ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore yesterday joined local youth organization leaders and young people for the 3rd Annual NFL Players Association &
Joel Gamble Foundation Flag Football Game in Baltimore City. The governor joined two football games with young people ages 11 to 17, some of whom are also participants in the award-winning
Thrive Academy—a targeted violence reduction program serving at-risk youth in Baltimore City, as well as Baltimore, Anne Arundel, and Prince George’s Counties.
“When I was growing up, sports empowered me to be part of a team and see that the world was bigger than what was directly in front of me. Joel Gamble and the NFL Players Association are putting in the work to share that message of partnership, collaboration, and integrity with our youth,”
said Gov. Moore. “In Maryland, we view young men and boys as assets to be unearthed, not problems to be solved. Opportunities like the annual Flag Football Game demonstrate exactly what that mindset looks like in practice.”
Yesterday’s flag football game was organized by a collaboration between Baltimore City, the Joel Gamble Foundation, the NFL Player’s Association Baltimore Chapter, and other community youth organizations including
We, Our, Us. We, Our, Us, who helped convene the local youth organizations for the B’More Youth Summit, focuses on collective action to strategically assist people, especially boys and young men, in obtaining resources they need to succeed. We, Our, Us is also a partner of the Thrive Academy, a program launched by the Moore-Miller Administration to reduce youth gun violence through individualized support and mentorship.
Since its launch in fall 2023, the Thrive Academy has paired at-risk youth with both a dedicated case manager and a life coach drawn from dedicated youth non-profits including We, Our, Us. Through the program, mentors share their lived experiences and introduce young people to skills that help them make manageable changes in their daily lives—leading Maryland’s at-risk youth to think, act, and understand their own potential differently.
The Moore-Miller Administration has made the empowerment of men and boys across Maryland a central priority. Through a whole-of-government approach, the administration has tasked every state agency with identifying and addressing the specific barriers facing young men and boys. With this approach, the administration aims to expand access to mental and behavioral health services for those most at risk, create career pathways in education and healthcare for students and young workers, and strengthen mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities that connect boys and young men to positive role models.
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