A weekend of community, education, and sports just wrapped up in El Paso’s Segundo Barrio.
Inside the Armijo Recreation Center children of all ages come together for Basketball in the Barrio. This three-day event gives children much more than basketball; they learn to plant, play soccer, and play harmonica.
CEO Steve Yellen says this event builds confidence for kids who live in the second lowest income zip code per capita.
“We want them to think I’m from the wealthiest neighborhood in the country, but the metric is different. The metric is art, culture, and basketball,” Yellen said.
I spoke to attendees Juniper and Abigail, they both have been participating for many years. Juniper says she looks forward to the weekend.
“It’s one of the best camps, I think. I think it's one of the best camps I could do in the summer,” she said.
Abigail said her favorite part is learning more basketball skills.
“It gives me like more exercise and more experience in basketball,” she said.
High school Basketball coach Josh Rosenbaum travels from Arizona every year to be a part of this event. He learned about this event in 2017. He thinks every city should have an event like this because it brings the community together.
“My students come from a neighborhood very similar to Segundo barrio so to be able to come and give back to another community just warms my heart,” he said.
This camp is an opportunity for youth to learn positive skills and gives them pride in their neighborhood and culture, Yellen said.
At the end of camp kids leave with two basketballs, two bilingual books, a harmonica and a poster.
“I want the people around the city and Las Cruces to understand what a special camp it is and bring your kids next year,” Yellen said.
