Published On Thu Jun 23 2011 by Gilbert Ndikubwayezu, Staff Reporter, The Toronto Star

Playing basketball is one way to overcome adversity.

At least that’s what Spider Jones believes — and so he, under his Youth Empowerment Initiative, opened a new basketball court for youth in the Chalkfarm neighbourhood on Thursday.

“This is a high crime area,” said Jones, a former boxer turned motivational speaker.

Jones said many of the children in the neighbourhood don’t have the economic means to succeed in life. As a result, most end up engaging in criminal activities. He said he is convinced sports opportunities help youth deal with their frustration and anxiety in a positive way.

Ward 7 councillor Giorgio Mammoliti said there is a need to tackle social problems that are mainly brought on by poverty.

“We need to relieve that anger with different programs,” he said, adding that youth need an alternative to violence, drugs and prostitution.

Mammoliti said that, in addition to basketball, Jones’ initiative will seek to provide youth with other activities like boxing, broadcast skills and literacy programs that encourage children to learn.

The Youth Empowerment Initiative is a pilot program that will also provide youth in Ward 7 with computer training and other mentoring programs. It has already helped provide the Chalkfarm neighbourhood with a swimming pool and a community centre.

Other organizations involved include Doorsteps Neighbourhood Services, Greenwin Inc., TD and Literature for Life.

For Jones, the desire to empower youth comes from personal experience. In 2006, he told the Toronto Star how fearful he was as a young kid, and called low self-esteem the “number 1 predator of our children today.”

“It steals your confidence away. It steals your joy. It steals your aspirations. It fills you with self-hatred. It fills you with doubt,” he said.