Why Host a Community Day?
Ninja Warrior serves as a compelling metaphor for life. The very nature of the sport involves trying obstacles a handful of times (or more) before successfully completing them—a cycle that confronts failure, requires persistence, and nurtures growth. In order to be successful at the sport, you must redefine how you see success and approach it with the expectation that you will fall many times before you can “fly.” It is with this metaphor in mind that Neighborhood Ninjas created “Community Day.”
Community Days are trauma-informed events for kids to help them develop the mindset to overcome the obstacles they face on the ninja course and in life. Our events foster confidence, connection, community, growth mindset, and resilience for kids who need a little extra love and support.
What types of Community Days are there?
Our Community Day model follows two main formats: “General” and “Specialized.” Through General Community Days, we partner with a gym in order to give the public an opportunity to try ninja warrior obstacles in a fun, safe and supportive environment. Our partnering gym will perform outreach to nearby schools, community centers, and other youth centers to generate awareness of the upcoming Community Day among local kids and adults interested in exploring movement in a new way and learning more about what Neighborhood Ninjas can offer.
Specialized Community Days are built on a strategic event partnership between a gym and a local organization, such as a group home or youth agency. These events are typically community driven, either by the agency requesting the event or a gym seeking to give back to youth in need within their community.
“Trauma-informed means that when you’re interacting with other people, you’re looking at it from this lens of assuming that anyone may have experienced trauma. We’re working specifically with kids who are low-income, LGBTQ youth, kids in foster care. We have to assume that these kids have all experienced some sort of trauma in their lives. When we’re interacting with these kids, we want to make sure we’re taking their lived experiences into account.”
- Neighborhood Ninjas Executive Director Alex Katz