Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Barnes.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I moved from the High Desert to San Diego in 2006, and feel so lucky to still live here as the climate is significantly different! After graduating from SDSU in 2009, I connected with Coaching Corps while I was working for them as an AmeriCorps VISTA member. After a long stint working in the after-school world, I was then able to join the Coaching Corps team as a Regional Manager in 2014 and now manage their San Diego operations. Coaching Corps’ mission and values aligned with my worldview so well that I even went back to grad school at SDSU in 2017 to see how I can contribute further to the overall cause.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Graduating college during the Great Recession was tough on myself and my generation. And trying to land a gig in the non-profit world only added more obstacles. Regardless, I knew it was a MUST that my ideal “9-5” be a contributor to the common good and made sure to gain experience in the fields around community service and social justice. Whether it was volunteer work, internships, or part-time jobs, I tried to revolve my working world around a bigger picture and when Coaching Corps came along, it seemed like the perfect match!
Please tell us about Coaching Corps.
Coaching Corps is a non-profit that finds volunteer youth sports coaches for sports programs in under-resourced neighborhoods. Our ultimate goal is to help close the “Sports Gap”, which is the disparity between the access available for all youth to play sports. Recent research has shown that kids from underserved areas are half as likely to participate in sports – and lack of volunteer coaches is one of the many reasons behind it. How we try to alleviate that here San Diego is to pair local college students with programs needing coaches, and support them throughout their coaching experience. This year, in particular, we have been working on trying to help build new sports programs where they don’t quite exist yet. This will move us in a direction that can help provide quality sports to kids regardless of their income. I think a proud moment for me is when I hear that a volunteer coach gets hired on to that program’s formal staff, building capacity on a higher level.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Being able to play sports when I was younger was crucial. Not only was it an outlet for my -annoying- high energy levels, but it was an opportunity to eventually get outside of my hometown as well as a pathway to college. I wish I would’ve put a value on playing sports then, as much as I do now after working for Coaching Corps. Realizing sports can be hard to reach privilege for many kids, really caught me off guard.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CoachingCorps.org
- Instagram: SDCoachingCorps
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