The Warsaw Sports Business Club's Youth Movement field day just keeps growing bigger, bolder, and brighter. Launched with a splash four years ago in partnership with Nike's N7 initiative, the daylong event aims to bring together Native American children to celebrate their culture and explore active lifestyle choices. The past two years have seen it expand beyond Oregon to two universities in Oklahoma.
While Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, was the site for the 2013 and 2014 events, this year's field day took place on the University of Oregon's Eugene campus. Three storied sports venues—the Moshofsky Sports Center, P.K. Park Baseball Stadium, and Autzen Stadium—hosted the event's 185 young guests, who came from all around Oregon and ranged in age from kindergartners to eighth graders.
When they weren't touring behind the scenes at Autzen Stadium or hobnobbing with Eugene Emeralds' mascot Sluggo, the youngsters took part in team sports and traditional Native American games, and got to know members of the UO's Native American Student Union. Bringing the children to campus was a prime goal for this year's organizers.
"Youth Movement's mission is to inspire kids to live out a healthy and active lifestyle and promote a higher education, so being able to spend all day at a university did just that," said Youth Movement communications director Elizabeth Uong '15.
Planning for this year's event started early, and organizers worked closely with Nike N7 throughout. In February, a team of students traveled to the Nike campus to present their brand strategy to Nike N7 general manager Sam McCracken. During their visit, the team toured the campus with Jesse Schwarz "13, Youth Movement's original founder, who now works as a digital producer with Nike.
Since 2014, Oklahoma youngsters have had the opportunity to share the Youth Movement spirit. The University of Oklahoma began hosting similar events in 2014, and Oklahoma State University joined the fun this year. Organizers of the UO event worked closely with both schools to help them shape their events.
"We sent them our own info packets and market research and explained exactly how to get everything together," said Uong.
Uong—who will start as an assistant buyer at Kroger when she gradates this June—hopes that Youth Movement will spread to even more universities.
“It is such a rewarding experience knowing that I am able to inspire kids—even if it's just a little—and promote a healthier lifestyle and encourage them to further their education," she said.
Visit the Youth Movement Website