What Sets the Best Youth Sports Programs Apart?

Not too long ago, London Booker was driving through Rochester when something made him stop.

In an abandoned lot, a group of kids was running lacrosse drills, fully equipped, calling out plays, and moving with confidence. He hit the brakes, put the car in reverse, and asked what they were doing. Their answer surprised him. They were part of a school program, and they played every week.

Years earlier, that scene would have been impossible.

Lacrosse, often viewed as inaccessible in many urban communities, was something Booker had to search for. In 2006, as a seventh grader, he became one of the first participants in a small, volunteer-led program called Roc E6. At the time, no city school offered lacrosse, and opportunities to play were limited. What Roc E6 provided was simple but powerful: access to the game, consistent mentorship, and a place where young people could begin to imagine new possibilities for themselves. For many, that meant seeing themselves as athletes, leaders, and, eventually, mentors to the next generation.

While the sport remained the foundation, the impact extended far beyond the game. The program fostered a community built on relationships, where participation often grew into a lasting sense of purpose. National research, including findings from the Aspen Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that access to sports paired with trusted adult mentorship is linked to stronger academic engagement, improved mental health, and more positive long-term outcomes for young people.

But the real impact comes from continuity. It depends on adults who keep showing up and on environments where young people don’t just participate, but begin to picture themselves as college students, professionals, coaches, and community leaders.

Booker’s journey reflects that truth. After moving schools to continue playing, he competed for four years at Roberts Wesleyan University while remaining actively involved with Roc E6, returning each season to support the program.

Since his early days as a participant, Booker, along with founders Art Alvut and Arkee Allen, has been a consistent presence, helping sustain the program year after year. Today, he serves as a coach and school counselor in the Rochester City School District. He is part of a growing group of alumni and coaches, including educators, physicians, and one graduate who began as a camper and has since earned a doctorate in physical therapy, who now mentor the next generation.

The scene Booker witnessed that day, kids confidently playing in a space where the sport once did not exist, was not an accident. It was the result of two decades of steady, relationship-driven work by founders, coaches, and community members who built the program long before the sport had a foothold in the city.

It raises a larger question for communities everywhere: What becomes possible when young people are given a place where they belong and the chance to imagine new possibilities for themselves? In Rochester, many have gone on to become the coaches, educators, counselors, and mentors helping the next generation do the same.

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How to Help

Roc E6 Lacrosse is a volunteer-driven nonprofit providing free, year-round lacrosse, mentorship, and life development programming for youth in Rochester, New York. Grounded in its Six Es – Empowerment, Education, Exposure, Exercise, Equity, and Ethics – Roc E6 uses sport as a vehicle to open doors, build confidence, and create pathways for young people.

Readers can support Roc E6 by helping expand access to coaching, equipment, mentoring, and year-round opportunities for youth. Community members and organizations can also partner with Roc E6 through volunteering, sponsorship, or mentorship support.

A graduate of Gates-Chili High School who went on to play four years of college lacrosse at Division II Roberts Wesleyan University, London Booker epitomizes everything that is ROC E6, being one of the first players to take part in the program back in 2006. London serves as the liaison for the program. In addition, he is an Athletic Director for Rochester City School District [RCSD] and was the East High School Varsity Coach.

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