Washington, D.C. – The University of the District of Columbia Athletic Department hosted a community "Youth Day" event at the UDC gymnasium on Saturday, January 28th.  The event was a tremendous success as over 100 elementary school, middle school, and high school students from the community attended.

Saturday's events were comprised of a back-to-back double-header involving the UDC Women's and Men's Basketball teams, both of which posted impressive victories over East Coast Conference (ECC) foe St. Thomas Aquinas.  In addition to watching UDC victories, Youth Day students showcased their own talents at halftime of each of the games.  During halftime of the Women's game, students from the program "Playworks" participated in a friendly game, as members of Playworks' West Education Campus played against Playworks' Shaw Campus.  During halftime of the Men's game, sixth graders from the Jelleff Recreation Center participated against one another in a similar friendly, as the Jelleff Green Panthers faced the Jelleff Gold Panthers.  Both halftime events were a great opportunity for community youths to play on a collegiate basketball court.

Youth Day participants were were able to take pictures with the UDC Firebird Mascot throughout the course of the day. Students also got the chance to meet and interact with the UDC Women's and Men's basketball players after the game, as an autograph session was set up outside the gym for students and community members to engage with the members of the basketball teams.  This was a thrill for the students but also for the players, who utilized this opportunity to engage with their young fans and give back to the community that has been so supportive of their on and off-the-court endeavors.

Youth Day was a very successful event for UDC Athletics, and a great occasion for the teams to reach out to the community.

Click Here to watch extensive footage of "Youth Day"

Provided by the District of Columbia Sports Information Department.