UNITY is the acronym for Understanding Needs In Today's Youth. It is organized as a 501c3 non-profit organization to provide scholastic, cultural and recreational activities for youth in the Silver Spring community and surrounding area. The organization works in partnership with the Silver Spring Boys and Girls Club.
OUR MISSION
UNITY Youth Development, Inc. is a fairly young organization. It was established in 2004 as a means to foster positive athletic experiences for boys ages 6 - 14. Our mission is to provide an environment that seeks to develop an all-around youth, one who will be able to reach and exceed goals in life as well as athletics. The UNITY approach is, with athletic programs and recreation as a foundation, to seek to uniquely add overall development coaching and mentoring for youth both on and off the field. This unique combination of coaching and mentoring is designed to help provide youth with a complete formula for life success in an enjoyable and supervised environment.
UNITY started with a tackle football
program, but has since added other programs to its organization. A
fantastic cheerleading program was added in 2007 and we began a very
successful flag football program in 2008. We offer clinics for both
football and cheerleading every year beginning in late spring and
running through the summer.
MEMBERSHIPS
UNITY is a member of the Greater Metropolitan Youth Football League (GMYFL) and competes with other teams all around the Washington metropolitan area. The GMYFL is a regional affiliate and representative of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). The AAU is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States. The AAU provides a national structure and foundation for football and cheerleading competition for which UNITY proudly participates and benefits. Thus, maximizing the exposure and experience of our young talented boys and girls.
As a member of the GMYFL, we provide both spring and fall football activities with year-round football skills workshops.
COMMUNITY
Although our core focus was once youth football, UNITY is not just about sports. As a non-profit organization, UNITY is very involved in the community - participating in various community events. Our organization is also a registered member of the Montgomery County Volunteer Center. This membership, along with our partnership with the Boys & Girls Club, allows us to offer several opportunities to our youth:
Boys & Girls Club Partnership
As a 501c3 non-profit organization run solely on the volunteer efforts of our Board of Directors, coaches and parents, UNITY also offers the opportunity not only to our families and friends, but to businesses and others to become sponsors of our programs and to make tax deductible contributions to our organization. As a member of UNITY, your child will also be a member of the Boys & Girls Club. The club offers several opportunities to its members, some of which are listed below:
After-care with bus service from area schools
UNITY practice fields are located at the Boys & Girls Club, so any child who is in after-care can go directly from the Boys & Girls Club (with parental consent).
For more information on The Boys & Girls Club, please contact Camille Harris or Tim Robinson at 301-593-4600.
UNITY is a member of 'School's Out', the online notification service.
For more information, please visit www.schoolsout.com
UNITY Thunder Football and Cheer - continuing a tradition of excellence!
