Philadelphia Youth Basketball (PYB) was launched in 2015 with a bold vision: to help young people build positive and powerful lives. PYB has spent the past decade leveraging the iconic game of basketball by building a holistic program, a robust organization, and a world-class Center that provides a comprehensive array of opportunities for young people of all ages, overwhelmingly those from underserved communities across Philadelphia. PYB has employed an “all-in” community mobilization strategy to engage hundreds of people across generations, neighborhoods, economic circumstances, and diverse racial and religious backgrounds to build a staff team, board of directors, volunteer network, and base of supporters, ensuring authentic community ownership. At a time when young people in Philadelphia needed opportunities to learn and develop, PYB emerged as a strategic and innovative solution, grounded in the belief that consistent relationships, culturally relevant engagement, and coordinated opportunities could transform the lives and outcomes for young people and their families.
What began with a pilot Middle School Partnership Program (MSPP), bringing in-school, afterschool, and weekend programming centered around basketball skill development and academic enrichment to students in grades 5-8, quickly expanded to include the Lace Up and Learn Up Summer Camp Series, providing a safe and enriching space during the critical out-of-school months. Rather than positioning basketball as an end goal, PYB treated it as an entry point, one capable of building trust and opening doors to broader learning and leadership experiences. PYB also developed diversion programming for older youth most impacted by the juvenile justice system, laying the foundation for a comprehensive, trauma-informed approach to positive youth development.
At the heart of this work are PYB Coach-Mentors: culturally relatable leaders who embed trust, mentorship, and care into every drill, huddle, and conversation. Many of these Coach-Mentors first entered PYB as participants themselves, reflecting the organization’s commitment to being built of, by, for, and with the communities it serves. For many Coach-Mentors, this work is deeply personal: grounded in the relationships they build and the safe spaces they help create for young people navigating complex realities.
“PYB provides a safe space for kids. For some, it’s about having a positive mentor in their life, someone who shows up and genuinely cares. I’ve worked with young people who have been deeply impacted by gun violence, and having a place where they can talk openly about what they’re carrying makes a real difference. I’m grateful that PYB creates that space.”
– PYB Coach-Mentor –
Because PYB is led by individuals who share the lived experiences of the young people it serves, the organization approaches youth development not as an external intervention, but as a shared responsibility grounded in community knowledge, accountability, and care. From the beginning, PYB’s approach challenged the idea that youth development, education, wellness, and career preparation should operate in separate lanes. Instead, the organization focused on building consistency across spaces and stages, recognizing that young people thrive when they experience continuity, trusted relationships, and environments that grow with them over time. This belief continues to shape PYB’s ecosystem model and long-term vision.
Now celebrating its 10th year, PYB is fully operational in the 100,000-square-foot Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center (SMC), serving youth ages 4-18 through programs grounded in social-emotional learning, basketball culture and exposure, learning enrichment, mental health and physical wellness, and career and future readiness. From their flagship Middle School Partnership Program across 24 local schools and community sites citywide to the Work-Based Learning program providing paid internships to high schoolers, PYB’s offerings are intentionally designed to connect across ages and stages, known as its Kinder-to-Career model, supporting young people not through isolated touchpoints, but through a coordinated, long-term ecosystem.
This intentional design allows PYB to support young people across key transition points; moments where disengagement often occurs. Rather than offering one-time interventions, PYB emphasizes retention, relationship-building, and long-term participation. Young people are encouraged to remain connected as they progress through various programs, roles, and developmental stages, fostering a sense of belonging and shared responsibility that enhances both individual outcomes and community trust.
“What I like best about PYB is the opportunities that it provides. Literally anyone could be in PYB, and there are an infinite number of possibilities at PYB and the Sixth Man Center.”
– PYB Participant –
At the Sixth Man Center, this ecosystem comes to life. In addition to on-court programming, PYB offers work-based learning experiences and skill-building workshops in entrepreneurship, music production, and 3D printing, ensuring access for young people whose interests expand beyond athletics and reinforcing PYB’s commitment to access, opportunity, and multiple pathways into learning and leadership. Together with its strengthened Kinder-to-Career framework, these programs allow PYB to meet young people where they are and grow alongside them over time, from early childhood through adolescence, youth leadership, and toward postsecondary and workforce pathways. In this way, the Center functions not simply as a facility, but as an anchor institution and platform for holistic community development. For thousands of young people, the Sixth Man Center is more than a site for programming; it’s a place of belonging, consistency, and connection. Further, the Center has become a dynamic hub for civic and community gatherings, conversations, and events.
“At PYB and the Sixth Man Center, everything feels like one big family. There’s basketball, but there’s also classroom time, food, and space to talk. We sit with our coaches, build connections, and talk about how we’re feeling. You learn how to play fair and be kind, but you also get so much more just by being here.”
– PYB Participant –
Looking ahead, PYB is building toward the future with pace and purpose, deepening its place-based work while actively responding to regional workforce and economic mobility challenges. As Philadelphia ranks last among big cities in America in the economic mobility index, PYB is expanding its Kinder-to-Career framework to ensure youth and young adults are connected to career development pathways with middle-wage income, rather than left to navigate critical transitions alone.
Central to the next phase is the launch of the Varsity Trades Academy, a pre-apprenticeship initiative designed to prepare young adults ages 18-29 for careers in the skilled trades, an industry facing critical workforce gaps across the region. By aligning hands-on training with mentorship, wraparound supports, and employer-connected pathways, PYB is helping to build a model and a second building that links youth development directly to workforce readiness and long-term economic mobility. Through partnerships with Temple University, participation in the William Julius Wilson Institute cohort, and continued development of its phase two project – The Generator of Career Development and Workforce Opportunity – PYB is positioning itself not just as a programmatic innovator, but as a place-based engine for opportunity, grounded in long-term community partnership, expanding its mission to connect Philadelphia’s youth to family-sustaining careers and lasting economic mobility.
As PYB continues to grow, its focus remains clear: to ensure that place-based investment translates into lasting opportunity for the people who call these communities home. By aligning youth development, workforce preparation, and community leadership within a long-term, community-rooted ecosystem, PYB is demonstrating what becomes possible when organizations commit to partnership over time rather than short-term solutions.
