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Kids who are active feel better about themselves and learn healthy habits that stay with them for life. Running gives children confidence in what they can do, and shows them who they can become. The Youth and Community Services arm of NYRR brings free running programs and wellness events to schools, neighborhoods, and communities, fostering physical fitness, character development, and personal achievement in children on up to seniors. Our youth programs already serve more than 100,000 children in hundreds of underserved schools and community centers across the country and beyond.
We empower children of all athletic abilities to get moving through our in-demand school and team-based programs like Mighty Milers and Young Runners; our widely attended NYRR road races and Youth Jamborees; resources like A Running Start, our award-winning video series for coaching young runners; and through NYRR's constant participation in countless community health and wellness events.
Flagship Programs:
Schools across the country can teach kids to run through free programs provided by New York Road Runners. Mighty Milers is a progressive marathon program where children across the country run or walk regularly and learn how to integrate healthy habits into their daily lives. In Young Runners, New York City youth of all fitness levels train to run distances ranging from 1 to 6.2 miles while training with a coach and teammates.
Youth Running Series
Open to kids ages 5-17, this free series introduces running basics and helps experienced runners improve their skills through games, guided fun runs, dynamic warm-ups, and relaxing cool-downs. Parents are welcome to join in the fun!
NYRR Youth Jamborees
These wellness events combine track and field contests with a family health fair. They are held at either the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory in upper Manhattan or Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island. Jamborees include running, jumping, and throwing events and are open to all children in kindergarten through eighth grade and their families—no experience is necessary.
Fall and Spring Developmental Series
Children learn about running and lifelong fitness through NYRR's developmental running series. In the fall, the Developmental Cross Country Series takes place in October and November. In the spring, we partner with the New York City Department of Education to produce the NYC DOE Developmental Track & Field Series, which runs from March through June. These meets take place in all five boroughs and are free to students in New York City public schools. NYRR provides expert guidance for the teachers and coaches who participate.
http://www.nyrr.org/
The Youth Cross Country invitationals are 1.5-mile races that take place in Van Cortlandt Park (Bronx). These events are open to schools that have Young Runners teams, C.H.A.M.P.S. cross country programs, and participated in the previous season's Developmental Cross Country Series.
Professional Development Workshops
NYRR hosts free professional development workshops for New York City public school teachers throughout the school year. Each session is focused on how to bring more physical activity into a child's day. Most recently, teachers learned how to use Active Eating, activity lesson plans that teach kids how to eat healthier and make smart food choices. The lesson plans are available for free at www.nyrr.org/activeeating. The next workshop will take place in January. It will help coaches, P.E. teachers, and other youth leaders enhance running practices and fitness sessions with fun activities.
A Running Start
A Running Start is a collection of online fitness videos developed by New York Road Runners to help youth coaches teach the fundamentals of running through age-appropriate games, activities, and drills. Created in collaboration with a team of expert youth coaches and exercise physiologists, these activities can be used individually, incorporated into an existing practice routine, or used to craft one's own running session. Activities focus on preparing to run, fundamentals of running movement, and proven ways to enjoy running and physical activity. More than 80 videos are available in the following categories:
- Warm-up and Cool-down
- Stretching and Strength Training
- Form
- Pacing
- Games
2011-2012 School Year Highlights
In the 2011-2012 school year, NYRR youth programs broke new ground, growing by 30 percent!
The Big Picture
- NYRR youth programs served as many as 130,000 children a week locally, nationally, and internationally.
- NYRR established running programs in 725 schools and community centers around the world, a 15 percent increase.
- Mighty Milers around the world logged more than 4.1 million miles and earned 107,707 marathon medals.
- 16,000 public school students participated in the Developmental Track and Field Series
- NYRR Youth Jamborees were attended by more than 9,000 children
- 64 youth events were staged for more than 31,000 participants
- NYRR's new community services teams participated in 483 community events with 56,915 participants
- Awarded 27 summer running camp scholarships and 50 grants of $500 each to schools and non-profit organizations
- Provided 310 Mighty Milers sites with 37,000 books in its Miles for Books challenge alst March, during which the children ran a total of 1.2 million miles
- Launched a free high school cross country summer training program fr New York City students, and "Events to run," five event-planning guides to help schools host their own youth running and fitness events
How to Donate to Support YCS
Make a Donation
Individual donations are always welcome. You can donate online or by U.S. mail.
Sneaker Drive
This is an opportunity for you to make donations that will help the 130,000 kids that participate in our youth programs. Make a monetary donation on our website or contact youthprograms@nyrr.org to find out how you can make a donation of new sneakers!
Adopt-a-School
Businesses, corporations, and non-profit groups can have a huge impact on their community's health and future by funding a NYRR Youth Program. Adopt a school or before- or after-school program and make a difference for hundreds of kids in a community.
Support Team for Kids
If you're an adult runner, you can join Team for Kids and raise funds for NYRR Youth Programs as you train for races. Or, you can donate to a Team for Kids runner. Groups, such as businesses or corporations, can also form their own Team for Kids. Would include the events they have programs for (INGNYCM, NYCH, ESBRU, CHICAGO ?
9+1K Program
Members of New York Road Runners since January of a calendar year who completed at least nine NYRR-scored, qualifying races and made a $US1,000 in the same year are eligible for guaranteed entry to the next year's ING New York City Marathon. The donation component of this "9+1K Program" supports NYRR's long-standing and significant commitment to providing free and low-cost programs to those who need them most.
