Our mission is to unlock the potential of Gambian youth by fostering basketball skills and expanding educational opportunities.
ASCEND TOGETHER
We believe that free afterschool programs are essential to youth development in The Gambia.
Through basketball, we foster leadership, teamwork, and discipline, while our classroom sessions focus on building test-taking skills, academic integrity, and connecting students with community leaders. Together, we create a family dedicated to growth, competition, and giving back to the community.
Our programs are designed for middle and high school students in the greater Kombo region of The Gambia, offering them opportunities to develop both on and off the court.
ASCEND TOGETHER
We believe that free afterschool programs are essential to youth development in The Gambia.
Through basketball, we foster leadership, teamwork, and discipline, while our classroom sessions focus on building test-taking skills, academic integrity, and connecting students with community leaders. Together, we create a family dedicated to growth, competition, and giving back to the community.
Our programs are designed for middle and high school students in the greater Kombo region of The Gambia, offering them opportunities to develop both on and off the court.
Ascend Academy
An afterschool space for students to be introduced to both basketball and academic skills sets. Our coaches and tutors work with students to help them develop new skills in these targeted areas. We use two different curriculums to develop test taking skills, academic integrity, leadership, teamwork, and confidence. Our two events for this program are an annual cultural heritage field trip and hosting a regional basketball tournament.
ASCEND ALUMNI
An afterschool space for student to build teams that give back to their community by volunteering, explore new ideas and places, and compete in basketball. After Ascend Academy we have found our graduates do not exit the Ascend community but instead make it stronger through continued engagement. Ascend Alumni is a place for them to continue their growth and pursue their own initiatives.
To accomplish our mission we work with different schools and youth programs across the Gambia. Our services are embedded as afterschool programs offered to the students at our partner schools. In our six years of service we have had the honor of partnering with St. Therese Senior Secondary, St. Peters Senior Secondary, Kotu Senior Secondary, Bakau Basketball Academy, and The Bansang Youth Center.
“I take care of myself, I take care of my family, I take care of my community.”
Interested in helping? Consider donating today. We are a registered 501c3 that has been active now for ten years. 100 dollars pays for one student to attend Ascend Academy for the entire year. Or if your interested in getting to know the students you might be supporting, check back in January to see what students are available for sponsorship.