In Your Reach

Sideline Connect operates under 501(c)3  not for profit public charity “KidsU32” (EIN#82-3782702), an organization that brings children of all ethnicities and backgrounds together on a “level playing field”–sports.  Oftentimes, children grow up without interacting with those of different races or socioeconomic backgrounds.  Their perception of kids with a different skin color may be influenced and shaped by social media and stereotypes rather than personal experiences.  Sideline Connect seeks to change this by bringing children of different races and backgrounds together while they are still young, so that they can interact, learn from and form friendships with each other before bias and prejudice can take hold.

The ‘kids’ aspect of this organization is critical. Children are not born with bias or hate—those are learned behaviors.  By working with them early by exposing them to different races and cultures, Sideline Connect offers an environment where they can interact on a simple human level. The goal is that children will carry these experiences forward as the basis for their associations as they grow older,  instead of any cultural stereotypes.

Sports provides an ideal platform for a program such as Sideline Connect.  Not only is physical recreation essential to helping children grow, it gives kids a place where they can have fun and excel in a group environment as well.   Team members work together, drawing on one another’s strengths, in turn showing each child they matter.

At Sideline Connect, we understand that sports isn’t forever, so we also take this cooperative environment to the next level by providing a forum for children to interact on and off the playing field. As part of the program, children pair up and interview kids of different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. Sideline Connect posts excerpts from these interviews online, so that the children can see the benefit of working together and proudly display their accomplishments.

Sideline Connect believes that when children are given the opportunity to explore and learn about the people around them, they tend to embrace and celebrate the differences. This knowledge is essential as they go forward in today’s society, and will afford them a unique experience that will positively shape them for years to come.

Sideline Connect is dedicated to providing children the opportunity to grow and learn through sports-based media.