The Value of the Argos Community Relations Program
Jamal Campbell discusses in video form and in the article below about what the Argos Community Program has meant to him and how he is now working in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood now to pass it forward.
Quote:
Before I tell you about my experience with football, I need to get something straight. Basketball was my first love; without the Argos’ Level the Playing Field program, I’d have never found my way to the gridiron. ...
So how did a bunch of 15 and 16-year olds with hoop dreams from inner city Toronto discover football? We first heard about it at a school assembly, where I met Jason Colero for the first time.
Back then, Jason – the Argonauts Director of Community Relations – was the same person he is now. He came into the room full of energy, he was ready to go at the drop of a hat.We’d never been introduced to football before, and Jason walked in the room and said ‘We’re here to bring football back to inner-city schools and we want to start with you guys.’ A couple weeks later, we were suiting up for our first practice, trying to figure out how to put the pads on. The Argos were really supportive during those early stages of our program. They followed that assembly up with equipment for our team, tickets to see them play and 1-on-1 coaching from their players.
What I liked about football was that I could go out and hit someone without getting in trouble. For a lot of us, it was a chance to compete in a different environment and in a different way than basketball. ...
We were losing pretty bad, but one thing that football has taught me is that if you can look at the guy beside you and know that he’ll have your back no matter what, it’ll push you to go harder and makes it everything worth it at the end of the day.
Despite our team’s struggles, it became clear early on that football was the sport for me. ...
Bishop’s was calling my phone every single day in Grade 12, and I had seen what certain players from their program had become. That was enough to convince me to attend until York came calling.
The opportunity at York was a unique one. They were in the process of recruiting a large class with the goal of rebuilding the program, and it presented me the opportunity to stay home.
I arrived at York as part of a large recruiting class with somewhere close to 50 student-athletes. There were a lot of complications, but ultimately there were about 12 of us who stuck it out until our senior year. ...
I knew that there weren’t many people from my community who had this kind of opportunity to play at the university level.
I was tired of hearing all the negative talk about Jane and Finch, and I saw this as my opportunity to make a change. I wanted people to look at my community and say ‘there’s success there, if this guy can do it, so many other kids can too.’ That’s what kept me focused. ...
Being drafted by the Argos was the best possible thing that could happen to me. I have memories and pictures of being in high school and running onto the field with Argos players. It was always an outlandish thought in my head that one day I’d wear the Double Blue but I never thought it’d be a reality. ...
Without the Level the Playing Field program, I don’t know where I’d be today. There weren’t many opportunities for inner-city kids in Toronto to play football for free. It opened the door to the sport and it made us want to do great things with it.
Giving back to my community has always been important to me; my mom taught us from an early age that we needed to do our part to give back.
Toronto drafting me and allowing me to stay in the city just opened the door to allow me to do that on a larger scale. I’m so grateful that I could stay in my community and be the motivation for the kids here.
When I was younger, my mom worked at the Jane and Finch Boys and Girls Club, and I got to be there while she was working. I think spaces like that are important for kids in any neighbourhood of the city because it gives them a safe space to just be kids.
Through programs like that, kids get introduced to sports, academics and arts. I wouldn’t be where I am now without the support I got from the people around me and the programs that kept me on track. I feel like the least I can do is pay that forward.
Jane and Finch.
Type that into a Google Search and you’ll get a quick snapshot of the way that most people see my neighbourhood. They see violence, gangs, shootings and crime, and they miss everything else.
They miss the community, the unity and the hustle. You won’t hear about the food, music and art from every corner of the world, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who recognizes all the unique individuals coming together as one.
But this community doesn’t have to be defined by violence, crime or negativity because there is so much more than that.
I’m just one example of the many athletes, artists, doctors, lawyers, teachers and life-changers that are coming out of here.
I grew up here and never left. This community has taught me lessons that I couldn’t have learned anywhere else and I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything.
http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/05/crossro...otball-option/
