Our objectives & Projects

Objectives

Projects

Ball 2 Success
Basketball is the catalyst to the achievements that the ‘Ball 2 Success’ programme has seen and will continue to witness. Aimed at addressing the needs of disadvantaged and marginalised young people NASSA uses the sport of basketball as a tool to focus on increasing participation through sustainable coaching of grassroots basketball in the community. 
Engaging with 65+ schools, 2000 young people each week, in the London Borough of Newham, varying from primary, secondary and special education schools NASSA use the power of basketball to improve academic and athletic achievements. At the same time NASSA are in a position to mould their social and emotional wellbeing by allowing confidence, self esteem and other aspects of a young person to flourish.
NASSA coaches and mentors believe in being consistent and ensuring young people are aware they are part of a team. Our coaches are role models; their enthusiasm is truly contagious and they ensure they teach what it means to be a team player, work towards individual and collective goals as well as the importance of punctuality and how to respect others and themselves. The teaching and coaching does not stop at the ‘Ball 2 Success’ programme as they then have the opportunity to  train and play within a national league team for their respective age group.

‘Carry a Basketball Not a Blade’ (CABNAB) Annual Event
Founded by a London Borough of Newham local resident, Anthony Okereafor, aged 19 personifies the type of young person NASSA interacts with and encourages. Anthony had a close friend stabbed to death in 2007 and the ‘Carry a Basketball not a blade’ project is an annual event working in partnership with the Met Police in recognising knife crime, anti-social behaviour and giving an opportunity to educate and make contact with a cohort in the community through interactive workshops. The annual event of ‘Carry a Basketball not a blade’ endorsed my Prime Minister David Cameron was launched by an inspirational NASSA player in 2007. At the end of the event the Met Police team challenge a NASSA team in a basketball game and then each young person who attends the workshops are given a T-shirt and basketball to help take the message back to their communities

CABNAB
The Project runs every Friday at Cumberland school, Oban Close, E13 8SJ from 16:15 - 18:00 (8yrs-11yrs boys/girls) 18.00-20.00 (12-16yrs) boys.

The aims of the project are to bridge the gap in community cohesion, develop safer neighbourhoods and encourage young people to lead positive lives.

Anthony runs a prevention mentoring scheme to identify young people who may be picking up a blade in the first place and then to convince those with blades, to put them down and in Anthony’s words he wants “to give disaffected youths a positive way of expressing themselves through basketball”..

The Aiming High for Disabled Children
Runs every Saturday from 10am-2pm at Newham Leisure Centre the project is aimed at children with a range of disabilities.

Session 1- Basketball Bears
1 x 1.5 hour basketball session: aimed at children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder
The session delivered by a qualified disability basketball coach and supported by volunteers from NASSA and Newham.
The session incorporate ball control, shooting, fun & games and as the sessions progress will introduce mini basketball.
The sessions allow the children & young people the opportunity to participate in a relaxed format, coaching will initially be on a 1-2-1, as and if required. As the sessions progress new skills/practices will be introduced to build confidence.

Session 2- Basketball Buffalos
1 x 1.5 hour basketball session: aimed at children and young people with complex health needs
The session incorporates multi-skills, and encourages movement with and without the basketball on the courts.

Wheelchair Basketball
Runs in Newham Leisure Centre every Wednesday from 4pm-5pm to provide an opportunity for people with physical disabilities to get involved in team sport Wheelchair basketball is Paralympics sport, and with London 2012 just around the corner, the NASSA hope to give everyone the opportunity to play and get involved in wheelchair basketball.

Youth Opportunities with NASSA
Sustainability of our projects and the success of the programme lie within young people giving back and they can gain qualifications in:

With these qualifications in basketball coaching they can help create the NASSA culture using what they have learnt on and off the court to develop others in the communities they live in.

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