Programs

A year at Ascend Academy

Ascend Academy is our free afterschool program for grade 7 students at St. Therese’s Upper Basic School in Serekunda. We use basketball as the hook to get students back into the classroom.

  • Grade 7
  • October to July
  • 3 practices a week
  • 2 tutoring sessions a week
  • Free for every student
Ascend students sitting together on the court with their basketballs

How the year works

Educate, Engage, Empower

Every practice ends in a huddle where students recite our motto. Each line goes with one part of the program.

Ascend students writing at their desks during a tutoring session, one with a hand raised
01Educate

“I take care of myself.”

Every Tuesday and Thursday, students head to our classroom for tutoring with Madam Clara in English, Mr. Jarju in math and Mr. Bah in science. Before exams the tutors switch to test-taking skills and mock tests, and some sessions run long because students keep asking questions.

On Saturdays, life-skills sessions cover goal setting, saving money and leadership, often led by our alumni.

88%of Academy students held or improved their class rank over the last two years.

Ascend players running a dribbling drill through cones on the court
02Engage

“I take care of my team.”

Three afternoons a week, Coach Kebba and Coach Bintou run practice for about 40 students, with alumni helping out. We start with dribbling, passing and shooting drills and work up to 3-on-3 games by February.

The season ends with our annual scrimmage. In May 2026 we also hosted AE Pompeu Fabra, an inclusive basketball club from Spain, for a day of games with our students.

86athletes came to our 2026 end-of-season scrimmage.

An older Ascend student showing a younger player a move while the group watches
03Empower

“I take care of my community.”

After their Academy year, students can join Ascend Alumni, led by our head of alumni, Abdou Wahab Njie. Alumni come back to help run practices, lead life-skills sessions and mentor the next class.

Every July we take a cultural field trip. In 2026 we visited Sanyang, where the fishing community talked with us about their work and our students learned about the effects of climate and tourism on the industry.

57of us went on the 2026 field trip, including all 36 Academy students.

$100 gives one student a year at Ascend

That covers a full year of tutoring. Practice, coaching and attendance to our end of year fields trip and scrimmage.

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