MACON, Ga. — YouthUp kicked off a special program to hopefully make Macon a tad bit safer.
It is called the ‘Hoops for Life’ basketball program, and they officially took to the court on Wednesday.
The goal is simple: give teens a fun and safe place to play during fall break.
With time on kids' hands as school break begins, they hope that – by keeping kids busy – it will keep them from violence.
The organization, YouthUp, received funds from Macon-Bibb County and their Macon Violence Prevention Plan, or MVP.
According to Executive Director Amanda Smith, that funding has been incredibly valuable, and they are grateful that they can be part of the Macon Violence Prevention initiative.
“We are proud to partner with MVP and the mayor's office as well as the sheriff's office, fire department, neighborhood watch and other organizations because we've got to do it together,” Smith said. “We're just very grateful that MVP could be a part of this.”
Four teams from schools across Macon-Bibb County are competing in the program at Union Baptist Church.
The teams have been practicing for weeks leading up to the competition.
Youth-Up is an organization that received $20,000 in grant funding from the Macon Violence Prevention Initiative.
Earlier this month, the Macon-Bibb County Commission dedicated another $1 million to the Macon Violence Prevention Plan.
They're touting the success of the program, and the role it is playing in decreasing the crime rate in Macon.
"We've seen a downward trend in violence, and that's what we wanna see," Macon Violence Prevention Coordinator Jeremy Grisson told 13WMAZ earlier this month. "But we still have a lot of work to do. We know that crime is a big risk, but it doesn't happen in a funnel."
On YouthUp's Facebook page, they say that they seek "to lower the violent crime and rising death rate among youth in Macon-Bibb County."