{"id":192573,"date":"2026-04-10T19:22:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:22:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/192573\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T19:22:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:22:43","slug":"how-brooklyns-dreamers-n-doers-is-changing-the-game-for-local-youth-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/192573\/","title":{"rendered":"How Brooklyn\u2019s Dreamers N Doers is changing the game for local youth \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Brooklyn youth basketball organization is building community and helping young people achieve their dreams, one basket at a time.\n<\/p>\n

What began as a one-time basketball tournament has expanded into an annual vibrant cultural gathering where young people can express themselves creatively, network and pursue their dreams. For the first time, the organization is expanding its mission beyond the court and into the classroom to bridge the gap and empower youth.<\/p>\n

Dreamers N Doers was founded in 2023 by three Brooklyn natives \u2014 Cole Edwards, Max Ragusa, and Tumai \u201cTC\u201d Chaiban \u2014 with the initial goal of fulfilling their basketball dreams. For the trio, basketball was their first love, with each of them playing on either their high school or college teams. They all had dreams of playing professionally but after their first basketball event, they realized the organization had a bigger calling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw people who never knew each other [before] meet at the event and develop strong relationships,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cA lot of people came just to watch and be part of that community. That\u2019s when I knew this was special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through Dreamers N Doers, Edwards and his co-founders were able to create a beautiful community where local creatives, corporate professionals, content creators, volunteers, and first-time spectators \u2014 people who might never cross paths in their daily lives \u2014 were able to find themselves united by a shared experience, whether that\u2019s a game, a mixer, or simply the atmosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Players hit the court during a Dreamers N Doers event.Photo by Josh McCaw<\/p>\n

For Ragusa, it was important to create a space in New York that felt authentic. While growing up in Flatbush, he was exposed to a bunch of culture and expression, which started to shift as he got older. He noticed people become \u201cless social and more to themselves\u201d due to the pandemic, as well as how gentrification attacked neighborhoods with \u201ccertain people moving out and certain people moving in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

This urged Ragusa to attempt to bring back that familiar New York City frequency and energy that he had once been absorbed by growing up. \u201cWe have a slogan, community is currency,\u201d Ragusa said. \u201cThat currency is us uniting and being together, being on the same page and knowing that we can lean on one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s in those moments of unexpected connection, across industries and backgrounds, that the organization\u2019s deeper purpose becomes clear: building a community where relationships, inspiration, and opportunity flourish. This is when Edwards and Ragusa knew their vision \u201cmorphed into so much more.\u201d<\/p>\n

While also growing up in Flatbush, Edwards always felt the love of his community. It all started on his block and then expanded to his time in middle school and high school and then on the campus of Howard University. Through his experiences, he understood the importance of having a support system.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a young age, you dream that anything is possible,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cWe want to create a pipeline. You can dream as big as you want, but if you don\u2019t execute that dream, it\u2019s just going to stay a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dreamers N Doers became a place where like-minded individuals became supported in their pursuits and encouraged to fulfill their dreams, no matter how big or small they may seem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s vision and dedication to community upliftment attracted others who were equally committed to fostering community and opportunity, including Charlotte Chapman, a key collaborator who brings her expertise in brand and community partnerships to help expand the organization\u2019s impact and reach.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Dreamers N Doers hosts youth basketball programming designed to connect skill-building with mentorship and career exploration.Photo by Jaadyn Rogers<\/p>\n

Chapman attended the Dreamers N Doers basketball tournament back in 2023 in support of Edwards, who is her longtime friend. After seeing the organization\u2019s potential, she wanted to take it to the next level through community engagement and sponsorships. She believes the Dreamers N Doers community is unlike any other and must be elevated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can look to the person next to you, network, and start a conversation \u2014 and before you know it, you\u2019re collaborating on a project together. It started as Gen Z putting on for Gen Z, but now we\u2019re expanding to include everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Dreamers N Doers provides young professionals with opportunities to connect and build, the organization\u2019s team hopes that the organization continues to uphold its mission of bridging the gap between youth and young adults by showing children that their dreams are achievable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They plan on turning the organization into a nonprofit and launching Junior Dreamers and Doers, an after-school or mentorship program that provides hands-on experience in various industries, like acting, coding, tech, music, art and fashion.<\/p>\n

Dreamers N Doers hopes to pour into the next generation of Dreamers. \u201cOur bigger goals are to harbor the younger community of dreamers and doers,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to create a pipeline from mentorees and mentorship. We want to cater towards the \u2018common kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dreamers N Doers is all about giving access to all of New York\u2019s youth.\n<\/p>\n

On April 18, Dreamers N Doers will host its first youth basketball clinic, open to middle school students ages 11 to 14. The event will be located at P.S. 282 in Park Slope, and will start from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The event will kick off with Spread the Wealth, a calisthenics organization, leading participants through a light workout to energize them for the day ahead. Organizers say the opening session sets the tone for an engaging, interactive experience that combines physical activity with creativity and learning.<\/p>\n

Following the workout, participants will have access to a panel discussion featuring professionals from a variety of creative and professional fields, including videographers, creative directors, a PR and brand partnerships specialist, magazine writers and journalists, community organizers and a DJ.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The panel will focus on career readiness, offering insights into professional and creative industries while providing mentorship advice to inspire the youth and help them explore potential career paths. After the discussion, participants will take part in a Q&A and dream-writing activity, where they will reflect on their aspirations and put their dreams into words.<\/p>\n

\"\"What began on the basketball court has expanded into programming that includes panels, networking and mentorship.Photo by Andre Reid<\/p>\n

The day will conclude on the court, with basketball drills led by Dreamers N Doers\u2019 former players and founders, followed by scrimmages where participants can practice their skills and engage in friendly competition.<\/p>\n

Through future partnerships, Dreamers N Doers hope to continue to establish a presence among young professionals in the Brooklyn community and pay it forward to its developing youth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest dreamers around us are young people,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cSo how can we come in as doers and help them achieve their dreams?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Brooklyn youth basketball organization is building community and helping young people achieve their dreams, one basket at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":192574,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[4567,98,100,99,1882,77045,560,28312,9,24,12,370,63,319,66316,12164],"class_list":{"0":"post-192573","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-brooklyn","10":"tag-brooklyn-headlines","11":"tag-brooklyn-news","12":"tag-community","13":"tag-dreamers-n-doers","14":"tag-kids","15":"tag-kids-and-education","16":"tag-new-york","17":"tag-new-york-city","18":"tag-news","19":"tag-newsletter","20":"tag-nyc","21":"tag-sports","22":"tag-youth-basketball","23":"tag-youth-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}