Staying afloat

     By Sonya Padgett
     View staff writer
      Longtime educator Porter Troutman knows basketball is more than a game.
      It can be a way to teach youngsters the necessary skills to succeed in life.
      Troutman, along with eight instructors from the Clark County School District, are using basketball and other sports to teach those skills to more than 300 local at-risk kids participating in the National Youth Sports Program at UNLV.
      The NCAA-sponsored program, in its 30th year at UNLV, aims to teach economically disadvantaged youths ages 10 to 16 strategies intended to prevent alcohol and drug abuse, health education, job responsibilities and higher education using sports. The five-week program kicked off June 5 and runs through July 8.
      "(The purpose) of NYSP is to enhance the quality of life for each and every participant," Troutman said. "We do that by offering a host of activities."
      The kids are bussed in to UNLV from 17 low-income areas of the valley where they start their five-hour day with a well-balanced, nutritional lunch in UNLV's dining commons.
      Using UNLV's athletic facilities and computer labs, Troutman and other instructors provide an hour and 15 minutes of educational material five days a week. Afterward, the kids go on to individual and team sports, including tennis, basketball, volleyball and swimming.
      "We also emphasize dancing, ranging from ballet, hip-hop and jazz," Troutman said.
      Over the course of the program, 15 hours must be devoted to education in health, nutrition, disease prevention, career opportunities, math and science. In addition, 7 1/2 hours of alcohol/drug abuse counseling is required.
      Chuck Miller, a psychologist and alcohol, tobacco and drug counselor, has studied the effectiveness of the program on kids' attitudes toward violence for the past four years.
      "It has been effective," Miller said.
      Most of the activities are experimental, dealing with handling peer pressure, anger management, conflict resolution and peer mediation. The program is funded with $72,500 from the Department of Health and Human Services. Projected enrollment is 325 kids, and the program must average 260 kids a day to maintain the funding.
      Troutman, a UNLV education professor, has headed the program for 17 years.
      "I see it as a way to give something back to the kids," Troutman said. "We have kids who've gone through this program and gone on to become extremely successful. During the short time, I see a lot of changes in attitudes."
      More than 50 percent of the children are repeat participants, Troutman said.
      "We look at the program as an alternative to drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy," Troutman said. "I think it motivates them to finish college. We include some of the school curriculum but include more reality. Ours is a more needs/reality-based program. We teach life skills, how to handle daily problems that students face."
      The program is free and 90 percent of the participants must qualify based on their socio-economic status.
      "It's a well-structured, thought-out program with a lot of accountability," Troutman said.
      Several openings in this year's program are still available. Those interested in signing up this year or next year can call Troutman at 895-3369.