"When you think about perspective, breaking barriers, unity, you have diverse communities, Black and brown," said Johnathan Franklin, director of social justice and football development for the Los Angeles Rams. "And amongst these communities there can be so much racial and gang tension, but how can we equip these youth, these individuals to have the tools necessary carry on the conversations outside of this space."
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The Los Angeles Rams teamed up with Rise, a national nonprofit that focuses on education and empowerment through sports.
"It's just teaching me about how to interact with people, how to be open to other people, what other people are going through, their races," said Javaun Lewis, a running back and linebacker from Dorsey High School. "Just how to conduct myself."
This is the sixth consecutive year of Rise with the Rams. The program consists of five sessions with the first one taking place at Sofi Stadium. The second session took place at UC Irvine where it ended with the students getting to watch the pros practice on the field.
"It's educational for both the physical aspect and in the mental aspect, but definitely watching them practice will definitely be fun and hopefully we'll implement some new trainings or something," said Kenneth Brown, a running back and defensive end from Lincoln High School. "But I'm definitely excited to watch them practice."
"It's important because we want to create opportunities for kids to, one, go beyond the spaces they know," said Collin Williams, the diversity and inclusion expert and consultant with Rise. "One of the coaches just said to me that some of the kids on his team, they only know their community. So, even just getting the chance to be up here in OC, it's like 'wow, like I'm seeing something different."
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Rams are pairing the education with some fun and are inviting the young players out to their first preseason game against the chargers at Sofi Stadium.
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