REASON

The idea for Serve the Future began the first summer of the coronavirus pandemic when Leslie Banks helped run a small tennis camp for students in the Phoenix Union School District. While administering the tennis camp, she grew increasingly passionate about creating a more encompassing program to help and elevate these hardworking, inspiring teenagers through the game of tennis

Leslie saw the hunger to learn how to play a sport that she loves. The hunger in the eyes of young people who can’t afford lessons and clinics. Tennis provided so much joy for her as a player and coach that she wanted share it, and provide them access to a sport they can play for a lifetime. While they learn how to play, they can learn many life lessons such as responsibility, self-confidence, and perseverance. Every time these youths show up to practice they are showing up for themselves and not their parents or someone else. The fact that they want to be there is exciting and contagious.

The organization is based in this area of Phoenix because Phoenix Union School District is nationally recognized district for many reasons. It (and many of the Middle and Elementary school districts that feed into Phoenix Union) serves a 95 percent minority population and receives federally mandated desegregation funding. Diversity is a hallmark in the district, with 81 percent of students identifying as Latino and a large refugee population that represents over 71 languages. More than half of the students come from homes where English is not the primary language spoken (https://www.pxu.org/Page/106 ). Additionally, 35% of families in Phoenix Union live below the poverty line (according to datacenter.kidscount.org), a sharp and alarming contrast with surrounding school districts. Further, language and economic barriers make a sport like tennis challenging to access, and many of the high schools within the PXU do not offer strong, if any, tennis programs for their students.

MISSION

Serve The Future’s core mission is to positively impact youth from underserved communities. Building self-confidence, perseverance, and responsibility through the game of tennis. By providing positive opportunities to learn and grow through the sport of tennis they develop a more healthy lifestyle which impacts their family, peers and community. Consistency and repetition through a year-long tennis academy complemented by transformative and engaging programs is the path to achieving change.

By specifically choosing youth from the Elementary, Middle and High School Districts within the Phoenix Union, the organization hopes to alleviate some of the disparities noted previously. The pandemic has exacerbated this well-documented academic and social gulf among school districts. Serve the Future wants to contribute to the solution by giving these youth healthy and positive opportunities and environments on and off the tennis court.

VISION

Looking to the future. Serve the Future’s core mission is to positively impact youth’s self-confidence, perseverance, responsibility, and healthy lifestyle through the game of tennis. In order to accomplish this, these youths need a year-long tennis academy complemented by transformative and engaging programs. Reaching out to partner with Elementary and Middle School Districts that feed into Phoenix Union School District, the organization will engage more students in the year-long academy.

Phoenix is a large geographical city and in order to reach more students there needs to be a presence in their community. The program is looking to grow its impact by using city tennis facilities close to schools, and thus being more accessible. If we find that some of the youth have a talent for the game they will have the opportunity to capitalize on it. Furthermore, to enhance the whole community, we will explore partnering with outside, nonprofit organizations that provide wrap-around services when certain needs become apparent. Serve the Future strives to build a solid foundation for young people through the game of tennis to help them gain confidence, pursue their dreams on and off the court, and build a future that is healthy, prosperous, and fulfilling.

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What our kids say.

Not only was it fun learning the fundamentals and technique of playing tennis but I also able to gain personal development by learning life skills through hard work and perseverance through routine structure and goal setting.

Morgan FalkensteinBetty Fairfax HS, Sophomore