Student-Led · Sun Safety · School Sports
TheUVProject is a student-led network increasing sunscreen use among high school athletes through team-based sun safety programs, sunscreen access, and behavioral routines.
UV exposure is highest in outdoor athletes — but sunscreen use remains low in most school sports programs.
Our Story
It started on the tennis court. As a competitive player, I noticed something that should have been obvious: nobody was wearing sunscreen. We'd spend hours in direct sun — serving, rallying, grinding through matches — completely exposed. No SPF. No shade. No second thought.
When I started learning about skin cancer, I was stunned. Melanoma is the deadliest form, and UV exposure is the number one cause. Athletes — the very people who spend the most time outdoors — are among the least protected. Not because they don't care. Because nobody ever told them they needed to.
TheUVProject exists to change that. We are a youth-led movement building local chapters to put sun safety tools directly into the hands of athletes.
"I used to think sunscreen was for beach days. Then I realized I was training 15 hours a week in direct sunlight — with zero protection. That's when everything clicked."
— TheUVProject FounderOur Model
We work through school-based chapters that implement simple, repeatable systems to increase sunscreen use among athletes. Each chapter focuses on three core actions.
Chapters organize sunscreen access for teams — coordinating donations, stocking supplies, and ensuring product is physically available at practice and events.
A 30-second pre-practice sun safety routine is introduced and repeated consistently. The goal is behavior change, not a one-time awareness push.
Chapters collect simple usage data over time to understand what's working and build a case for expanding the program to more sports programs.
No lectures. No one-time events. Real behavior change — built into the team routine.
How It Works
Chapters are student teams that work directly with sports programs at their school. Here's what they actually do.
Most sun safety efforts are one-time events — a table at a fair, a flyer in a locker room. We focus on sustained behavior change within existing team structures.
Who We Serve
We started with tennis — the sport that first showed us the problem. But sun exposure doesn't care what sport you play. We focus on any outdoor program where athletes are training in direct sunlight.
Where We Are
We're in the early stages — running real programs, not just awareness campaigns. Here's what we're building toward.
Active programs embedded in school sports teams, testing the chapter model in real practice environments.
Student athletes reached through direct team-level programs — not passive awareness, but active participation in the routine.
Ongoing tracking of sunscreen use behavior over time — building the data foundation for program validation and growth.
We'll share specific numbers as our pilots mature. Our focus right now is making the program work before we scale it.
Take Action
Whether you want to lead a chapter, partner with us, or spread the word, there is a place for you here.
Bring TheUVProject to your school sports teams. We'll give you the toolkit to run the program — access, routine, and measurement — from day one.
Apply to Start a Chapter →Follow us on social media, share our mission, and help us reach more teams. Awareness is the first step toward change.
Follow @TheUVProject →Are you a sun-care brand, a dermatologist, or a school administrator? Let's work together to protect athletes from sun damage.
Get in Touch →