What We Do
Empowering Cleveland Youth Through Poetry, Soccer & Service
Cleveland SCORES takes a unique tri-curricular approach that teaches kids how physical activity, creative expression, and teamwork build a strong body, mind, and character.
Through daily, team-based soccer and writing workshops, as well as annual community service projects, SCORES helps students develop the skills and confidence to succeed on and off the field.
Our mission is simple: to inspire Cleveland youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and have the confidence and character to make a real difference in the world.
Each season, our Poet-Athletes strengthen their literacy skills, improve their fitness, and learn what it means to be leaders—on the field, in the classroom, and in their communities.
From One City Block to a Citywide Movement
Founded in 1994 by DC public school teacher Julie Kennedy, SCORES was the first-ever grantee of the 1994 World Cup Legacy Fund and has become one of the most successful grassroots programs to emerge from that World Cup. What began at a single public school has grown into a nationwide movement serving 15,000 Poet-Athletes across 13 cities.
Cleveland SCORES kicked off in 2004 with just four partner schools and 120 students. After two decades of impact, we remain committed to empowering youth in communities that need us most. Through our partner schools, we're building a generation of confident Poet-Athletes who use their voices to create positive change.
We call this vision the Poet-Athlete Movement.
From that very first nervous step onto the field to becoming a mentor for others, this is how sport and poetry transform lives. This is how young people find their feet.
Changing the Game for Cleveland Youth
Every poem written, every goal scored, and every project completed creates meaningful change.
At Cleveland SCORES, we see transformation in motion every single day—on the field, in classrooms, and throughout our city. When our youth are supported as both athletes and artists, they grow into leaders who write their own future and lift others along the way.
91%
feel more confident about themselves
83%
helped make
their community
a better place
88%
increased or maintained their aerobic fitness
