Free Philadelphia basketball camp aims to inspire youth on and off the court

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Right now, more than 1,000 campers are spending their summer shooting hoops and learning invaluable lessons about life both on and off the court.

Action News caught up with kids in North Philadelphia at Philadelphia Youth Basketball's "Lace-Up & Learn Up" free summer camp series, where the coaching and mentorship come from a place of love and hope.

"For me, basketball saved my life," said Messiah Reames, a head coach and mentor. "To have the opportunity to now be in a position where I can help mentor younger kids and have different conversations with them. Especially living in the world that we're living in today, it's an absolute blessing."

The camp located at George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science provided healthy meals and spent time with students in the classroom.

The campers learn lessons like being a good teammate and being held accountable.

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"The best thing is that they teach us new stuff," said Zareya Ceasar, a rising 7th grader. "It's a good time. We get different activities to do, and the coaches are great."

Those relationships with the mentors continue after camp is over.

They want the kids to have a good time, learn, grow, and develop, knowing that they have adult mentors who genuinely care about them.