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Midnight Basketball league in South Fulton
Officials in South Fulton are in a full-court press to keep the city's youth off the streets. A Midnight Basketball league, similar to the one in Atlanta, is being formed. It will offer "free pointers" on life while the kids work on their three-pointers. The hope is the youth can trade their hard knocks in on the hardwood.
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - The city of South Fulton is launching its own Midnight Basketball league for young adults similar to the one started in Atlanta all meant to curb crime. The program will also teach young people a trade to land a job.
"I wanted to make sure these kids had the same opportunities I had," South Fulton Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Director Ternard Turner said.
When Turner was younger he says he got help to attend school. That's why he wanted to start the city's first Midnight Basketball program to give back.
"Basketball is just the carrot to get them in here, and once we get them in here, we feed into them with financial literacy. We talk about mentorship, we talk about substance abuse," Tuner explained.
South Fulton is starting up its own Midnight Basketball league. (FOX 5)
Starting June 2, young adults ages 19-25 can play basketball at the Burdett Recreation Center on Friday and Saturday nights from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Police say those nights are prime for crime involving young people in the community.
"It's not just in the city of South Fulton, but throughout the metro region, we're noticing an uptick when it comes to our juvenile crimes," South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows explained.
"Having that outreach on those particular days is extremely important because it gets them off the street," he added.
South Fulton is starting up its own Midnight Basketball league. (FOX 5)
Players will be required to attend one-hour classes before the games. Those classes will cover various trade skills, like HVAC and electrical training, to topics like financial literacy.
"If we could just introduce them to the trade, I believe a lot of kids will find they like working with their hands, and they can have a good skill to support the family," Henry Borom, owner of It's Electric, said. His company is assisting with some of those trainings.
"This trade will last for generations, and it's all about building general wealth, and being deliberate," Turner said.
South Fulton is starting up its own Midnight Basketball league. (FOX 5)
The classes run in six-week intervals. Their goal is to train anywhere from 80-100 young adults.
"It's our hope that they'll see a better path forward instead of engaging in a gang environment or with criminal activity," Chief Meadows said.
Registration runs through May 21. Anyone interested can register online or in person at the city's Parks and Recreation Department.