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February 18, 2022
2020 Beyond Sport Global Award winner, Charity Bounce, recently became the first international partner of Curry Brand, Golden State Warrior basketball star Steph Curry’s purpose-driven collaboration with sports retailer, Under Armour.
Founded in 2016, the Australian non-profit exists to “inspire positive change and create opportunities for individuals and communities.” With a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, culturally diverse communities and newly arrived refugees, they use basketball to build resiliency and positive job futures for at-risk youth aged 12-24.
Their “Stand Tall” program for which they were recognized with the Sport for Decent Work and Economic Growth Award in 2020, includes both on and off-court activities using social-emotional learning related to the development of employability skills for its young participants. Their programming ultimately offers employment pathways for those that need it the most.
Curry Brand is setting its sights on future generations with its Change the Game for Good initiative, initially launched in Oakland, California, to serve underserved communities and provide community outreach. Through the initiative, it has invested a percentage of its yearly revenue sales to under-resourced communities across the US. The third pillar of Change the Game for Good includes building and investing in 20 safe spaces to play by 2025, which ranges from refurbishing basketball courts to programs in the spaces.
The other pillars relate to providing programming to schools and community centers, offering basketball programs to give kids an opportunity to play. They’ll also be providing coach and mentor programs for youth development by partnering with Positive Coaches Alliance and training 15,000 coaches across the country by the year 2025.
Charity Bounce now has the first-ever Curry Brand court outside of the US, located at the Arncliffe Youth Centre in Sydney. On January 28, the organization invited all its youth participants to the unveiling of the court. Charity Bounce Global Ambassador and former Harlem Globetrotter, Tracy Williams, held a basketball skill session for everyone who was also gifted with shoes, shirts and shorts by Under Armour Australia.
“Play is a fundamental part of childhood and is critical to development. So much of who I am as a person and a leader today is because of playing sports as a kid,” Curry said. “I learned the value of hard work, resilience, teamwork, communication, time management—sports teach young athletes so many critical life skills, which is why I’m passionate about making sure everyone has access to these opportunities, first through my foundation and now through Curry Brand.”
The newly developed center is focused on supporting young athletes in the Bayside Council region. However, when initially installed the organization discovered that the hard floor courts were unsuitable to host elite basketball programs or attract athletes to invest with the charity’s long-term initiatives. Through the partnership, Curry Brand and Under Armour installed a Curry Brand FIBA-approved floor that will provide a suitable play surface.
With the new court, Charity Bounce is set to launch weekly programs and initiatives to support and empower youth athletes in its communities. Local primary and high school students will be invited to access the new court and engage with the organization that plans to deliver resiliency basketball and social impact programs to more than 5,000 youth.
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