A Legacy of Belief: Celebrating 30 Years of BCSD’s National Youth Sports Program

This summer marks the 30th anniversary of a partnership that has shaped generations of Bakersfield students. For three decades, Bakersfield City School District (BCSD) and California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) have welcomed hundreds of children to the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), where days are filled with swimming, dancing, running, and friendships. Beyond summer recreation, the program provides students with opportunities to develop leadership skills, financial literacy, healthy habits, and college awareness. At its heart, BCSD’s NYSP is built around core values that remind students they belong, they matter, and they have a community invested in their success.

The milestone coincides with the retirement of BCSD Youth Services Supervisor Lewis Neal, whose 35-year career with BCSD helped shape NYSP into more than a summer sports program. Neal has been a driving force behind culturally responsive initiatives, including the P.R.O.U.D. Academy and the annual GIRLS Conference. Together, these programs have created spaces where many students, particularly students of color and those from historically underserved communities, see their identities reflected, their voices valued, and their potential affirmed.

The National Youth Sports Program was originally launched nationwide in the 1960s under President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration and was hosted by colleges to expand opportunities for young people from low-income families. Through the years, the programs evolved into local, independent programs. In Bakersfield, BCSD’s program continues to build a legacy of student achievement.

“We had a co-director who said the program is a conspiracy,” Neal joked. “‘The kids come out here, think they’re just going to do sports, but we teach them so much more.’ My thing is teaching them to be better persons, to also to have empathy with one another, because we need more of that in the world. And literally, we just see them progress, and then they go back to school energized, wanting to learn.”

Neal says the program gives students a place where they can learn how to work through challenges and grow.

“This is a safe place here. We handle conflict resolution, all that. You get different personalities, but we teach them how to resolve that, how to get along, how to disagree, in a respectful manner,” Neal explained.

For Deztini McWilliams, a soon-to-be eighth-grade student at Lincoln Junior High, those lessons are just as valuable as the sports.

“Especially in Education [class], the mentors teach us a lot about real life and how we’re getting older, and we have to focus on things besides just playing around,” McWilliams shared.

Something she enjoys most about the program is how friendly everyone is.

“I’m close with a lot of people in my group, and I just met them a few weeks ago,” McWilliams said.

The students enrolled in the program are also aware they are surrounded by adults who expect them to succeed. Many of the mentors know exactly what the students are experiencing because they once attended NYSP themselves.

Marvin Willis, a 25-year-old mentor, participated in the program as a sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade student at Sequoia Middle School. While working as a Cafeteria and Playground Activity Leader (CPAL) for BCSD, Willis heard students talking about NYSP and reached out to Neal about becoming a mentor.

“I saw how my mentors impacted me, and just wanted to do the same for other students,” Willis explained. “I just thought it was really cool to interact with the children, with sports, a little bit of education, and be on the CSUB campus, a school that I attended.”

As a mentor, he enjoys encouraging students to try activities they may not have considered before.

“When I was a camper, I didn’t like dancing or playing sports,” Willis recalled. “Seeing my staff members interact and actually do the sport as well made me want to jump in.”

Willis plays basketball and joins dance class to get students motivated to participate. He hopes today’s students will someday return as mentors to motivate the next generation.

Willis’ story is only part of a larger family legacy. His mother, Jonae Swisher, also attended NYSP as a student and serves alongside him as a mentor this summer. Swisher, who is also a Youth Services Specialist at BCSD, now watches the tradition continue with her daughter, who attends NYSP this summer as a student.

Students say the mentors’ leadership makes a difference.

“All the leaders here are really good, and they inspire me to do good in the future,” said Patricia Maxwell, a soon-to-be freshman at East Bakersfield High School.

This is Maxwell’s third year in the program. She first heard about NYSP in fourth grade through her P.R.O.U.D. Academy leader. When asked about her experience, Maxwell was eager to highlight the friendships she has made and the sports she enjoys playing.

For Neal, watching students grow has been one of the greatest rewards of his career.

“We see them year after year becoming more and more mature, and what they’re realizing is that education is the key to success,” Neal reflected.

As Neal prepares to retire after 35 years with BCSD, he credits the BCSD Youth Service Specialists who have helped coordinate NYSP, the Girls Conference, the Leadership Conference, and other youth programs, along with the mentors and community partners who continue to invest in students each year.

“This has worked for 30 years for a reason. The staff members believe in what they’re doing. These kids believe in us. So it’s the believing factor,” he shared. “I love this program.”