Founder Laron Wade of Beyond Athletics Chicago Invited to Prestigious Nike Youth Coaching Summit

Chicago, IL — Laron Wade, Founder and Executive Director of Beyond Athletics Chicago (BAC), has been tapped for an invitation that many in the world of youth sports and community leadership would call a career-defining milestone. Wade will be joining the Nike Youth Coaching Summit, an exclusive gathering of leaders and visionaries in youth development, held at the Intentional Sports Complex on Chicago’s West Side.

The Summit is powered through a groundbreaking collaboration between Nike, The Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport, Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation, and Game Changer Youth Sports. Together, these organizations aim to create a new blueprint for coaching, one that prioritizes healing, equity, mental wellness and empowerment just as much as athletic performance.

For Wade, whose journey with Beyond Athletics Chicago has always been about far more than basketball said, "the invitation is more than recognition, it’s confirmation that our vision for using sports to heal and empower youth is aligning beyond Chicago."

“This is bigger than sports,” Wade also shared. “This is about equipping coaches and mentors with the tools to transform young lives. To be apart of this kind of space, with this level of partners, is proof that our vision in Chicago is resonating nationally.”

The Nike Youth Coaching Summit is designed as a think-tank style experience where community leaders, coaches and educators connect on ways to use sports as a vehicle for healing, inclusion and resilience. Sessions will highlight trauma-informed coaching, culturally relevant mentorship and innovative approaches to keeping youth safe and engaged.

The Intentional Sports Complex, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to bridging equity gaps in youth athletics, provides the perfect backdrop for this historic gathering. Attendees not only discuss strategies, but also engage in hands-on sessions and collaborative workshops that put vision into action.

For Wade, the invitation also shines a spotlight on the work BAC has been building since its founding: leveraging basketball and mentorship as pathways to leadership, mental health awareness and community unity.

With Nike, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Game Changer Youth Sports, and the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport uniting behind this vision, the Youth Coaching Summit promises to be a launchpad for future initiatives that will ripple across cities nationwide.

-Beyond Athletics Media