As summer hits Belize, a one-of-a-kind sports initiative is creating more than just skilled basketball players—it’s building a supportive sisterhood for females of all ages. Now entering its third year, the three-day Ballin’ Like Her Basketball Camp kicked off earlier this week in Cayo before relocating to The Hub in Belize City, where it will wrap up its 2026 programming on July 3. Open to everyone from preschool-aged girls to current college students, the camp blends on-court skill development with intentional mentorship, confidence-building, and community connection.
Unlike generic youth sports camps, Ballin’ Like Her centers young women’s unique needs by bringing in current and former NCAA Division I athletes as instructors and mentors. This setup gives camp participants the rare chance to learn directly from women who have excelled at the highest levels of collegiate basketball, while creating space for them to form lasting friendships with peers who share their love of the game.
Cheyenne Givens, the founder of Ballin’ Like Her, explained that the initiative’s core mission goes far beyond improving jump shots and defensive technique. “We’re using the sport of basketball, and we’re specifically focusing on young females, providing a space for them, a community for them to enjoy basketball, learn about basketball, make friends,” Givens said. “We’re just making an impact on their lives in any way that we can, whether that’s they wanna learn more from us in terms of basketball or they wanna make friends, whichever one. We’re here. We wanna let them know that we care about them and we care about their futures.”
Becky Obimna, one of the camp’s facilitators, echoed that sentiment, noting that the summer timing makes the camp a welcoming escape for young women looking for meaningful summer activity. “We’re here to build community. At the end of the day, we want them to have fun. We also know it’s summer, so at the end of the day, it’s like, come enjoy basketball,” Obimna said. “We’re here to support you. We’re here to have fun. We wanna be able to teach you some life skills as well, because at the end of the day, this is what we’re here to do. We’re all here to build community. So, I’m grateful to be a part of this experience and we would love for girls to just share the news and just show up.”
Daily programming runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Hub, and organizers are still welcoming late registrations and drop-in participants. Facilitator Lovely Sonnier shared that interested girls can connect with the camp team through multiple channels, including the camp’s Instagram page or by reaching out to organizer Miss Chanelle. She added that organizers are counting on camp participants to help spread the word to friends who might want to join. “We also want them to reach out to their friends. Spread the word. Spread the word. As we spread the word to them, we want them to spread the word for us as well,” Sonnier said.
Looking ahead, the Ballin’ Like Her team has plans to grow the initiative in the coming years, with talks of expanding camp programming to other regions across Belize to reach even more young women.