April 2010

Volume 1, Issue 2

Gil Basketball Academy Newsletter

Coach’s Corner by Jose Gil
Inside this issue:
GBA’s “Service to Oth- 1
ers” Project
Hoopin’ for Change 2 been as-
Kids’ Sports & Fitness 3
Health & Nutrition 3 reports, and
April Asset of the 4 GBA’s “Service to
Month Others” Project.
The Importance of Ser- 4 We spent the
vice to Others entire day painting,
designing and clean-
Service to Others: Ac- 5
tivities and Resources
ing up as part of the
beautification project
in conjunction with the
PTC of Cesar Chavez
School. “Service to
others” is the asset we
GBA’s are preaching to our
academy kids this
month.
Core Values
As we move
along with our weekly
practice sessions, our
academy kids have
 Resiliency
 Respect
 Responsibility
 Sportsmanship
 Family
been required to per- The volunteers
form beyond the gym- all had the same com-
nasium. They have mon goal, to make a
signed art
projects,
academic
progress
community
service ac-
tivities.
Our
student ath-
letes have
willingly
cooperated
with every ac- Coach Eva with GBA’s Lil’ Drib-
tivity and event blers (4-5 yr olds)!
proposed to
them. These assets positive difference in
will make them better the lives of kinder stu-
students and citizens dents. The kinder stu-
in the community. dents at
Cesar
The kinder
Chavez
area at Cesar Chavez
School
School received an
will feel
extreme makeover.
that the
Custom made hop
commu-
scotch, lady bugs,
nity val-
butterflies, mathe-
ues
matical games, float-
them
ing letters in a pond,
and ca-
alphabet games, and
res about their future,
other creative and
thanks to the services
visually stunning
of GBA and Cesar
works of art all were
Chavez PTC volun-
created.
teers.
Page 2 Gil Basketball Academy Newsletter

Hoopin’ for Change! by Eva Silva

The average White high school
dropout earns $7,300 per year,
compared to $6,500 for U.S.
born Latino dropouts (Fry,
2004)... Latinos have a 64.1%
high school completion rate, the
lowest of all groups. In 2001
there were 24,976 Latinos who
“dropped-out” before high
school graduation.

The aforementioned quotes

and statistics are an alarming
reality that we as a commu-
nity need to resolve. The list
is long and the facts are real; GBA is not only providing
it is what students from East a positive avenue for chil-
Salinas are confronting daily. dren to develop their bas-
That is why GBA’s motto is ketball skills but is also
Hoopin’ for Change. One building on the 41 devel-
child at a time, we will make opmental assets that are
a difference and change the needed to succeed. In ad-
horrifying statistics. dition, the GBA volunteers
are positive adults in the
community that are model-
ing appropriate behavior
and are setting good ex-
amples for all of the participants.

Amidst all of the violence and negative

publicity our city is receiving from the me-
dia, GBA seeks to do the complete oppo-
site. By providing more constructive activi-
ties for children, we are preventing them
from making the wrong choices and being
involved in negative activities. Prevention
is the key to change! Go GBA!

Kids’ Sports and Fitness: Motivating Kids to Exercise
It can be tricky to motivate
your kids to exercise when
sedentary activities (such as
surfing the Internet, texting
friends, watching TV shows
and movies, and playing
video games) compete for their time.
However, it’s important to find a bal-
ance so that kids are doing both and
getting the physical health benefits of
regular exercise.
Keeping your children ac-
tive
Setting clear expectations about exer-
cise is crucial for keeping children
active. Some families say that kids can
earn 30 minutes of screen time for
every 15 to 30 minutes of physical
activity. The physical activity comes
first. The screen time comes second.
Find ways to get physically active to-
gether to increase physical benefits
for the whole family. To get young
children active, go to the playground
Health & Nutrition: Your Family’s Nutrition
Two big challenges to raising
healthy kids today are enormous
portion sizes and the fact that there
are so many unhealthy, but tempt-
ing, food choices available. When
children and teens fill up on sweets
and highly processed foods, they
lose their appetites for foods that
have the nutrients their bodies
need. As kids get older, they’ll be
making more of those choices for
themselves, so it’s never too early to
start teaching them how to make
healthy, balanced selections.
together and play. With
older kids, take hikes in
the woods, go canoeing,
ride your bikes, or find
some other physical activ-
ity you enjoy doing to-
gether.
Set a good example. Kids are more
likely to exercise and experience the
benefits of sports and fitness if you’re
doing the same.
Don’t expect schools to provide op-
portunities for kids’ physical activity.
With budget cutbacks, most kids do
not get physical activity during the
school day. Today, only 30 percent of
kids have physical education classes
five days a week.
Look for physical activity that gets
kids excited. A number of families
have discovered that Wii Fit (a video
game for Nintendo’s Wii) is a great
way to get the physical benefits of
being active while playing video
games. (And it also gets family mem-
 Serve foods close to their natu-
ral state: fresh or unsweetened
dried fruit instead of fruit roll-ups;
whole-wheat bread instead of white;
lean cuts of meat such as turkey or
chicken breast instead of processed
meats such as sausage or hot dogs.
 For sweet treats, stick with fresh
fruit. (Babies aren’t born wanting ice
cream or cookies.) Avoid refined
sugar and other sweeteners as long
as possible.
 Getting enough calcium is tough
for kids who drink too much juice,
Page 3
bers to engage in fun competition with
each other.)
If your child isn’t used to exercising,
start small and slowly. It’s better for a
child to start with five minutes of
physical activity a day and see how
that goes over a week’s time before
increasing the amount. Too many kids
jump in too fast and do too much,
which turns them off to physical activ-
ity (and can get them injured).
Talk to kids about the mental and
physical benefits of exercise. Kids are
more likely to do something if they
understand why it’s good for them.
Keeping children active is one of the
most beneficial things that you can do
for them. Not only does it keep them
healthy now, but it also sets a good
example for when they are adults and
are making their own decisions about
physical activity. Make sure they ex-
perience the physical benefits of be-
ing active early so that they continue
throughout the rest of their lives.
soda, or other beverages that don’t
contain it. One way you can help is
by limiting the availability of those
drinks in your home. You can also
keep low-fat flavored milks and cal-
cium-fortified milk alternatives on
hand and serve them at meals.
Though they have added sugar, it’s
not nearly as much as soda, and
studies show that, for many kids,
they boost calcium intake.
 Set clear family rules on when
it’s acceptable to eat sweets, such as
having desserts only on the week-
ends or only for special occasions.
Page 4
April Asset of the Month: Service to Others #9
Community service, volunteering, and service learning do
more than allow youth to help the community—these activi-
ties also provide youth with the positive ex-
periences, relationships, and connections
that help them thrive. Research shows that
the developmental asset of service to others
results in higher academic performance, in-
creased self esteem, reduced incidence of
depression, better problem-solving skills,
and increased community involvement as an
adult.
Unfortunately, most youth don’t partici- “We can choose to use our lives for others
pate in significant service to others. To to bring about a better and more just world
for our children.”
help raise awareness of the importance
—Cesar E. Chavez
The Importance of Service to Others
The following discussion topics can help young peo-
ple recognize the value of service to others and iden-
tify new kinds of service opportunities:
• Ask a young person to complete this sentence: “One
way I’d like to change the world is…”
• What are some needs or problems that you see and
are concerned about in the community?
What do you think can solve these issues? What can
you do to get the ball rolling?
Service to Others: Activities
For families
• At mealtime, share your recent community service
activities with your family. This discussion demon-
strates that your family values service, enables you to
role-model community service, and opens a discus-
sion about ways to help in the community.
• Serving others doesn’t always mean taking on a big
Gil Basketball Academy Newsletter
of this developmental asset, April is Service to Others for
GBA. One reason that youth may not serve is the perception
that their assistance isn’t welcomed—a
Gallup poll found that adolescents were four
times more likely to volunteer and help out in
the community if they were asked, but only
half of a national sample of youth reported
that adults asked them to help out. Youth gain
the greatest benefit from service programs
that enable them to “do” instead of observe;
to work with supportive adults; to dem-
onstrate responsibility; to explore their
own interests and ideas; and to reflect
on the meaning of their activities.
• If you had to commit
“The end of all education
one year after high
school to performing ser- should surely be service to
vice in your own commu-
others. The end of all
nity, elsewhere in the
United States, or abroad, knowledge must be the
where would you go and building up of character.”
what would you choose
Cesar E. Chavez
to do?
commitment—it can be as simple as picking up litter
in the park, helping an elderly neighbor unload their
groceries, or bringing a meal to a sick neighbor.
• Have a family meeting to consider the idea of a fam-
ily service project, and make sure that everyone par-
ticipates regardless of their age. Have everyone list
their volunteer activities to see if others are
Page 5
(Continued from page 4)
interested in helping, and talk about additional
causes that each member would like to support.
For all adults
• Create youth-oriented volunteer opportunities
that are diverse in the amount of time, energy,
and expertise required. To make sure that
youth get the most out of the experience, provide
adequate training and make sure
that the youth understand how “It is my deepest belief that team of representatives to present
their efforts will make a differ- only by giving our lives do we and coach them on how to make
ence. find life.” -Cesar E. Chavez their presentation.
• When seeking volunteers, don’t
just reach out to the high-
achieving youth in leadership programs!
Young people from all backgrounds deserve the op-
portunity to experience the benefits of service.
• Be sure to affirm and recognize the efforts of all the
youth who serve.
At school or in youth programs
• Service learning programs that link educational or
program objectives with opportunities to address real
-world issues are a proven strategy for increasing de-
velopmental assets. Resources to help get started with
service learning programs can be found in the
“Resources” section below.
• Start a service club for youth! Work
with the group to identify a list of causes
that they care about (e.g., animals, edu-
cation, environment, creating safe
places for youth to hang out, health
care, disaster relief, homelessness,
peace, etc.) and identify ways that they
can help. Help the youth research the
need, define goals, create a plan (being
sure to consider the potential needs and
feelings of the recipients), and imple-
ment their service ideas. Be sure to guide the youth in
Gil Basketball Academy Newsletter
reflecting on their experience at the end of the pro-
ject.
• You can also create service opportunities for
youth within the school or program itself. Work
as a group to list needs that youth have observed
at the site, like picking up litter or refereeing
games for younger children, and ask youth to
choose which needs they’d like to address. If
their choices require the permission of other staff
members, have the youth choose a
their offer to the person in charge,
Additional Resources
• The Volunteer Cen-
ter of Silicon Valley’s “We cannot seek achievement for
Santa Clara County
ourselves and forget about progress
Youth Volunteer
and prosperity for our community...Our
Guide provides a
comprehensive list ambitions must be broad enough to
of service opportuni- include the aspirations and of others
ties for youth 12-17, for their sakes and for our own.”
arranged by areas of
Cesar E. Chavez
interest and kind of
service available. The guide includes coaching for
youth on what to say when they call an
agency for information or visit the site for a
volunteer interview. For more information,
visit http://vcsv.us/youthguide.shtml.
• A wealth of information about service
learning is available at Search Institute’s
“Service Learning and Asset Building”
Web page at http://www.search-
institute.org/content/service-learning-
andasset- building. Resources include a
free guide to service learning in commu-
nity-based organizations as well as fact
sheets, resources, and links to information from na-
tional service learning organizations.
 Gil Basketball Academy
Jose Gil, Executive Director
1522 Constitution Blvd.
Suite 213
Salinas, CA 93905
Phone: 831-710-1499
E-mail: coach@gilbasketballacademy.com

Hoopin’ for Change

We’re on the web!

www.gilbasketballacademy.com
We’re on Facebook!
Gil Basketball Academy

April Practice Dates, Times, and Location

 Wed, April 14th, 6 to 8 p.m. at Alisal High
 Wed, April 21st, 6 to 8 p.m. at Alisal High
 Thurs, April 29th, 6 to 8 p.m. at Alisal High
A huge thanks to Julio Gil and the Central Coast
Sign Factory for the awesome trailer wrap design
above and for so many other GBA projects!

Health & Nutrition:
(Continued from page 3)
 Keep introducing new, healthy
foods to your family. Kids are more
likely to eat a variety of healthy
foods if they’re given opportunities
to try them. Cut up a raw jicama and
eat it like celery. Buy a pomegran-
ate and eat the seeds.
If you’re fortunate, you have kids
who are open to trying new foods
and have a varied diet. But not all
kids are this way. Some are fussy
about what they eat, and they can
complain about textures, tempera-
tures, food touching other food, and
strong tastes and smells. Research-
ers say that this is a biological phe-
nomenon, and some kids are more
affected by it than others.
If you have any suggestions for future articles please email Noemi Garcia
Reyes (GBA Board member, grant writer, and newsletter editor) at
noemi.garcia.reyes@gmail.com.
 Talk about the issue in positive
terms—it’s easy to label these kids
as “picky,” “spoiled,” or “fussy.”
Instead, embrace their eating habits
and talk about how they have dis-
criminating, discerning taste.
 Never force your child to eat,
but continue to invite her to eat and
offer a lot of healthy choices. Some
kids won’t try new foods until
they’ve seen other people eat them
a few times, and some won’t go near
a piece of broccoli no matter how
many times you offer it.
 If you become concerned that
your child’s eating habits may be a
problem, talk with a pediatrician.
Doctors who work with children un-
derstand the phenomenon of dis-
criminating eaters. They may pre-
scribe a multivitamin, make a refer-
ral to a child nutritionist, or have other
suggestions if you’re concerned
about your child’s diet.
 Be patient—some kids go through
periods when they’re more particular
about foods, and then grow out of
them. Other kids will remain steadfast
for years. If your child will eat only
macaroni and cheese for breakfast,
lunch, and supper, continue to offer
other foods, but don’t become overly
concerned.
No matter what your family’s nutri-
tional habits are, it’s important to con-
tinually strive to maintain a healthy
diet. It can be tough at times, espe-
cially if you’re dealing with a very
picky eater, but proper nutrition will
keep your family healthy and pay off
in the long run.