Mission
Empower Physical Education helps develop social and emotional learning skills in youth through physical activity.
VISION
Creating a better world by teaching future adults to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
VALUES
Promote an environment of understanding and acceptance
Connect life lessons through physical activities
Keep learning fun and fresh activities
Founder
Rolando Reyes
Working within organizations that serve youth, both as a facilitator and in management roles, Rolando Reyes found himself connecting what he learned at Cortland’s Physical Education B.S. program, the challenges our underserved youth face, and reflections upon his own journey.
One fact kept resurfacing: physical activity has the power to change lives.
He remembers organized sports at The Boys and Girls Club, competitive swimming at Dewitt Clinton High School, and lifeguarding in the Bronx. Learning to use sports as an outlet for stress gave him the platform he needed to cope with the challenges around him. His mission became to give today’s youth the power to build social and emotional learning skills that lead to better life outcomes.
Through program design, curriculum development, and staff training, his approach and work ethic was integral in elevating Harlem Children's Zone Healthy Harlem Initiative. As a trusted leader at HCZ, Rolando designed and facilitated staff trainings to encourage lesson planning that incorporated the keys to physical literacy. He played a major role in redirecting the organization’s focus on fitness towards a more holistic approach for youth sports and physical activity.
Empower PE is the platform that Rolando Reyes built to integrate social and emotional learning into physical activity with the intention to grow motivation and confidence in youth.
