A Launch League community initiative · Chatham-Kent
More than a game. A pathway to a better future.
Basketball brings us together. Mentorship builds confidence. Career opportunities open doors. Courts to Careers is a Launch League community initiative to help young people across Chatham-Kent discover their potential through basketball, mentorship, career exploration and community connections.
By Nick Gonzalez, founder, U.S. Air Force veteranPublished Last reviewed How we research and correct this
Our mission
Every young person deserves someone in their corner.
Courts to Careers exists to use sport, mentorship and real-world career exploration to help young people discover their potential, build meaningful relationships and reach opportunities that can shape their futures.
A basketball court can be much more than a place to play. It can be where young people find belonging, meet positive role models, build confidence and see opportunities they never knew existed.
Our vision is a Chatham-Kent where every young person, whatever their background or financial circumstances, has someone willing to invest in their future.
Why we are building this
Not every young person starts with the same doors open.
Some grow up with family connections, professional mentors and a clear route into school and work. Others are searching for direction, dealing with money worries or unstable housing, or have no one who can help them see what is possible. The community can help close that gap, and Courts to Careers brings young people, employers, tradespeople, entrepreneurs, mentors and organizations together to do it.
How it works
The court brings us together. What happens next is the point.
1. Get on the court
Basketball, friendly competition, teamwork and exercise. Sport is an easy place to start, and it is where trust gets built.2. Build connections
Meet local business owners, tradespeople, professionals and community leaders who can share what their work is really like, and who can open doors.3. Discover opportunities
Career talks, entrepreneurship workshops and practical career-readiness guidance, so young people see paths they might never have considered.4. Take the next step
Where it fits, a connection to existing education, employment services, training providers, mentors and job shadowing. The goal is to turn inspiration into a practical next step.
Helping prevent youth homelessness
Building opportunity. Strengthening futures. Helping prevent youth homelessness.
Courts to Careers supports Launch League's wider ambition to help prevent, and in time end, youth homelessness through coordinated community action.
Housing insecurity is not only a housing issue. A young person may also face barriers in income, work, education, supportive relationships and access to resources. Our part is to strengthen career pathways, community connections, confidence and economic opportunity.
Launch League is not a housing provider or a mental-health treatment organization. We aim to work alongside the housing, employment, mental-health and youth-serving organizations that already do that work, and not to replace any of it.
What we will and will not say
“While a basketball program alone cannot end youth homelessness, meaningful relationships, career pathways and access to opportunity can be important parts of building a more stable future.”
We have not yet run the program, so we make no claim about results. When there are real numbers, they will be published here.
Proposed pilot, in development
What a first program could look like
These are planning targets, not a schedule. They will change as we listen to young people, families and community partners and as funding and a location are confirmed.
- Ages
- 14 to 18
- Length
- 8 weeks
- Group
- About 20 young people
- Sessions
- One 90-minute session a week
- On the day
- Basketball and recreation, local career speakers, guided career exploration, employer and mentor introductions
- Cost to take part
- Free, subject to funding
The pilot is a starting point. The aim is a repeatable community program that can grow across Chatham-Kent, bring in local employers, involve volunteers and eventually serve more age groups, including older youth moving into work. We will start small, listen, measure what happens and improve before expanding.
A possible home
Working with places young people already go
We would like to work with existing youth-serving facilities and community organizations in Chatham-Kent. We are interested in exploring the W.I.S.H. Centre in Chatham as a possible founding location and community partner.
Exploring, not confirmed.
No location, partnership or approval has been agreed. When one is, this section will name it.
Five ways to get involved
Pick the one that sounds like you
Each link below opens the form already set to the right choice. There is no registration for a scheduled program yet, and nothing is charged.
Young people and families
Interested in taking part, or want to know more? Register your interest in future programming. There is no registration for a scheduled program yet, because there is not one.
Businesses and employers
Offer a career talk, a workplace introduction, a job-shadowing day where it suits, your expertise, or mentorship.
Sponsors
Help pay for free youth programming, equipment, mentorship and career activities. There are no fixed packages; tell us what you would like to support and we will talk it through.
Community organizations
Schools, housing-support agencies, mental-health organizations, employment services and social workers: explore a partnership or a coordinated referral route.
Volunteers and coaches
Help with basketball activities, mentoring, events and community engagement.
Partnership and sponsorship
It takes a community to change a future.
Employers, tradespeople, entrepreneurs, sponsors, municipalities, community organizations and volunteers can each carry a piece. None of this has been funded or agreed yet; this is what help could look like.
- Sponsoring free youth participation
- Providing basketball equipment
- Supporting workshops and program delivery
- Providing mentors and career speakers
- Offering worksite visits or appropriate job shadowing
- Supporting transportation or other participation needs
- Helping connect young people with existing resources
Help bring this to life
Tell us how you would like to help.
Two minutes. Nick reads every one and replies personally. Nothing is charged to ask, and no spot or sponsorship is held by sending this.
Already open to every young person
Things you can start today
Take the free career quizExplore careers and pay in OntarioLearn to start a business, freeServe First: help a neighbourEvery way to get involved
Questions
Straight answers
- What is Courts to Careers?
- Courts to Careers is a Launch League community initiative in development for Chatham-Kent, Ontario. The idea is to use basketball, mentorship and career exploration to help young people build relationships, find direction and reach real opportunities. It is meant to become a long-term community program, not a single event.
- Who is the program designed for?
- The proposed pilot is for young people aged 14 to 18. The longer-term aim is to serve more age groups, including older youth moving into work. Parents and guardians, employers, community organizations, sponsors and volunteers all have a part to play.
- Does it cost anything to take part?
- The goal is for participation to be free for young people, subject to funding. Funding has not been secured yet, so this is a goal and not a promise, and nothing is being charged to register interest.
- Where will the program take place?
- Not confirmed. We are interested in working with existing youth-serving facilities and community organizations in Chatham-Kent, and in exploring the W.I.S.H. Centre in Chatham as a possible home. That is an exploration and not an agreement; we will say so here when a location is confirmed.
- When will the first program begin?
- There is no start date yet. We are building the pilot, listening to young people, families and community partners, and confirming funding and a location first. Register your interest and we will email you when there is something real to share.
- How can local employers take part?
- By offering a career talk, a workplace introduction, a job-shadowing day where it is appropriate, your professional expertise or mentorship. Use the form and choose business or employer. Nothing is expected beyond a conversation at this stage.
- Can organizations refer young people?
- We would like to build coordinated referral routes with schools, housing-support agencies, mental-health organizations, employment services and social workers. There is no referral process yet. If you would like to help shape one, get in touch and choose community organization.
- How does Courts to Careers help prevent youth homelessness?
- Housing insecurity is not only a housing problem. Income, work opportunities, supportive relationships, education and access to resources all matter. A basketball program cannot end youth homelessness. What Courts to Careers can add is mentorship, career pathways and connections to existing services, alongside the housing, mental-health and youth organizations that provide specialist care. Launch League is not a housing provider or a mental-health treatment service, and we have not yet measured any results.
- How can businesses sponsor the initiative?
- Tell us what you would like to support: free youth participation, equipment, workshops, mentors, transportation or other needs. There are no fixed sponsorship packages and no funding has been secured yet, so the first step is a conversation.
- Will I be asked for sensitive personal information?
- No. The form asks for contact details, the kind of interest and a short message. Please do not tell us about medical conditions, housing situations or benefits through the form. For anyone under 18, a parent or guardian should fill it in.
Courts to Careers is currently in development through Launch League. Partnerships, locations, funding, dates and participation details are subject to confirmation, and nothing on this page is an offer of a place or a promise of a program. Launch League is not a housing provider or a mental-health treatment service.