Partnering with NSCC and CBEA, Samuel Evans Developed Youth Collector Clubs Initiative Curriculum Using Sports Cards and Beckett Magazines
ROSEMONT, Ill. – A truism of life is you are never too young to start learning something new. The challenge to help kids learn something new is to make it fun and interesting.
Samuel Evans has called upon his expertise as the assistant principal at Phoenixville Area Middle School outside Philadelphia to combine his passion for sports cards with an entrepreneurial program to enrich the lives of kids in the Chicago area called the Youth Collector Clubs Initiative.
One of the key lesson Evans teaches is the importance of community. He partnered with former Major League Baseball player Curtis Granderson’s Chicago Baseball & Educational Academy (CBEA) and the National Sports Collector Convention (NSCC) to implement the Youth Collector Clubs Initiative summer school program.
The program emanates from the NSCC in conjunction with CBEA, with Beckett magazines serving as part of the curriculum’s text. Beckett donated magazines spanning multiple years, allowing students to track valuations over time to better understand the ebb and flow of a free market.
Beckett spent the morning of Friday, July 31, with the Youth Collector Clubs Initiative as they went from booth to booth and vendor to vendor at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center floor, learning different aspects of the hobby per the designed curriculum.
Fun, interesting, and, most importantly, educational. Mission accomplished.
Evans gave more details to the program in an exclusive interview.
Samuel Evans Q&A Interview from The National
BN: Samuel, how did you get into cards? Do you collect?
Samuel Evans: “I am a card collector. I have been collecting since I was a kid. I stopped and then during COVID, I found my collection again. I was reading the room and did not like the landscape of the hobby. It felt so transactional, I didn’t see that community aspect. I wanted to make a change, so I partnered with The National and CBEA to create the Youth Collective Clubs Initiative. It is a passion.
“I am an assistant principal too; I run a school. Getting kids informed about the hobby in a safe and healthy way, and understanding the numbers and the data, I started with Beckett magazines and books. There is something powerful about kids using a book, picking it up, and using it.
“Yes, we live in a digitized world, but you can’t erase the power of reading a book and understanding numbers in that foundational way. That was the first card market (Beckett) and the first marketplace.
“Taking them through that history has been a lot of fun. I am looking forward to seeing where the program goes.”
BN: What is the focus within the Youth Collector Clubs Initiative program?
Samuel Evans: “The focus is really about studying the numbers because we see these high costs for cards, but some of them are outliers. Exit liquidity is a real thing. Just because someone spent $8,000 on a card doesn’t mean that it will be worth $8,000 the next day.
“It is really important to get the kids to understand the numbers over a short or long period of time. This has been fun. It helps improve their critical-thinking, and there are a lot of embedded academic skills to learn within this program that helps making learning fun.
“For the kids, when they go back to their school, they will be like, ‘Oh, I did this before with card collecting and reading a Beckett magazine.’ All the magazines, Beckett Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, and Football, I have really enjoyed exploring it and creating this curriculum.
BN: What are some of the key points within the curriculum you’ve set up for the kids?
Samuel Evans: “In our curriculum we focus on three essential pillars. The first pillar is entrepreneurship, the second pillar is industry, and the third pillar is community.
“Yes, it is important for kids to collect and enjoy cards, but the underlying purpose of this curriculum is who will be the next executives? Who will be the next CEOs? Who will be the next in branding and marketing within the card industry and take everything to the next level? Who are we going to pass this torch to?
“That is my hope for this curriculum – that we create the next generation of leaders in the hobby.”
BN: One lesson has been taught before attending The National, and a second lesson will be given at The National. How many lessons are there in your program?
Samuel Evans: “There are about 30 overall units in our lesson program. There are aspects we are still drafting out now and refining it to find the sequential pathway to entrepreneurship within the industry, but most importantly, building a community. This is why we are here. We can’t forget about community. I’m looking forward to seeing that grow.
“We started last year with Trading 101, that community pillar of why we do this with cards. This year we are exploring the entrepreneurial side. Being at The National today connects us with everything we did last week at Curtis Granderson’s Stadium (CBEA) – the history and evolution of the trading card market.”
BN: If this program can develop to your vision, what does the future look like?
Samuel Evans: “The future is to have Chicago be our base, working with Chicago Public Schools, and eventually have chapters all across the country in after-school programs. Another part is doing abridged versions at card stores because card stores are the heart of the hobby.
“We want to make sure we are equipping card shop owners with the opportunity to educate their customers. The more they educate their customers, the more their customers trust them and continue coming back.”
Continued Reading:
- Curtis Granderson Utilizes Beckett Magazine to Stress Importance of Print Media in Education
- Curtis Granderson Continues the Honor of Being a Roberto Clemente Award Winner Helping Chicago Area Youth Via Sports Trading Cards
Get your cards graded with Beckett
Preserve and enhance the long-term value of your best football pulls with Beckett Grading Services – The Gold Standard in Grading.
