Education
In February of 2021, the New York Yankees proudly announced the creation of the New York Yankees Diversity and Inclusion Committee to identify, engage and address issues related to equality, racial justice and inclusivity. The Committee ¡ª which was formalized in September of 2020 ¡ª is comprised of a dedicated and diverse network of New York Yankees staff members, on-field personnel, alumni, and outside community leaders and business partners. A major component born from this Committee is the historic Yankees-CUNY (City University of New York) Sport Management Mentoring Program. This annual program, now in its third cycle, is predicated on identifying and exposing CUNY students and alumni to career paths, employment, and business opportunities throughout the New York Yankees organization.
This relationship between the Yankees and CUNY, the largest urban university system in the United States, also includes direct immersion into the New York Yankees Sport Management Mentoring and Internship Programs.
The Yankees and local community organization DREAM partnered together on January 11th, 2024, to host the second DREAM Career Conference at Yankee Stadium. This career fair and networking event provided DREAM college-aged alumni and a select group of DREAM Charter High School students the chance to network, grow their professional skillset, and learn about exciting careers opportunities. At the conference, professionals from different industries met DREAM's talented, soon-to-be job seekers, and educated them on their organizations and shared information regarding any potential training, internships, and job opportunities that they had to offer.
The Yankees partnered with the STEM Educational Institute, Inc. on an annual initiative that aims to give underrepresented high school students in New York City the technological skills needed to enter today¡¯s workforce while building generational wealth. The curriculum ¡ª which kicked off in July of 2024 at Yankee Stadium ¡ª provides a one-week program that served as a career bridge for students to enter STEM fields and college majors. Topics included STEM based skills such as coding and baseball analytics, access to mental health resources, and generational wealth and goals, among others. After completing the summer program, students continue to learn and earn income through offsite monthly meetings that put each participant on the path to earning a certification as a Date Analyst or Data Scientist.
Every year, the New York Yankees celebrate New York¡¯s Legacy of Pride where recipients of the Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship Initiative are recognized. Launched at the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year, the Yankees-Stonewall Scholars Initiative celebrates the achievements of New York City Public School graduating seniors who have demonstrated academic achievement, a commitment to equality and impactful support for the LGBTQ community. The initiative has provided $250,000 worth of college scholarships over the last five years, which includes five separate $10,000 scholarships that were presented to one student from each of the five boroughs of New York City each year.
The 2024 Yankees-Stonewall Scholars were recognized on June 18th at Yankee Stadium in a celebratory on-field pregame ceremony.
The Yankees again partnered with the New York City Department of Education (DOE) to implement an incentive program that motivates and enhances the educational experience for students (grades 5-8) attending Bronx-based schools (Districts 7-12) and recognizes their accomplishments throughout the school year. From the beginning of the academic year in September until April, students are highlighted for their achievements and commitment to leadership, academics, community service and teamwork. This year ¡ª on May 23rd ¡ª over 10,000 students were recognized at Yankee Stadium during a pregame celebration for excelling in the aforementioned areas of focus. In addition, all students, teachers and DOE officials were invited to stay and enjoy that day¡¯s Yankees-Mariners game.
In mid-August, the Yankees partnered with New York City Public Schools and the Bronx Community Foundation to host a back-to-school resource fair at Yankee Stadium. Over 3,000 Bronx-based students and families walked through the doors of the Great Hall to close out the summer and get a head start on the new school year. The annual event is designed to ensure that local families have access to resources that will allow their children to excel throughout the upcoming academic months. Families attending the event were provided with backpacks and school supplies, and more than 20 community organizations were on hand to provide information about their services in the areas of food & accommodation, health & social services, youth initiatives and employment opportunities.
The Sport Management Mentoring Program allows dedicated professionals to host and inspire high school students by sharing stories about their career journeys. On Tuesday, June 11th, approximately 15-20 high school students visited Yankee Stadium and were exposed by Yankees front office members to career paths, employment, and business opportunities throughout the sports industry. For this session, the Yankees welcomed youth from the New York Urban League as part of the group¡¯s Young Men and Young Women¡¯s Empowerment Day. The New York Urban League empowers African Americans and other underserved communities to secure a first-class education, economic self-reliance, and equal respect of their civil rights through programs, services, and advocacy.
The Yankees partnered with Bronx Community School District 9 to host the 2024 STEM Expo at Yankee Stadium on May 11. The event included approximately 1000 students who attended as a reward for their academic achievement and participation in STEM-oriented programs. Participants were able to experience hands-on activities and demonstrations related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Over 90 science projects were also presented by students from Districts 7-12 across all grade levels. The Expo was one of many District 9 initiatives geared toward preparing students to be active participants in an evolving future workforce.
In line with the focus of the Yankees Diversity & Inclusion Committee, the New York Yankees partner with T-Mobile and the New York City Department of Education (DOE) on an initiative that saw the Yankees make a contribution of $1 million toward the activation of one year of free unlimited WiFi service for 10,752 children attending Bronx schools on their newly issued DOE tablets. In addition, the established accounts as a result of this donation will continue to receive free WiFi service for an additional five years via T-Mobile¡¯s Project 10Million initiative, a $10.7 billion program aimed at delivering internet connectivity to millions of underserved student households across the country at no cost to them.