ParaDYM PRIDE Esports

ParaDYM PRIDE is now part of ConnCEL, the Connecticut Consolidated Esports League. Participating in scholastic Esports allows us to engage in competitive gameplay and explore careers in the video game and Esports industries. By steering students away from simple being consumers to producers, advocates and peer-influencers, our PRIDE Esports team is an innovative method of positively developing the future leaders of our digital society who will be future titans within the digital arts and sciences.

We Take PRIDE in Our Esports Program

ParaDYM Academy's PRIDE Esports team uses competative gaming to promote Professionalism, Respect, Innovation, Determination and Entrepreurship. We use Esports to connect youth to one of the largest, most diverse educational and social justice network in the world. We envision a virtual landscape where diversity and equity are commonplace and ethical discourse leads to innovation and empowerment.

NASEF

We use curriculim developed by NASEF, the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations. NASEF "reaches across the globe providing students, players, and families the unique opportunity to connect play and passion with purpose. NASEF offers an innovative approach to evidence-based immersive experiential learning through the lens of esports."

NBHS Hurricanes

Our high school Esports program at New Britain High School uses competeative gaming as an entryway into career exploration, college prep and critial conscious youth development and career technical education (CTE).

Nutmeg State Esports

As part of World Wide youth Networks (WWYN), our middle school and high school athletes particpate in the Nutmeg State Games, which is "dedicated to providing a forum that initiates and encourages camaraderie between different ages, socioeconomic and cultural groups through athletic competition and the Olympic spirit."

PRIDE Travel Team

The PRIDE Travel Team is comprised of the best teen players throughout Connecticut. Our youth play comepetatively all the way up to the Olympic level and showcase the strength of diverse teams, managers, event planners and shoutcasters. They play in comps throughout CT and are recognized as some of the best players in the state.

Esports FAQs

Even people that endorse Esports, may not fully understad how it can be beneficial to our youth. We break it down in to simple to understand talking points, that makes it easy to get onboard.

Social Emotional Learning

We value the emotional well ness of our youth and integrate the social emotional learning (SEL) practices highlighted in by Network of Academic and Scholatic Esports Foundations (NASEF). NASEF has created a 9-week series of modules of integrated programs of study, focusing on esports as a means of facilitating transference of concepts and skills that incorporate SEL standards that are appropriate for the middle school and high school students.

College Prep

Afterschool programs are critical partners for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and help young people develop skills that employers need. We work with , students, their families and educators to ensure our youth are

On track to graduate
Taking the classes needed to gain the skills necessary in your future career;
Leveraging their extra curricular activites for scholarships and admittance
Active in communnty enegement.

Career Exploration

NASEF has created innovative and immersive career- and college-relevant education. These CTE educational programs or “grids” are purposefully aligned to the 15 Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways established by the California State Department of Education. This multiyear sequence integrates core academic and technical knowledge.

Hands on Training

Hands on learning, whether it's experietial or kinesthetic learning is the third and most intriguing of the learning styles, plays into our youths need for interactive entertainment. These hands-on learning techniques encourage youth to become more confident as they develop problem solving and critical thinking skills. Hands on training in journalism, streaming, event planning, coding, and beta testing and more help youth recognize the transitional skills they already have based on their recreational interests.

Peer Mentoring and Life Skills Training

World Wide Youth Networks’ Knowledge of SELF (Social Emotional Learning with Friends) program is dedicated to providing mental & behavioral health interventions and destigmatizing mental and behavioral health in youth in urban communities through clinical support, peer mentorship and media based interventions and therapeutic practices. We work with youth ot help their friends:

Develop and grow emotional intelligence and their understanding of the complexities of social interaction; improved reasoning, communication and conflict resolution skills
Destigmatize mental and behavioral health & embrace neurodiversity
Expand cultural competence and awareness
Build a greater connection to school and other scholars; build a positive network of peers
Increased self-esteem and confidence and overcoming fear of failure.

Advocacy Training

We offer trainings built around the dirital arts and sciences that teach youth how to advocate for digital literacy, equity and safety. We bring together cohorts of youth from different programs and teach youth how to be successful policy advocates with their, educators, state and federal legislators. Our trainings inlcude:

• Explaining why digital equity advocacy matters,

• Modeling how to create a successful advocatcy campaign

• How digtial literacy and media literacy can teach youth to explain and defend your ideas,

• How to engage with educators and legislators with facts and figures, not just passion and emotion