Tyrick B. Keyes Youth Basketball League

Ice the Beef provides 150 youth in New Haven the opportunity to join and play in the Tyrick B. Keyes Basketball League free of charge every year. The league is led by community volunteer coaches, some are leaders in the city, others are fathers, pastors, youth activists and men who were formally incarcerated. Before youth can become active members of the team, as in our other programs, they are required to learn about anger management and conflict resolution strategies. Although this league is meant to be recreational, we use the game to emphasize positive decision-making, strong leadership skills, and the importance of not only staying out of the prison system but the understanding the difficulties of living life while incarcerated and the perils of re-entry. We focus on the importance of education and maintaining a grade point average and setting post-secondary goals.