MISSION & VISION:

Beat the Streets (BTS) is a positive youth development charity with a mission to advance the education of low-income children and youth in the GTA through fun and unique sports-based development and employment programs.

We teach physical literacy, social-emotional and employability skills to encourage healthy bodies, healthy minds and job readiness.

Our vision is a world where young people are empowered to pursue their dreams.

PROGRAMS:

You Grow Girl and Level Up are fun & dynamic resiliency-building programs led by professional coaches/athletes. We use combat-based fitness classes to level up physical skills + experiential learning activities to level up social-emotional skills of mixed and girl-only classes, ages 13-18, across the GTA. We teach the tools and growth mindset they need to constructively navigate adolescence and realize their full potential.

Wrestle 4 FUN(damentals) is a one-week introductory wrestling programme for elementary & middle schools in the GTA. We use wrestling & social-emotional activities to teach fundamental movement and life skills to improve physical literacy and confidence (building blocks for an active lifestyle) in a fun and inclusive environment.

Workit Summer Jobs provides job training, skill development and mentoring opportunities for students, ages 16-25, living in low-income, racialized or newcomer communities, increasing their job readiness and 21st-century skills.

HISTORY & IMPACTS:

Since its inception in 2014, BTS has been on a remarkable journey, driven by a heartfelt commitment to empowering youth through sports and skill-building. Founded by former York University wrestling coach John Park, BTS was born out of a desire to share the invaluable life lessons learned through wrestling. Recognizing the need to provide tools and support for young individuals facing socio-economic barriers, John set out to help them dream big and reach their full potential.

Inspired by the impressive achievements of BTS New York and BTS Philadelphia, renowned for their impactful wrestling and mentoring programs with a remarkable 99% graduation rate, BTS modelled itself after these organizations. Over the past seven years, we have developed and implemented wrestling and well-being programs that have touched the lives of over 28,300 young people. By combining physical fitness and life-skill building, we strive to inspire active and healthy youth, focusing on nurturing their mind and body.

From 2016 to 2018, BTS successfully delivered an after-school wrestling program for at-risk youth in the Greater Toronto Area with funding from the Ontario Government. This program served 480 students at 12 schools, of which 255 went on to join wrestling teams and become active, and 9 new after-school wrestling programs were created. Since 2015, we have delivered our introductory wrestling program (Wrestle 4 Fun) to more than 23,300 low-income children across the GTA with funding from the Trillium Foundation and our sports and resiliency-building programs (Level Up and You Grow Girl) to more than 560 low-income youth. Testimonials and self-reported surveys demonstrated an increase in confidence, discipline, relationship with sports and overcoming challenges.

BTS's success stories include Arely, who became the first in her family to attend university on a wrestling scholarship, and Laila, who gained self-belief to apply and get accepted into medical school. BTS is proud to facilitate life-changing experiences that empower low-income youth to thrive and achieve their dreams.

During the pandemic, we served more than 7,800 low-income youth and encouraged:

Healthy minds:

* 362 hours of social-emotional skill building

* 106 hours of mentoring

Healthy bodies:

* 750 hours of wrestling, boxing and kickboxing activities

Job readiness:

* 1,086 hours of employment training

* 555 hours of volunteer opportunities