Councilors take site tour of MLB Youth Academy in Washington D.C.
While in Washington DC attending conferences this week, several Birmingham City Councilors took a site tour of the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.
Councilors Wardine Alexander, John Hilliard, Darrell O’Quinn and William Parker attended the hour-long site tour and came away very impressed with what they saw.
The 9-acre facility houses full-sized baseball and softball fields, along with a smaller practice field that can be utilized for infield drills. The $7.2 million facility was completed five years ago and has since served as a major asset for one of Washington’s most poverty stricken communities.
The facility was brought into fruition as a public-private partnership between the local government in Washington and Major League Baseball, much like the proposed youth academy that has been discussed in Birmingham recently.
According to youth academy representatives, making sure the facility is an asset to the community is their main priority. Aside from the baseball programing that currently has 160 students aged 3rd grade to 8th grade, there are a litany of classes and workshops for everyone in the community to take part in. Roughly 85 percent of the young people who join the program have never played baseball before. The goal is to have each student complete the six-year youth program by the time they leave 8th grade so they can go on to be leaders in their respective high school classes.
The academy provides after school tutoring and mentoring classes for the students as well as STEM programing that uses the sport of baseball to teach students about science and physics. Aside from the educational opportunities that the academy provides, representatives who have seen their first round of students graduate the program, said the “attitudinal improvements” seen in the students is perhaps the most gratifying thing to see.
As a way to provide healthy food options for the community, one that is located in a food desert, the Washington Nationals Youth Academy is home to an urban garden that grows food for the community. There are also classes that are offered to teach families how to cook healthy meals. A farmer’s market is also available and give SNAP recipients a chance to take freshly grown produce home to their families for a discounted rate.
The Councilors said they would love to see these programing components included in Birmingham’s own MLB Youth Academy.
“I think we’ve had an amazing time to see what great work is being done in the facility in Washington DC,” Council President Pro Tem William Parker said as several excited children ran by on their way to one of the fields. “We’re looking forward to bringing this type of exposure to our young people in Birmingham at George Ward Park. This was a very educational trip. We understand there is still a lot of work to do but we’re excited about bringing the MLB Youth Academy to George Ward park in the near future.”
