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Student StepUp Game Changers
A Near-Peer Mentoring Program Powered by Gaming & Creative Technology
Sponsorship Discovery Conversation & Pilot Partnership Review — Prepared for the National Football League Community Relations / Social Responsibility Division
About Student StepUp
Student StepUp is a New York-based youth-centered initiative focused on preparing students for college, careers, entrepreneurship, and civic participation. The organization uses near-peer mentoring, experiential learning, project-based instruction, and career-connected programming to help young people build confidence, practical skills, and a stronger sense of purpose.
Student StepUp is a lead program partner with Medgar Evers College, while maintaining community partners that provide access to business leaders, guest speakers, mentors, and real-world project opportunities.
Program Snapshot
Game Changers is a near-peer mentoring and youth development program that uses gaming, sports analytics, and creative technology to help middle school and early high school students build academic habits, confidence, teamwork, digital fluency, and career awareness. The games are the hook, but mentorship is the intervention.
Who Coaches
Trained older youth, college students, alumni, and young adults support younger students through structured check-ins and guided reflection.
NFL-Aligned Pilot
Football-themed analytics, cooperative games, and youth leadership challenges in a safe, educational format.
No Commercial Sports
No betting, wagering, sportsbook language, paid entry, cash prizes, or commercial fantasy sports accounts — ever.
Why This Aligns with NFL Community Impact
Game Changers aligns with NFL community priorities by connecting youth mentorship, education, economic advancement, safe sports-based learning, and community opportunity. The NFL's Inspire Change initiative emphasizes reducing barriers to opportunity (particularly in communities of color) across education, economic advancement, and workforce readiness.
Football Culture + Learning
Students analyze football statistics, explore sports business and media careers, and practice teamwork, with no connection to gambling.
Community Pathway
Creates opportunities for guest speakers, volunteer engagement, youth recognition, family involvement, and aggregate impact reporting.
Proposed NFL Sponsorship Opportunities
Youth Safety & Responsible Sports Analytics Safeguards
No Gambling or Wagering
No betting, wagering, paid entry, odds language, sportsbook references, or cash prizes of any kind.
No Commercial Fantasy Accounts
No commercial fantasy sports accounts for minors. All football data activities are purely educational.
Adult Supervision
All youth participation is supervised by trained adults and near-peer Coaches under clear safety protocols.
Student Data Protection
Student data and stories are reported in aggregate unless family consent is obtained for specific recognition.
Expected Outcomes & Reporting
Student StepUp will provide a concise sponsor report at the end of the pilot, covering enrollment, attendance, retention, Coach training completion, mentoring hours, family engagement, and showcase participation.
Aggregated Reflections
Pre/post data on confidence, belonging, academic habits, communication, college awareness, career curiosity, and technology interest.
Sample Youth Outputs
- Goal cards & academic plans
- Football data decision memos
- Sports business reflections
- Creative media pieces
- Leadership reflections & pathway maps
- Final showcase presentations
NFL Partnership Calendar
The Game Changers: Fantasy Sports Data & Career League is designed for maximum engagement and impact throughout the school year.
August – Early September: Program Setup & Coach Training
Student StepUp recruits and trains MEC Coaches, finalizes curriculum, prepares dashboards, and confirms community partners. NFL community staff can provide orientation videos, speaker commitments, or advisory input here.
Mid-September: Student Recruitment & Family Orientation
Students learn that Game Changers is a sports analytics and career-readiness program (not fantasy betting or gaming). Families sign participation agreements and receive program expectations.
Late September: Preseason Combine & Draft Day
Students complete baseline assessments in math confidence, data literacy, communication, and career awareness. Teams are formed, and students receive roles (GM, Data Analyst, Scout, etc.). This is the first major NFL engagement opportunity.
October – December: NFL Fantasy Data Season
The NFL becomes the anchor during this period. Students analyze NFL player data, build dashboards, make lineup decisions, write scouting reports, conduct trade analyses, and present weekly front-office recommendations. Potential NFL support includes analytics staff, player engagement, alumni, community relations, and team executives.
Early December: NFL Mid-Season Analytics Showcase
Students present team dashboards, fantasy decisions, player performance analysis, and team strategy reports. This provides NFL partners a visible milestone without waiting until the end of the year.
January: Playoff Analytics Lab
Students analyze NFL playoff trends, team performance, matchup data, and leadership lessons from championship teams. Potential NFL guest speakers include former players, coaches, and football operations staff.
February – March: NFL Data Focus
The program continues using the model, exposing students to the role of data in the NFL ecosystem. NFL partners remain engaged through career pathway sessions, mentorship, and sponsor activations.
April: Sports Business & Leadership Summit
This could become one of the strongest NFL-facing events. Invite team presidents, community relations directors, foundation leaders, sponsorship executives, analytics directors, and media personnel. Students participate in career panels, mock front-office exercises, and sports business workshops.
May: Game Changers Showcase Bowl
The flagship event where students present dashboards, analytics reports, trade recommendations, career portfolios, and reflections. NFL partners serve as judges, speakers, and award presenters.
June: Impact Report & Partnership Review
Student StepUp delivers an NFL-style impact report showing key metrics: students served, attendance, dashboards completed, portfolio artifacts produced, Coach hours delivered, career pathway exposure, and guest speaker participation.
Next Step & Possibilities
Where do you see the strongest fit between Game Changers and the NFL's community impact priorities?
What would you need to see from Student StepUp to evaluate a pilot or sponsorship opportunity?
Opportunity
Align on NFL community priorities and identify the highest-impact sponsorship entry point.
Pilot Design
Co-create a 12-week cohort structure, metrics, and engagement touchpoints with NFL Community Relations.
Launch & Report
Execute the pilot, document outcomes, and deliver a sponsor-ready impact report at the Game Changers Showcase.
Thrill of Sports
NFL
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Near-Peer Mentors
Student StepUp
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Changing Youth Lives
Game Changers