AUGUST 2022

Importance of Merging Mentorship and Sports

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Mentorship and sports can go hand in hand in when positively affecting the development of the youth. Having mentoring relationships can set the foundation for a healthy lifestyle through physical fitness. By using sports to mentor the youth, athletes are able to develop character, and learn how to face adversities, similar to how they experience the challenges of the game. Coaches can inspire the youth to apply the skills they use from their sport in real life by encouraging them to make healthy choices, take ownership in  their learning and develop life skills. As they help athletes develop core values and strengthen their interpersonal skills, these skills can be transferable and beneficial to their team sport, as well as their everyday lives. Ultimately, what separates a good coach from a great coach, is their ability to teach the youth how to succeed much farther than the playing field, but also in life.  This is what GameFace strives to do every month by combining our mentorship sessions and basketball camps. 

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JULY 2022

Mental Health Awareness

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Mental health is a key component to one’s health and living a happy life. It includes an individual’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being, affecting how they think, act and feel. During the adolescent years, it’s crucial for the youth to learn how to take care of their mental health. In doing so, it would help navigate how one would choose to handle stress, make choices and relate to others. It’s important for the youth to practice good mental health because it can affect their daily activities, relationships and physical health.

 

Every month, GameFace provides the youth with an outlet for mental health by creating a safe place. In fact, this month we invited Sandra D. Johnson (@madiselcoach) to host a mentorship session to teach our youth the meaning of mental health and the value of respecting themselves and others. During the session our athletes learned important strategies to empower their mind through positive words, understand their emotions, and communicate their feelings properly. Our hope is that this session results in proper mental functioning - giving the youth the ability to cope and adapt to adversities, stay healthy and productive, and fulfill their relationships with themselves and others.

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JUNE 2022

Jacksonville's Uprising of Juvenile Crimes

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According to the Jacksonville’s Sheriff’s Office, there’s an uprising of juvenile crime. In the past year, the crimes have been more violent and involved teens as young as 12 and 14. The trend of juvenile crimes have consisted of high profile crimes, ranging from grand theft, possession of weapons and murder.  Most of the crimes occurred in low income areas, which has led many to believe that economics is the root of the problem.

 

The uprising of juvenile crimes is due to the lack of employment, anti-poverty and child development programs in Jacksonville’s poorest neighborhoods. Safety expert, Mark Baughman believes that incarcerating the youth is not the answer and that it’s easier to educate a child than fix an adult (First Coast News, 2021). Currently, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office is working to implement more youth and community programs to provide better opportunities for the youth in low- income neighborhoods.

 

GameFace 4:13 is helping solve this problem by investing in the youth and giving them an outlet through basketball, mentoring and Christ. The youth from all around Jacksonville are able to attend our camps and mentorship sessions on need based scholarships. We provide a safe haven for our youth by promoting peace, teamwork and character development in our organization. While mentoring the youth, we provide insight to why violence isn’t the answer and encourage them to make the right choices and hang in positive environments. GameFace 4:13 agrees to the city’s mission to restore safety for our youth and families, and to stop violence by building young leaders and preparing them for the future.

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MAY 2022

Teaching and Emphasizing Character Development

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Character development is defined as “the process through which youth develop and integrate a set of values, skills, attitudes and behaviors that allow them to navigate successfully and responsibly in learning, work and life (YMCA, 2020). Through physical, mental and spiritual training, GameFace 4:13 develops character and prepares our youth for the future. Within each training field, our programs provides transferable skills for the youth to develop and apply in their everyday lives.

 

To help our athletes succeed on and off the court, GameFace 4:13 intertwines our camps and clinics with our mentorship sessions. Our mentorship sessions incorporates biblical principles that teach the youth about good character and integrity. By providing academic programs, our students are able to learn real-world life skills that will prepare them for their future careers. GameFace 4:13 teaches and emphasizes character development among our youth to build young leaders who are ready to take on the game of life and make an impact on the world.

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MARCH 2022

The Power of Partnership and Collaboration

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Partnerships and collaboration allow business and individuals to share their common interests, assets and skills to promote themselves within the community. In business, having partners allow companies to identify the gap and opportunities, leverage each other’s strength’s and work together towards a common goal. Similarly, in life when individuals collaborate, it influences them to interact, work as a team, resolve problems quickly and create long-term relationships. Together, partnership and collaboration can contribute to creating a strong and better community.

 

Specifically with non-profit organizations, partnerships and collaboration helps them raise awareness for their organizations. In fact, when companies partner with non profits, it helps them access the skills, funding and people needed to extend their reach and impact. Often, non profit organizations will partner with one another to demonstrate common values, secure resources and to share the results and impact among the community. In addition, non-profits organizations can parter and collaborate with community leaders, volunteers and positive influencers to help promote their brand and its credibility. Ultimately, partnerships and collaborations help non-profits achieve their mission by expanding their connections and impact within the community.

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FEB 2022

The Importance of Brand Consistency 

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Like the game of basketball, consistency in brands is key. Brand consistency is how an organization delivers messages aligned with its core values, brand promise, and customer experience. It relates to how “on-brand” the organization is, focusing on the brand’s messaging, voice and visual elements. In fact, the more consistent a brand is, the more recognizable it is to others. It allows for new and potential members to get to know the brand on a more personal level, and provides a sense of reliability and a unified experience. Ultimately, brand consistency creates identity and builds trust for an organization. 

 

GameFace maintains brand consistency throughout our entire organization. Starting with the name, GameFace 4:13 symbolizes the impact we have within our community. The “GameFace” in our name reflects a mentality, a sense of readiness and the 4:13 derives from the scripture of Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Combined, GameFace 4:13 speaks for the mission, vision and values of our organization. 

 

GameFace encourages the youth to develop their own game face mentality, so they can go out and change the world. To do so, we combine physical, mental and spiritual training to make a long lasting impact on the youth. We believe three different types of training are the perfect recipe for success because the number three signifies completion, perfection, and unity. GameFace uses a consistent color scheme, by always incorporating the color orange. Generally, orange represents shelter, while promoting joy, creativity, and encouragement. The color orange signifies GameFace as a positive and safe place for the youth. In addition, GameFace consistently posts content on a variety of our social media pages for others to see our impact within the community. With our brand’s consistency, others are able to easily identify, value and trust GameFace 4:13 and who we are as an organization. 

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JAN 2022

The Power of the Youth

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The power of the youth has the ability to change the world. With their creativity, our young people can contribute to advancements, technology, education, politics and peace within the community. While learning to navigate the world, our youth are problem solvers and bring upon a new level of thinking. The youth have the energy and put in action to positively influence others around them. Collectively, with the idealism, enthusiasm and courage of our young people, they have the power to renew, refresh and maintain our society. 

 

GameFace 4:13 contributes to the development of the youth by challenging them to become better leaders and critical thinkers. Our mentorship sessions encourage the youth  to become well rounded athletes and to show integrity in all aspects of their lives. Our programs give the youth life skills and knowledge so that they’re ready for the game of life and can impact the world. By having powerful conversations with our youth, GameFace strives to build character and young leaders for the next generation.

 

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DEC 2021

The Spirit of Giving

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Tis the season! For many years, December has been known as the month of giving, reminding us of the history of Christmas and the holidays’ traditions. During this month, people all around the world prepare for and celebrate the holidays with their family and friends. Along with many of the Christmas traditions, many enjoy the holidays by giving gifts to those around them. This is a time where people think of the less fortunate and those without their loved ones on the holidays. Many organizations and local charities host a variety of fundraisers, toy drives and campaigns during this time in honor of the giving season.

 

We believe the spirit of giving is about opening doors and opportunities for our youth. In fact, GameFace uses basketball as a tool to educate and prepare the youth for life and its' adversities. Throughout the year, we serve and give back to the youth by using a combination of physical, mental and spiritual training, and hosting a variety of training camps, mentorship sessions, and academic programs. Thanks to our partners, we’re able to provide scholarships and academic funding for our athletes. Most importantly, our coaches and community leaders give the gift of knowledge and wisdom to our athletes by encouraging them to succeed on the court and in life. GameFace recognizes the spirit of giving shouldn't be defined by the season, and gives back to the youth in the community all year long.

 

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NOV 2021

Brand and Organizational Culture

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Brand and organizational culture contributes’ to the identity, values and goals of an organization. As it sets the tone of a company, a positive brand culture attracts talent and has a higher retention rate. Having a strong organizational culture is important because when people feel like they belong to an organization, they are willing to stay with the company long term. Like a domino effect, when you treat your employees well and provide a fun and loving atmosphere, your customers’ will see you as a positive and productive brand.

 

Here at GameFace 4:13, we provide an empowering culture for our youth. Using a wholistic approach and life-skill curriculum, we motivate the youth to become better scholars, leaders and well-rounded athletes.  Our culture for staff and interns is about building leaders and creating a family atmosphere. Through real world experiences in a corporate and entrepreneurial environment, we want to develop the gifts and talents amongst every person working within our organization. In conclusion, GameFace 4:13 Training Academy offers a positive camp and work environment, filled with integrity, leadership and encouragement.  

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OCT 2021

Being a Solution in the Community

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As the largest city in Florida, Jacksonville has a population of 934,477 residents. Unfortunately, violent crimes are more prevalent in heavily populated cities. According to Neighborhood Scout, every 1 out of 154 residents in Jacksonville are victims of crime (2021). Following the global pandemic, the number of crimes has increased significantly. Jacksonville has a violent crime rate of 6.49 per 1,000 residents, which nearly doubles the amount for the state of Florida. Due to the city's poverty, income inequalities, and lack of amenities in certain areas, Jacksonville is struggling to combat violence in its city.

 

GameFace 4:13 Training Academy serves as a solution to fighting against the rise of violence in Jacksonville. We provide a safe haven for the youth in Jacksonville by encouraging, fostering and building relationships. Using our holistic approach, we encourage the youth to succeed on and off the court, and to make the right choices in life. The goal is that the youth who attend our camps develop good character, take leadership roles, stay away from bad influences, achieve higher grades and attend college. Our Gameface mentality gives the youth confidence, the ability to fight, stay focused and achieve greatness. GameFace 4:13 contributes to reducing violence in Jacksonville by building young leaders for the next generation.

 

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SEP 2021

Importance of Mentorship

 

Mentorship plays a vital role in the youth within our community. By sharing experiences and positive values, mentors help the youth avoid negative behaviors, build their self-esteem and achieve their goals. With mentorship, it increases the youth’s likelihood of college attendance, positive attitudes and an increase in their social and emotional development.

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GameFace 4:13 mentors the youth by encouraging, fostering, and building relationships. We believe the key to building trust is by spending time with the youth in our community. Each month, we host mentorship workshops and invite local community leaders to help serve our youth. Through our mentorship workshop sessions and community service, we teach the youth how to succeed and be leaders in life. At GameFace 4:13, we are committed to building character, and preparing our youth for the future.

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AUG 2021

GameFace 4:13 Mentality

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Behind every game face, is a mentality and an attitude one carries. “Put your game face on!” is a motivational phrase often said before most competitive events. Along with the look of determination and concentration, your game face is a mentality and a sense of readiness to a take on a task.  
 

The GameFace 4:13 mentality is a confident attitude you have when you are about to tackle something difficult, or take on a challenge. Our desire is that campers will use the lessons of basketball as a strong foundation for their future. We want our youth to develop their own game face mentality. A mentality that can be used on the court, but in the classroom and in their everyday lives as well.  

 

The 4:13 in our name derives from the scripture of Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Our goal is to build confidence in young boys and girls so they believe that they too, can do all things.