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December 16th, 2023 Holiday Spikeball Hat Tournament in Pacific Beach Benefiting SDSL At-Risk Youth Programs
Commitment to Equitable and Holistic Community Wellness
San Diego Social Leagues programs are intended to create equitable opportunities for diverse San Diegans including the vulnerable and underserved communities. SDSL is committed to designing accessible, enjoyable, and affordable programming focused on the holistic physical and mental health and wellness of participants. Our carefully curated programs are intended to engage and activate participants in a meaningful way. Sports and fitness is our vehicle. Our programs will maximize the opportunity for regional providers and NPOs to offer services that strengthen physical, mental and financial health. SDSL’s goal is to strengthen the communities we serve physically, mentally, and socially.
Our main goals include:
- Curating diverse and engaging equitable programming for people of all ages
- Ensuring San Diegans living in vulnerable and underserved communities have access to holistic programming that improves the community overall
- Breaking down the cost barrier that exists in participating in sports
- Enhancing the physical vitality of our participants through sports
- Providing positive social experiences that supports the mental health of or participants
- Activating and engaging participants in social activities to prevent isolation
- Partnering with community stakeholders, local businesses, and other NPOs in San Diego to provide wrap-around services for our participants.
- Preventing and reducing recidivism and supporting police relations efforts in the communities we serve.
- Inviting participant feedback to inform us on future offerings and improvements for our existing programs.
- Retaining our participants over time.
- Offering fun programming for all of our participants.
- Taking advantage of the comfortable year-round climate San Diego offers to create sustainable opportunities for programming.
- Creating a better San Diego for all.
SDSL …
- Is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
- More than just sports leagues.
- Believes in the transformative power of sports.
- Activates and engages participants to support their physical health and wellness.
- Organizes events, leagues, and tournaments to create a sense of belonging, supporting participant’s mental health and wellness.
- Committed to fair play, positive interactions, and an inclusive environment where everyone can have fun and thrive.
- Is a community building organization.
- Believes that together, a bigger difference can be made.
- Is focused on building a coalition of NPOs in San Diego.
- Is committed to being a service provider for San Diego’s most vulnerable and underserved populations including:
- Individuals in recovery or struggling with addiction.
- Individuals transitioning from the criminal justice system
- Veterans
- At-risk youth
- Senior citizens
- The homeless and food insecure
Our Goals
Our programs and services create a sense of belonging through healthy socialization and involvement in the community.
We aim to not only provide our most vulnerable populations with opportunities to participate in community events, they take fun to another level and bring the people of San Diego together.
SDSL firmly believes through the events and programs we offer opportunities are created to build a community which has many positive outcomes for those we serve. This includes quality chances for providing mental health benefits as we create a sense of belonging especially for the marginalized populations we serve, networking possibilities to improve the lives and opportunities of our participants, and making our beloved city a more pleasant place to live for all. Through meaningful community partnerships, we strive to be an asset to San Diego County. This can be seen in partnerships we have already forged with other non-profit organizations such as Uplift, It’s All About The Kids, San Diego BIG, Family Health Centers, and Rooted Life. We look forward to being an integral part of our community as we continue to build partnerships that will lead to a solid coalition of organizations aimed at building a better San Diego.
San Diego Social Leagues is firmly focused on and committed to the betterment of San Diego’s health and wellness, both physically and mentally. We offer research-based programs and services intended to improve the overall well-being of San Diegans, including programs targeted at the underserved and vulnerable populations within our community.
We offer Men’s, Women’s and co-ed basketball, slow pitch softball, volleyball, flag football, kickball, volleyball and soccer. We pride ourselves in providing a fair, fun, and safe environment for all of our participants. Whether you are out to play with old friends, meet new friends, or test your game, work on your physical and mental fitness, or improve your overall life and experience in San Diego, we have a place for you.
The benefits of our programs and services include, but are not limited to:
Physical fitness that leads our participants to lead a fulfilling and healthy lifestyle. The benefits of regular exercise are well known including weight control, improved organ functioning, bone and joint health, muscle toning and building, improved sleep, and overall longevity through reducing the risks of heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis for dynamic and creative intellectual activity.
Brain health including improved cognitive function and physical brain wellness including brain plasticity and blood flow while reducing brain atrophy. Hundreds of studies show that exercise improves brain health and reduces the risks of disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease while enhancing memory, attention, and mental flexibility.
We have dedicated leagues and events for vulnerable community members in recovery. Opportunities are especially provided during high trigger time frames such as weekend evenings and days so there is always a healthy outlet to sway someone from succumbing to addiction. These opportunities are not just designed to be “sober leagues,” but also a place where ancillary physical and mental health support services can be accessed through our partners and community relationships. In these leagues, we also encourage individuals to bring along healthy and positive influences such as their sponsors and loved ones. Creating this support system is vital in building community and also allows those in recovery to have a sense of belonging enhancing their mental health.
SDSL has been working with other NPOs like All Star Vets, Salute 2 Heroes and Veteran Green Projects to support our servicemen and women locally and beyond. Helping them transition from service to civilian life is a challenging task. We aim to recognize active Armed Service Veterans for their contributions to our security and also help engage Veterans to become active members in the civilian community. In light of many of their experiences, veterans often endure significant physical, mental, and social hardships which has led many Vets into a life of isolation. This isolation can perpetuate many of the underlying issues from which they suffer as well as create a cycle of hopelessness and despair. SDSL aims to use recreational opportunities to reduce isolation. We also know from various studies done, recreation can combat some of the mental health issues Veterans experience after their service. With the help of our partners and working with institutions like the VA, SDSL hopes to help reduce the suicide rate amongst local Vets and improve their quality of life enhancing the productivity needed to give them purpose in life after their military service.
The youth are an integral stakeholder in our community and SDSL firmly believes that providing meaningful and effective opportunities to them go a long way in making San Diego a better place for all. We provide organized inter-scholastic leagues while also providing tutoring opportunities through our partner Uplift San Diego. As we grow these programs, our goal is to build strong relationships within the community allowing us to offer authentic mentoring opportunities for the kids from community members with whom they identify. Through these after-school opportunities, we aim to keep kids off the streets before their parents get home. Our hope is to help break the latchkey kid cycle with meaningful, safe, engaging, and enjoyable opportunities for kids throughout San Diego.
Senior citizens represent another very vulnerable population in San Diego. We know, through various studies, that activation and engagement in recreation opportunities can have a profound effect on brain health and even help slow the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. At SDSL, along with our partners, we intend to create specific programs and events to activate the seniors in our community while also building a sense of community. It is our belief that when doing this we can help to combat the devastating effects of brain health decline and the isolation many senior citizens experience as they age. Through providing these opportunities, it is our hope this will provide this valuable and vulnerable population with a renewed sense of belonging and purpose while having fun, forging new relationships, and improving their physical and mental health and wellness to add longevity to their lives.
In partnership with It’s All About the Kids, we aim to have dry goods collection at ALL of our events. We encourage our participants to bring canned or dry goods each week and collect them to be delivered to the IAATK food pantry where the goods are delivered to those in need, especially kids and single mothers. We also hope our leagues will attract homeless veterans, where they can access the mental health services to which we can help them access through our partnerships in the community.
SDSL is committed to assisting in ending the cycle of recidivism as we support the criminal justice system. We offer leagues and programs specific to those transitioning from being incarcerated, to reentering the community in multiple capacities including parolees, those on probation, and even individuals in halfway houses. We know consistency for these individuals is key, so providing a structured weekly/biweekly league they can depend on is our goal. On league nights, in addition to providing a physical outlet for these individuals, we use our built partnerships in the community to provide all-encompassing services such as job training programs where we train-to-hire qualified members in sports management and the health and fitness spaces. In addition through our partners, we also seek to provide access to the needed rehabilitation services that support their mental health. In doing this, we aim to make their reentry back into the community as smooth as possible while attempting to break the cycle of recidivism.
