Kornacki: Detroit Girls Get the EDGE at University of Michigan
8/9/2018 11:00:00 AM | General, Women's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Kayla Douglas said that "if you would've told me three years ago," when she was a member of the University of Michigan swimming team, "that this is what I would be doing, I wouldn't have believed you."
She wanted a career in TV, and envisioned herself at ESPN someday.
But once Douglas started pursuing her master's degree in social work at Michigan, she began realizing her true calling. And when she met former Wolverine softball star Sara Driesenga during post-graduate studies, Douglas discovered a kindred spirit in the matter of making a difference in the lives of young girls, and empowering them to dream of accomplishing anything they shoot for at a place such as their alma mater.
Their shared "passion" and vision resulted in the EDGE Youth Program, which, in cooperation the Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL), brought between 40 and 60 "underprivileged" middle school-aged girls to the athletic campus every day for 10 days beginning July 15. Douglas said its results were so impactful that other universities already have inquired about duplicating the program on their campuses.
"The favorite moment for me in the entire program came on the last day," said Douglas. "We saw the relationships the girls built with each other, as well as the mentorship and relationships between the student-athletes and participants. Our student-athletes also got to know one another even better.
"It was really powerful to see that dynamic, and it promoted this fun atmosphere where everyone brought their strengths to the table. On the last day, the girls had a dance party at the Junge Center that was so cool. You saw everyone laughing and enjoying being around one another. They were calling one another sisters. The programming from the 10 days created that atmosphere."
Driesenga added, "It was very cool and amazing to see everything come together, and see the transformations in our student-athletes, staff and the girls. They got pushed out of their comfort zones, and that's where we grow and see those changes happen. Hopefully, in the future, the program can go longer and build even stronger relationships and make it even more sustainable."
Douglas and Driesenga are co-directors of EDGE -- an acronym for Explore, Design, Grind and Elevate -- and work in Michigan's athletic department leadership development program.
Happy EDGE Youth Program participants pose at Junge Center along with co-directors Kayla Douglas (far left) and Sara Driesenga (far right).
They began outlining EDGE with Greg Harden -- an executive associate athletic director at Michigan who mentored them as a counselor when both were student-athletes -- and it was refined with Brian Townsend, the former Wolverine and NFL football player who now directs the school's leadership development program. They also credited Lynn Videka, dean of the School of Social Work, for significant input.
"This is a dream come true and something we wish we would've had when we were undergrads," said Douglas. "A lot of student-athletes are here in the spring and summer, and being in this program gave them an opportunity to not only earn compensation for participating in this, but they also can earn academic credits.
"Brian Townsend really was a huge, key player in this by allowing us to really bring our vision to life. Coming to work for him, and having him be a mentor in the last year is such a privilege. He just really believed in us, and believed in this vision, and that student-athletes really need this as part of their transformational leadership."
Douglas and Wesley Ellison Stewart, a Michigan water polo player and former athletic department administrator, began discussing such a program when they worked together on the Wolverine football team's version of the national Youth Impact Program that has benefitted at-risk boys from Detroit for the past four summers.
"But this program really took a whole new shape from what the Youth Impact Program does," said Douglas. "We wanted to make it more of a college exposure program with a multi-sport approach, and really focus on female empowerment. That's why we decided to make this an official Michigan athletic department program.
"The girls who came in got mentorship and exposure to college academics and athletics all together. What's so powerful is that I really think, looking ahead, other schools want to adopt this same model and framework. And I think Sara and I feel strongly about wanting to make that happen. Sara and I are going to be training leaders at other schools because this was effective.
"It brought about change in a matter of just a few weeks, and the relationships developed are going to carry over into the school year. The key to this is that it was so much more than 10 days. It's going to be a full-blown program that has an impact every day. We're going to be writing an article with the dean, Dr. Lynn Videka, on transformation and development, and the leadership it took to pull off this program."
Intern Tishanna Taylor, a master in social work field placement, contributed along with Wolverine student-athlete graduates Katherine Mahlke (volleyball) and Nikki Hubbard (swimming).
Girls in the EDGE Youth Program pose in front of the Nike Jordan Jumpman swoosh at Mortenson Plaza above Junge Center. Chris Cakes employees, who donated pancake batter that the girls used to make breakfast on July 17, had them catch the pancakes on their plates.
Current student-athletes from the Michigan women's basketball, rowing, softball, soccer, swimming and diving, track and field and volleyball teams took part in both the academic and athletic aspects of EDGE. They participated in the daily academic teaching, coaching and mentoring.
"We also taught life skills," said Driesenga. "There were 26 student-athletes who helped out, and we had academics in the morning and athletics in the afternoon. We showed them that academics were just as important, really more important than the athletics."
Douglas added, "We wanted to communicate to the girls the program's core values (respect, accountability, leadership, resilience and integrity) and mission, and get them to see the big picture. That really came through by the end of the 10 days. There were very strong relationships between student-athletes."
Wolverines sophomore basketball guard Deja Church noted that counselors and campers exchanged phone numbers and have stayed in communication, adding that they are looking forward to campers returning during the school year to attend athletic competitions.
Douglas said the transformation began when the girls walked into a locker room at Crisler Center and saw they each had a nameplate over their stall.
"That was a moment where you could see: 'Oh, my gosh, this is really happening. This is real.' That was so powerful because the girls transformed that locker room into their home. That's where the relationships were built."
Driesenga said it was special seeing girls learning new sports, noting that they shared with counselors their desire to continue playing them upon returning home.
"They also liked the opportunities the sports could bring them in the future," said Driesenga.
Former Wolverine swimmer Nikki Hubbard taught EDGE Youth Program participants yoga at the Junge Center.
Many of the girls had discovered a vehicle they could potentially ride to their dreams.
The university's Center for Educational Outreach also helped Douglas and Driesenga put together field trip workshops on robotics, environment and sustainability, electrical and computer engineering, theater and dance, music, and art and design. The girls visited the University of Michigan Art Museum.
"They found they could go to college for so much more than what you assumed with that liberal arts degree," said Douglas. "That made it more enjoyable for the girls. They were exposed to so much in the program."
They made daily bus round-trips from Detroit to Ann Arbor to get the EDGE edge.
Ramona Cox, who played volleyball for the Wolverines, is the associate athletic director of the Detroit PAL and was instrumental in developing the relationship with EDGE.
"Sara really got to know (Cox), and (Cox) was able to relate strategically to participants who were the most in need from PAL," said Douglas. "PAL coaches also road the buses with the girls."
Driesenga played for Carol Hutchins, the winningest coach in college softball history, and could feel her influence while directing the program.
"Playing for Hutch, who is such a strong female leader, is something that helped me work with Kayla and bring all of our visions together into one big vision," said Driesenga. "This is something that will hopefully spread across the country."
Douglas added, "It was very important that Sara and I came from very different backgrounds. I was in an individual sport and brought those perspectives to people, and she was able to bring the perspective of being part of a team, a winning team sport at Michigan. My program now has had immense success (under head coach Mike Bottom) like we haven't had in over a decade.
"Coming from those two (approaches) played a huge role in how we were able to pull this off in the right way and do it in a way that made the most impact possible for every single person involved. A large part of social work and sports are getting everyone to work together."
Douglas noted an "ironic" twist to the calling she has discovered. Townsend, while playing football for the Wolverines, wanted to become a TV producer or director. She also was drawn to TV.
"I wanted to do the on-camera stuff for a really long time," said Douglas. "I think Brian and I were able to bond over that. I was going to be a reporter or anchor on ESPN. But I realized one day that there was so much more I could do.
"That's what's so exciting about Sara and I having these opportunities to share this information. Seeing this all come together makes Sara and I feel like we're exactly where we're meant to be."
Friday (Aug. 10): Read about what Wolverine sophomore basketball player Deja Church gave and received at the EDGE Youth Program.
