Program: National Youth Sports Program Contact(s): Edward A. Thiebe, Director of Youth Programs: (913) 339-1906 Purpose: To provide economically disadvantaged youth with training in vital life skills within the framework of a summer sports camp The National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) was founded in 1968 to provide positive outlets for young people following the massive urban riots. NYSP is a partnership between the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Community Services and other sponsoring institutions. NYSP participants attend a five-week summer program at one of over 170 colleges and universities. NYSP's programs combine sports instruction with the teaching of vital life skills, such as personal health, job responsibilities, nutrition, alcohol and other-drug prevention activities. Expert instruction is provided to participants before they engage in numerous sports activities, including swimming, basketball, football, golf, soccer, tennis, and track and field. Participants in NYSP come from low-income, economically disadvantaged families (90 percent of the participants at each site must be below the United States poverty guidelines). Each participating college and university has some freedom to design a curriculum to best fit its community's unique needs and interests and to make the best possible use of available resources.