Japanese basketball star Mone Izumi hosted a skills workshop at the Crane Center in Philadelphia's Chinatown neighborhood for youth in the Black & Gold 2.0 program - and the lesson went far beyond basketball.
At just 5-foot-3, Izumi may be small on the court, but she's made a big impact in the sport. Izumi made a name for herself as a pro-player in Japan and, now, Europe.
The former Goldey-Beacom College point guard was the star of the workshop, sharing both her skills and her mindset.
"I want to teach them the mindset," Izumi said. "You can do everything 100% every time."
Black & Gold 2.0 brings together Asian and African American youth from Chinatown and North Philadelphia - communities that have experienced racial tension, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The height of that was COVID-19 when there was a lot of racial tension and conflict, and we said, 'What are we gonna do about it?'" said John Chin, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, which partners with the nonprofit All in the Family to run the program.
The youth program, inspired by a similar initiative developed by City of Philadelphia employees, launched two years ago.
"Everything about it is positive," said Eddie Kook, also known as "Coach Kook" to the countless kids he's coached with All in the Family.
Participants meet weekly, often bonding over basketball.
"Together they're making things work. And in society, if we were more like that, things would be better," said Kook.
The kids also get access to experts in careers like media production.
"We really just want to let them know they can do it themselves, and here's the pieces and the parts and education in order to do it," said Jimmy Raiford with SuperBig Media, a company that partners to provide programs for Black & Gold 2.0.
"Our job is to prepare these kids for post-secondary education or vocational training so they have economic mobility," said Chin.
The kids also receive stipends and gift cards for participating in the free program. Along the way, the kids become friends.
"When you have kids and they're doing something they like, it's easy," said Kook.
It's inspiring, even for a basketball pro like Izumi, whose story often inspires others.
"That pushes me hard and motivates me a lot," she said, "to inspire kids because I want to be a role model for them."
For Izumi, the experience was just as inspiring.
"That pushes me hard and motivates me a lot," she said. "To inspire kids because I want to be a role model for them."