Coach Kickoff Reunites DC SCORES Coaches Ahead of a New Season
Coaches filled the cafeteria at C.W. Harris to prepare for the season ahead.
Transforming communities through the power of poet-athletes.
DC SCORES
Washington, D.C.
DC SCORES empowers youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world.
Get Involved
Give to the Poet-Athlete Impact Fund
Our goal is to reach every Title I elementary and middle school in the District by 2030, and getting back on track toward that vision starts with protecting what we have today.
What We Do
- Soccer
- Poetry
- Service Learning
Soccer
DC SCORES creates neighborhood soccer teams that become lifelong communities. By coming together for practices, gamedays, and tournaments across the school year, poet-athletes forge meaningful relationships with friends and coaches and build a support network that stays with them long after they graduate from the program.
Poetry
During our fall season, poet-athletes learn how to write creatively and perform their poetry as a team. By raising their voices on the issues they care about most, poet-athletes improve their social and emotional health, learn to express themselves creatively, and become champions for their neighborhoods and wider communities.
Service Learning
In the spring, poet-athletes take on an issue they explored in their poetry and apply their soccer teamwork skills to a community service project. By working together on something that matters to them, poet-athletes form deep connections to their neighborhoods and become young leaders for positive change in their city.
Who We Are
We envision a D.C. where every child experiences the joys of childhood and is empowered to grow into a physically and emotionally healthy adult — on and off the playing field.
3500
+
Poet-Athletes
Served Each Year
68
+
Schools
30
Years of Impact
Student Voices
“DC SCORES and poetry makes me feel happy, it makes me feel powerful, it makes me feel me."
- Uel, DC SCORES Poet-Athlete
“[DC SCORES' Our Words Our City] was my ‘I made it’ moment. All artists have that, so it made me feel like an artist.”
- Kayla, DC SCORES Poet-Athlete
"I love DC SCORES and I love my dad. I like DC SCORES because you can meet new friends."
- Aspen Jr., DC SCORES Poet-Athlete
Latest Stories & Events
Open Letter From Our Executive Director
Executive Director Katrina Owens shares an urgent message about the most challenging fundraising year in DC SCORES' recent history.
Two DC SCORES Leaders Named to DC Soccer All-Star Team
Board member Steve Hartell and CDO Tony Francavilla named to GREAT USA Coalition's DC Soccer All-Star Team.
Summer Camp Is Back at LaSalle-Backus
Summer camp kicked off with a World Cup-themed pep rally and a visit from alumni who represented Team USA at[...]
Supporting Sisterhood: Excel Academy Poet-Athletes Are Building More Than a Team
For the girls of Excel Academy, DC SCORES is where sisterhood, soccer, and poetry come together.
DC SCORES Poet-Athletes Represent the United States in Street Child World Cup 26
10 DC SCORES poet-athletes are realizing a childhood fantasy: representing their national team in a World Cup.
Siblings Maya and Hiyaw Connect for Goals On and Off the Field
13-year-old Maya and her 10-year-old brother Hiyaw share their passion for poetry, soccer, their Ethiopian heritage, and the importance of[...]
SCORES and Telemundo Launch Atletas Poetas Ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026
In celebration of National Poetry Month, poet-athletes from across the SCORES Network, wrote, practiced, and performed original poems in Spanish[...]
“Women Can Lead, Compete, and Succeed”: DC SCORES and the Young Women of Ida B. Wells Middle School
This Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting Coach Jennifer Schroeder and her longtime student Ruth, and how leadership, mentorship, and opportunity[...]
Executive Director Katrina Owens Named a 2026 Afterschool Ambassador
Katrina Owens joins 15 advocates across the country in a year of national outreach for afterschool and summer learning programs.
Poet-athlete Nawaf is Ready for the World Cup
As the World Cup approaches, 10-year-old Nawaf channels his love for Ghana, soccer, and poetry into big dreams, finding confidence[...]
Kayla Nelson Named DC Youth Poet Laureate
Kayla's journey from the slam stage to a citywide platform reflects what’s possible when young people are supported to lead.
