First annual Family Day Liberty For Youth basketball tournament

Local non-profit, Liberty For Youth strives to support at-risk youth at its first annual Family Day basketball tournament and breakfast in Hamilton today. Liberty For Youth offers a prevention and intervention mentoring program for at-risk youth.

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Karl-Derreck Belony was on the non-profit’s Prodigal Sonz team at the People’s Church and says Liberty For Youth helped him through educational struggles, “I was struggling last year with Mathematics, English, and a lot of things but there was a summer camp that Liberty For Youth hosted that really helped me turn things around. I passed my first semester with all 90s.”

Today’s events included breakfast, a grade seven and grade eight 3-on-3 tournament, and a high school game.

MVP winner Eden Sawler says she was invited to today’s event by a family friend, “I feel very honoured to have been chosen.”

Liberty For Youth’s youth council says the goal of today’s event is to give underprivileged youth an opportunity to take part in a basketball tournament. It also hopes to encourage young people to take part in their school’s basketball team.

Also in attendance was a representative from the Hamilton Community Foundation, which provided a $10,000 grant to Liberty For Youth last year.

Youth council member David Akincola says the main message he wants people to take away from events like the one today, is that the stigma around at-risk youth needs to end.

“Liberty For Youth have done a great job helping people who are at-risk and just helping them to be able to see themselves in a better light and with a better future,” Akincola said.

READ MORE: What’s open, closed this Family Day in Hamilton, Halton, Niagara