During National Mentorship Month, Franchise will Support Recruitment and Recognize Impact of Mentors
Today, as part of National Mentorship Month, the Sacramento Kings announced activations to recognize, support and recruit mentors to drive meaningful change for young people.
“We are committed to helping create connections, providing networking opportunities and investing in relationships as a powerful tool for the next generation of leaders and change-makers,” said Sacramento Kings Chief Operating Officer Matina Kolokotronis. “By amplifying the importance of mentorship, we are working to close the mentorship gap to enhance and inspire positive youth development, academic success and engagement.”
In January, as part of the Sacramento Kings Community Starting 5 Presented by Quick Quack Car Wash, the work of Improve Your Tomorrow will be highlighted. In the coming weeks, the nonprofit will also meet with members of the Kings franchise to discuss future opportunities for youth and mentors in their program.
Yesterday, as the Kings took on the Atlanta Hawks, the team recognized the impact of MENTOR California and encouraged fans to become more involved in young people’s lives in the community by being a mentor.
In addition, the organization will team up with Future Explored, a nonprofit school that teaches adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities about media and film production, to provide a hands-on experience. The Kings digital team will offer a virtual workshop outlining video strategies and trends in the digital space as well as have individuals from Futures Explored shadow them at a game later this season.
During the week of January 17-21, the franchise will participate in the Team Up for Change Week of Action, continuing to deepen connections with the community by hosting micro-events for youth that spur dynamic conversations and promote healing with an emphasis on mentorship, career exploration, leadership training and advancing pathways to substantial economic mobility for future generations. As part of that week, the organization will partner with MENTOR California to host a virtual Fast Break Mentoring event where youth will learn various components of the sport and entertainment industry from Kings team members. Additional details on the Team Up for Change Week of Action will be released prior to the activations.
Later in the month, the organization will host a virtual training session with NBA Math Hoops, a comprehensive community program featuring a board game, mobile app, and curriculum that allows students to learn fundamental math skills through the game of basketball. Last season saw 64 teams representing 15 different regions displaying great sportsmanship, teamwork and energy. In August, Sacramento’s Team Unstoppable won the 2021 NBA Math Hoops national championship.
Throughout the month, the team will be elevating the importance of mentoring through the team’s social channels.
These activations are a part of the team’s ongoing efforts to support systems that uplift youth and strengthen communities. For the past four years, the Kings have teamed up with Build.Black. to support the annual Kings and Queens Rise Co-ed Youth Sports and Mentoring League, which seeks to interrupt violence by using sport as an agent for change by providing a positive environment for underserved youth through community building and sportsmanship. In addition, the Kings use their music studio to make top entertainment talent accessible to both mentors and mentees, including recording artist Montell Jordan, DJSamantha Ronson, DJ Steve Aoki, all-female tap dance band Syncopated Ladies, rapper and producer Lupe Fiasco, female rapper and Sacramento native Saweetie, rapper Wale and more.
For more information, visit Kings.com.
