The goal of the Philadelphia Youth Organization is to help educate kids in academics and athletics. The organization was founded in 1989 and is based at the Marian Anderson Recreation Center at 17th and Fitzwater streets.
The PYO has given children alternatives to life on the streets.
The programs include baseball, basketball, and soccer. New baseball programs are being started in Southwest, West, North and Northwest Philadelphia. PYO director Steve Bandura expects the number or participants to continue to grow each year.
Providing opportunities is a big part of what the PYO has accomplished. Bandura feels that helping kids find what they are passionate about will help keep them off the streets.
“Everybody should be able to find and explore what their passion is,” said Bandura. “When you discover that – if you have the opportunity to discover that, then you’re probably not going to get in trouble. If you have something you like, you know, and it’s available for you to do, then that’s what you’re gonna do. That’s what we try to provide.”
– Text, images, and video by Jonathan DiMuzio.
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