A youth basketball clinic in Kenya. An after-school program in Texas. A coaching workshop focused on trauma-informed care. These seemingly unrelated activities share a common thread: they’re all part of Texas A&M University’s Global Youth Sport for Development (GYS4D) Initiative, which is reimagining how sport can shape young lives.

“GYS4D treats sport as more than a game: it’s a structured, intentional tool for positive youth development,” said Dr. James Guinn III, Executive Director of GYS4D and Director of the Center for Sport Management Research and Education (CSMRE). “Rather than focusing purely on athletic performance, we use sport as a vehicle to build life skills, emotional resilience and healthy habits that create long-term opportunities.”

The initiative uses a blended learning model that pairs sport with a structured curriculum teaching cognitive, relational and coping skills. Programming is customized to each group’s developmental stage and cultural context, following a three-step methodology:
Define, Model, Practice.

Global Outreach

GYS4D works with partners who share its mission. Recent partnerships with Skyhawks Sports Academy and Every Kid Sports bring social-emotional learning to more families while reducing financial barriers through scholarships. Buckner International supports global outreach, while Wellspring Consulting strengthens conflict resolution and trauma-informed coaching components. According to Guinn, the partnership with Every Kid Sports ensures “more children can benefit regardless of socioeconomic status.”

More than 100 young athletes and GYS4D staff gather on the court following a basketball clinic in Nairobi, Kenya.

Recently, the team traveled to Kenya with KIPP Atlanta Schools to deliver sport-based programs with mentoring and life-skills curriculum. The trip also advanced research goals, connecting the team with local educators and laying groundwork for future collaboration.

“Kenya demonstrates that GYS4D isn’t just focused on U.S. youth,” Guinn said. He noted that the trip allows the team “to test and adapt our blended learning model… in a global context, helping understand what works across cultures.”

The initiative has also reached communities in Mexico, as well as Colorado, California, Washington and the Northeast.

Measuring Impact

Early results show progress across multiple levels. GYS4D has expanded access to life skills-based sport programming for young people who might otherwise lack these opportunities, and its coach development work gives educators and mentors tools for social emotional learning, conflict resolution and trauma-informed care.

State prevention funds also support GYS4D because its curriculum teaches the kinds of coping, decision-making and resilience skills that help reduce long term risk for young people. Support from efforts like the Opioid Abatement Grants, the Texas Opioid Prevention for Students Program and the Templeton Foundation Grant has helped the initiative expand this prevention-focused work across Texas and other regions.

“What truly sets our initiative apart is our commitment to research and measurable impact,” said Guinn. “We have led one of the largest national studies on sport for development, generating insights into how sport participation shapes youth outcomes across socioeconomic and geographic lines.”

GYS4D’s Engineered2Perform program shows what this looks like in practice. Young athletes learn about strength training, sports nutrition, the college recruiting process and other skills that support long term growth beyond athletics.

Looking ahead, GYS4D plans to expand scholarship access, scale coach development tools and grow its partnerships as part of a long-range vision for global reach. Whether in Texas communities or international settings, the initiative aims to create development-focused sport experiences that improve youth wellbeing and open doors for future opportunities.

Learn more about GYS4D’s mission and partners: tx.ag/TLGYS4D 

For media inquiries, contact Ruben Hidalgo.