Nike’s Swoosh Summer Academy Partnered with the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport to Equip Camp Leaders with Coaching Strategies and Deliver Positive Sport Experiences to 159,000 Youth Over Ten Years
A decade ago, the Chicago Park District teamed up with Nike to launch the Swoosh Summer Academy (SSA) in Chicago, a unique coach training initiative for recreation leaders who run summer programs for youth. SSA reaches an average of 1,700 recreation leaders annually, and delivers tailored training focused on connecting youth with positive sport and physical activity experiences as well as mentoring and guidance. Thousands of children, ages 6 to 12, have participated in camps across Chicago Park District locations for the last 10 summers, making meaningful connections with their peers during out-of-school time in safe and enriching spaces created by our recreation leaders.ceter
“For the last 10 years, more than 159,000 children between the ages of 6 and 12 years old have enrolled in the Chicago Park District’s Day Camps citywide, receiving valuable instruction and guidance from recreation leaders expertly trained by the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport through the support of Nike,” said Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa. “Providing our recreation leaders with the confidence and resources to offer campers the best summer experience possible is just one of the priorities of the Swoosh Summer Academy. Annually, our recreation leaders are not only enjoying a summer job in the parks, they are also gaining access to personal enrichment through informed coaching and innovative programs focused on providing healthy developmental experiences for our city’s youth.”
On June 17, more than 1,700 recreation leaders will supervise Summer Day Camps citywide starting June 23, trained with qualified Nike Swoosh Summer Academy Ambassadors. These Ambassadors are Park District employees of all ranks who apply to become trainers to lead engaging workshops and interactive informational sessions with our recreation leaders once they’ve completed their own SSA training with Center for Healing and Justice through Sport (CHJS). The successful train-the-trainer program, started in 2021 with nine Ambassadors, and has expanded to 60 Ambassadors in the course of four years.
Swoosh Summer Academy provides recreation leaders employed by the Chicago Park District with specialized training on how to deliver positive youth development through sport, taking traditional coach and leadership training to the next level with Nike partner CHJS. The program also invites recreation leaders who’ve completed SSA with CHJS to become SSA Ambassadors. These Ambassadors will lead SSA workshops and sessions for their fellow recreation leaders alongside CHJS.
“At Nike, we’re committed to powering the future of youth sport in Chicago alongside our partners the Chicago Park District and Center for Healing and Justice through Sport,” said Matt Geschke, Nike’s Senior Director for Social & Community Impact in the Americas. “As a company founded by a coach and an athlete, we understand how vital quality sport coaching is to a young person’s success on the field of play and in life, and our goal is to equip every Swoosh Summer Academy recreation leader with the tools they need to help participating youth achieve their potential.”
Nike’s support of parks and recreation includes its partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) to address and advance gender equity in youth sport; support for city park and recreation agencies and foundations in Portland, Ore., Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. Nike’s longtime advocacy of parks began with Nike co-founder Phil Knight, who served as program director at Kenilworth Park and Lents Park in Southeast Portland for two summers in 1959 and 1960, prior to founding Nike.
Chicago Park District's recreation leader positions are part of the Mayor’s One Summer Chicago youth employment initiative. Each year the program brings together public and private organizations to provide thousands of employment and internship opportunities to youth and young adults ages 14 to 24. Yearly, the Chicago Park District provides summer employment opportunities to 2,500 youth (16–24-year-olds), among them 1,700 recreation leaders.
Furthermore, to fuel Swoosh Summer Academy beyond Summer 2025 and build the Chicago Park District’s capacity to deliver the trainings with the 60 SSA Ambassadors, Nike has committed to providing the Chicago Parks Foundation with a three-year grant to support a Professional Development Manager role to lead on staff training with a focus on youth sport coaching.
"We've been proud to stand alongside Nike and the Chicago Park District from the very beginning of this transformative journey. Over these 10 years, we've evolved from training recreation leaders ourselves to empowering Park District staff to become the trainers - building internal capacity that ensures healing-centered sport practices are woven into the very DNA of their programming. When an organization can sustain and grow healing-centered sport practices without external support, that's when you know real transformation has taken root - and when we've officially worked ourselves out of a job, which is exactly the goal," said Megan Bartlett, founder of CHJS.
The Nike Swoosh Summer Academy builds on the Chicago Park District’s new vision to build a healthier city through an inclusive Park District that connects communities with recreation and their fellow Chicagoans, and helps build a sense of belonging among its park program participants. The entire program is being provided to the Chicago Park District at no cost.
Chicago Park District summer camps allow children to remain active and engaged throughout the summer. Campers play sports, participate in art and cultural activities, attend field trips and more. Spaces are still available. For information, visit your local parks or the website at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/day-camp. Summer Day Camp kicks off citywide on Monday, June 23 and runs through Friday, August 1.