Our Story
Helping Youth Find Their Greatness.
In 1969, Detroit’s Police Athletic League was founded. Led by many of the biggest names in Detroit sports, it gave children an opportunity to learn through athletics and develop the confidence and motivation to go far in life. In 1996, two young lawyers, Mike Tenbusch and Dan Varner founded Think Detroit. Designed as an alternative to Detroit’s existing youth sports leagues, Think Detroit quickly drew children to its leagues. Realizing that together they could best serve Detroit’s youth population, the two leagues merged in 2006 to create Detroit PAL. With year-round programs that star more than 14,000 young athletes and thousands of coaches, Detroit PAL helps its athletes learn the skills needed to succeed both on and off the playing field. As our organization heads into the future, we haven’t forgotten why our leagues were founded in the first place. We look forward to giving the youth of Detroit a positive outlet for many years to come.
Core Values
Detroit PAL is helping youth become the leaders of today and tomorrow!
Family
Your family is your team. They are the people that love you. The people who take care of you & help you grow. They are the people you can count on no matter what.
Discipline
Learning how to do the right thing, even when it’s hard. It’s like practicing something over and over so you get better at it. Like learning how to ride a bike with training wheels.
Respect
Treat people the way you want to be treated. Respect is about being kind, listening to others, using good manners and caring about others’ feelings.
Responsibility
Being someone others can count on. Responsibility means taking care of your things and doing what you’re supposed to do even when no one is watching.
Teamwork
Teamwork is like putting a puzzle together. All the pieces are important. When you work together with your teammates to achieve a common goal, it is easier and more fun!
Leadership
A leader helps others, makes good choices, and show the way so that everyone can do their best. You can achieve this by listening & sharing ideas.
Our Great Model
Teaching G.R.E.A.T.ness
G • Goal-Setting
R • Resilience
E • Embracing A Healthy Lifestyle
A • Accountability
T • Teamwork
G • Goal-Setting
Goal-Setting
Goal-Setting is an important skill set to learn all throughout life. If a child can learn how to implement effective goals, they are more probable to succeed in the future. Goal setting can influence kids to lead and be more independent, according to, “Academic culture: A promising mediator of school’s leader’s influences on student learning” in the Journal of Educational Administration. Students do better when they feel like they are in control and have a purpose in what they’re doing.
R • Resilience
Resilience
Participants learn how to properly react to conflicts due to the capacity of individuals, families, and the communities around them. According to “Promoting Student Resilience in School Contexts” in the Adolescent Mental Health Journal, “The teaching context also provides opportunities to enhance student’s personal qualities or assets such as intrinsic motivation, learning strategies, and problem-solving skills.”
E • Embracing A Healthy Lifestyle
Embracing A Healthy Lifestyle
Having a healthy diet directly correlates with aging, physiological status, and functional abilities according to a study done on Canadian youth in the J Public Health Journal. The 2017 Detroit Food Metrics Report stated that 48% of households are food insecure and 40% of households are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 18% of households who are not enrolled are eligible.
A • Accountability
Accountability
Participants understand that their actions have consequences for not only themselves but the people around them. Accountability is shown to be useful through growing up and in the workplace it also helps build bonds between professional, personal, and family relationships. Participants know how to task, delegate, and lead other team members while still maintaining positive relationships. All activities have an aspect of accountability in any team environment.
T • Teamwork
Teamwork
Teamwork is a lifelong skill, helping people understand how to navigate relationships, resolve disagreements, and ultimately work together in an effective way. As described by Marks in the Academy of Management Review, teamwork includes the ability to work together and anticipate others’ needs and actions. In turn, this can inspire confidence and respect within the group.