Where We Work

The Work Is Real. And It Is Already Happening.

We believe
opportunity should
not be left to chance

Helping young people connect what they learn today to what they can do tomorrow

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

GREAT LAKES ACADEMY (GLA)

Smart Sports launched its first programming at Great Lakes Academy on Chicago's South Side in 2025. GLA was not a pilot in the abstract sense. It was a real school, with real scholars, where we showed up every week and ran the model.

Two scholars who had struggled to work together during the school year were paired on a hands-on project. They used the communication tools from the program to build trust and find a way to work together. Nobody coached them through it. They reached for what they had learned and figured it out themselves.

What we built at GLA is the foundation. The model works. Now the work is to expand it.

Great Lakes Academy

South Side, Chicago, IL

How We Work

Smart Sports does not parachute into a community and leave. We build partnerships with the schools and organizations we work with, so that programming is consistent, trusted, and designed around what the scholars in that specific community actually need.

Schools

We partner directly with schools to deliver structured in-school programming that integrates with the academic calendar and supports student success.

Community Organizations

We work with community organizations to reach young people in their neighborhoods and create consistent, trusted touchpoints for engagement.

Shared Spaces

We bring programming to gyms, recreation centers, and community spaces, meeting young people where they already are.

The Work Is Already Happening

Currently operating in Chicago. Our goal is to scale Smart Sports to communities across the country where young people need access to structured opportunity.

Active: Chicago, IL — Great Lakes Academy

Expand Smart Sports to Your Community

Whether you are a school, organization, or community leader, there is an opportunity to bring Smart Sports to more young people.