LeBron James Releases Trailer for His I Promise Doc: 'So Many Kids Like Myself Have Dreams'

LeBron James is giving fans a sneak peek at his new film I Promise with an inspiring first trailer for the YouTube documentary.

The movie follows students and staff from the I Promise School, which James, 36, first opened in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, in 2018. I Promise takes viewers inside the school, which is "dedicated to those students who are already falling behind and in danger of falling through the cracks," per the I Promise website.

I Promise chronicles the school's struggles and successes during its first academic year, showing "the day-to-day trials, triumphs, and life-changing impact of the school staff, students and families" as they work to implement a "family-first educational environment" for Akron students, per Tuesday's press release.

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In a trailer released by YouTube Tuesday, James opens up about starting I Promise, admitting, "I didn't know the ins and outs of how to create a school."

Still, he wanted to help students achieve their dreams, explaining, "So many kids like myself have dreams. And the only thing to stop those dreams from becoming a reality is the support around them."

I Promise selected students "from the lowest 25th percentile" in Akron, a voiceover explains in the trailer, adding, "The true test of our approach will be when the students take the measures of academic progress test."

Out of 223 students attending the school, just 11 are expected to pass the test, the trailer explains.

"What's at stake?" James asks later, before answering, "Their lives."

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The trailer introduces some of the hundreds of students attending I Promise. PEOPLE reported last year that the school teaches "at-risk students" who have experienced "harrowing trauma" and don't have the same "stable environment" some of their peers enjoy.

In the new doc's trailer, one student tells the camera, "I had bad grades in math and reading," while their classmate adds, "I'm worried about going to the fourth grade."

Another I Promise student says that their old teachers told them they "wouldn't be able to make it."

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James told PEOPLE in April 2020 that he wanted to give the students another chance by opening I Promise.

"Hope is a very powerful thing. No matter the situation, if a kid knows someone truly believes in them, that changes their outlook on everything," he explained. "With our school, everything is built on giving kids the confidence that they can do anything."

He added, "They know I believe in them, they know their teachers, the whole staff, and everyone we've put around them believes in them. It's incredible what they can do when they feel that support."

The I Promise School was previously featured in a short-lived Quibi series that launched last spring. After the app folded, I Promise was picked up by YouTube Originals as a full-length film, per Variety.

The documentary, which comes from executive producers James and Maverick Carter and is directed by Marc Levin, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June.

I Promise premieres Sept. 28 ar 12 p.m. EST on the YouTube Originals channel.