2023.03 -- US Storybook 2022 updated 4.14 - Flipbook - Page 64
making the most of what they have.
Though the neighborhood is within a slice of paradise, Watts is not all fun and games.
Being an underserved area, it remains one of the most impoverished neighborhoods
in LA, leading to decades of stigma, stereotypes, and marginalization. Many of
the youth living here have never ventured even 30 minutes west to the beach.
PeacePlayers, along with the Watts Nike Community Store, are working together
to build, what is yearned for by long-time residents, a thriving and more equitable
community from the inside out. And it’s all starting with the youth.
Since 2018, The Nike Community Ambassador (NCA) program has partnered with
PeacePlayers, allowing Nike employees to make a positive impact in their own
communities through sport-based volunteering with kids. Nike Community Stores
exist in underserved areas with the intention of hiring within a 5-mile radius,
creating employment opportunities that benefit the immediate area. Over the years,
PeacePlayers has had the privilege of partnering closely with over 35 ambassadors
from Nike Community Stores across our five cities. These ambassadors have become
role models, mentors, and people our young leaders can turn to. And in Watts,
specifically, the partnership has created what both PeacePlayers and many of the
ambassadors refer to as a family.
Diana has found a great sense of purpose through her leadership role with the local
Nike Community Store. Around 80% of the store’s employees are from Watts, which
means “they know their backyard and by that [I mean] they know how people are,
what they need, what they want, what they like.” Since Nike is an established brand
and has a recognizable presence, this has contributed to cultivating a culture in the
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PEACEPLAYERS UNITED STATES STORYBOOK