The I Believe Academy in Framingham is offering kids a safe space after school and on weekends.
The academy, which opened in 2023, focuses on basketball and math tutoring for students in the Framingham area. Damon Araujo started the project because he saw a need.
“Kids had two paths to go down, either death or jail,” he said. “We needed to show them there was more.”
Teaching kids life skills
The academy focuses on teaching kids life skills through basketball and schoolwork. The results speak for themselves. Damon now has over 100 kids regularly participating in the program.
Working parents say they are extremely happy to have somewhere to send their kids after school, and the fact that they get to learn team building and life skills is just icing on the cake.
“It’s three days a week where they are engaging in physical activity and also gathering social skills and life skills,” said parent Karenia Diaz.
The students are noticing a difference in their lives as well. Shawn Senatus has been training at the academy since it opened. He says that it has made a profound impact on his young life.
“I’ve grown closer to my friends, and I have a bigger peer group, and it’s really helped my basketball skills,” said Shawn.
For Damon it’s an opportunity to teach kids to be the best versions of themselves that they can possibly be. He says working with kids that he knows are the next generation’s leaders is what makes this all worth it for him.
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