mitigated through effective treatment and support. These include anti-social attitudes, anti-social peers, substance abuse, dysfunctional family environments, personality factors and impassivity. Brown feels that an appropriate strategy for addressing dynamic risk factors is to target individuals that are at-risk.
Overall, the organization aspires to impact all participants with character based, values oriented initiatives, assisting in developing an understanding and commitment to the thought that character matters in the gym, the classroom, home, and society. Data on each student’s progress, including attendance and participation is collected quarterly and meetings between supervisors and staff provide an opportunity for discussion and decision-making regarding needed method modifications.
In summary, Joe Brown says his mission is simple: “To create young stars while giving each member an equal opportunity to fulfill their dreams on and off the court. A former great Green Bay Packer coach once quoted: “Winning isn’t everything it’s the only thing. And even on the winning teams, the marginal players are ignored. The system revolves around the stars!” At Young Stars we have created our own trend setting system where hard work with the proper attitude is expected and demanded.”
Brown encourages, “Join today and get your Young Star closer to his dream!”
Young Stars Boys Basketball
www.youngstarsinc.com
Boys ages 7-14
Mon – Thurs 3:30p.m. – 7:30p.m.
Saturday 9a.m. – 1p.m.
The Young Stars Sports Complex
200 55th Street North
Birmingham, AL 35212 (Behind Woodlawn High School)
