Championships and success are great, but a loving team environment is even more important for immigrant and refugee youth. It provides a sense of belonging and safety in a complex world in which bicultural identity makes the question “Where do I belong?” more pressing.  Team environments are a place to learn and practice valuable social-emotional and  relational skills; hard conversations, navigating disappointment, empathy, service, and graciousness.  Teams are a place to learn how to give and receive support, to invite others into setbacks and failure, to create positive peer pressure that provides a push towards focus and risk taking.

City Heights Runners began with a burning desire to address inequity youth in our community face in sports across the board.  There are no parent booster programs funded by $500 checks, and most parents are working long hours to pay rent, not organizing bake sales.  Here are some core areas that we feel create equity in our sport for the youth we love.