MOVE OVER “LET’S MOVE!”

Dear Mrs. Obama, I would like to propose a new slogan for your second term.

You have done a lot through “Let’s Move” in raising awareness about the epidemic of childhood obesity and its dangers to the health of the next generation of Americans.  But, I think we need to focus even more on the root causes of the obesity epidemic.  The fact that kids don’t move is in fact the symptom of a larger problem.  That's why I am recommending you change the logo to “Let's Mind.”

In the last four years, I've been honored to be an AmeriCorps recipient and to be responsible for placing nearly 1000 young adults as AmeriCorps coach-mentors in underserved communities across this country. The purpose of our Coach Across America program is to get kids physically active, and we measure our impact based on how many kids we inspire to exercise regularly through sports.

But the one thing I've learned from these coaches is that before we can get to the physical health of our children, we really need to address their mental health. The obesity epidemic is far worse in communities where kids are experiencing tremendous amounts of duress because of poverty. Many of these children do not have positive relationships with other children or with caring adults who can inspire them to make the kind of life changes that would lead to their better health.  So while the purpose of our program is to promote physical health, we also spend much of our time training our coach-mentors on mental health and addressing the trauma that so many urban youth experience in their neighborhoods.  Yes, we focus on their mind.

Breaking through the mindset of children who are often stressed, socially isolated or distrusting of adults is the first step to inspiring change in their lives.  Once this trust is established, our coaches can then influence our kids to regularly exercise (and to regularly attend school too!).   In a nutshell, these coaches create an atmosphere where the mental changes happen---the physical changes then follow.

“Let’s Mind” means something else too.

Many children grow up in atmospheres where they do not think adults “mind” about them.  They may come from homes that are dysfunctional or lack parental authority, or attend overcrowded schools where they see their teachers and other authority figures as not caring.   Consequently, they internalize this and learn not to care about themselves or others.  This contributes to our obesity epidemic and it also leads to our youth violence epidemic in which children do not value life.

We train our coaches to show kids that they “mind” about them. This is a powerful lesson for working with all children, even those who at first seem the most hardened.  After all, our coaches can tell you better than me: with a little minding all children are capable of amazing things….like regular exercise, doing well in school, and contributing to their communities.

So I say let's capitalize on what you started in the first term by getting at the root issue that isolates children from the kinds of activities that get them moving.

Let's Mind.

Sincerely,

Paul Caccamo Executive Director

Up2Us Coach of the Year…

Make that Connector of the Year! Up2Us is a national movement that is based on one very powerful word:  connections.

Far too many children drop out of school because they do not feel connected to their teachers or to other classmates. Far too many boys join gangs because they do not feel connected to society. Far too many girls find themselves as teenage mothers because they do not feel connected to adult role models.

Up2Us uses the unique power of sports to create connections.  Life affirming connections between kids and their coaches, kids and their teammates, and kids and the wider community.

Key to making these connections possible are our coaches who work everyday to give our youth this sense of belonging.   Properly trained coaches provide children the unique opportunity to develop their life skills in a nontraditional setting. For many kids in urban America who are isolated because of poverty, broken families and underserved communities, this coach may be the most critical connection of them all.

Tonight is the first ever Up2Us gala. It will be attended by celebrities, athletes, coaches and other stakeholders from across the country who believe in the Up2Us mission.  Every guest in attendance has one thing in common:  they achieved their success in life because of some connection that meant something to them and inspired them to be great. That's why the focus of this gala is to celebrate three special connectors, the Up2Us Coaches of the Year.

These Coach Across America coaches were chosen by kids and colleagues from their communities because of their impact on health, violence and academics.  Coach Ebonee from Los Angeles uses sports to connect at-risk kids to a lifelong love of exercise and physical activity.  Coach Michel from Chicago uses sports to connect gang members to positive peer groups who help them say to no violence.  Coach Payne from Boston uses sports to connect at-risk students in failing public schools to a renewed commitment to their education.

I have often written that Up2Us is the solution to the challenges of juvenile violence, school dropout rates, and childhood obesity. Up2Us is the solution because it is about the kinds of connections demonstrated by these amazing coaches. They deserve to be celebrated at a gala in New York with legendary figures like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wynton Marsalis, and Philip Seymour Hoffman in attendance.

They are the Connectors of the Year.

Paul Caccamo Executive Director

If I Had 1 Cent of Every NRA Dollar…

I'm not writing this blog to debate gun control and whether or not you have the right to bear arms. I'm writing this blog to discuss the dollars that go into this debate versus solving the real problem at the community level of raising a generation of Americans who value and respect life.

Let's start with the facts.  Every year in this country about 3000 children lose their lives to gun violence.  Another 17,500 youth are injured from guns.  A large number of the victims of this violence go unnoticed because they live in poorer, mostly minority communities where gun violence is commonplace and barely makes the nightly news.

However, this is all starting to change.  Gun violence involving children has now gone prime time.   This is partly due to the random nature of some of the most recent incidents, the fact that these crimes are occurring in wealthier communities and the sudden attention given to this problem at the national level by politicians.   And with prime time coverage, comes the debate and money being spent to fuel it.

If I had one cent of every dollar the NRA spent this past year, I would have $2,300,000.  That's right, more than 2 million dollars!

I would use this money to engage 32,500 kids in safe, structured after-school programs in the communities in this nation with the highest rates of gun violence.  I would ensure these kids have sports teams to belong to that reinforce life skills development and not gangs that condition them towards violence.  I would do this by hiring 200 adults to be "coach-mentors" for these kids everyday of the year.   I would train these coaches to use the power of sports to address conflict resolution, trauma and other mental health issues that these young people confront on a regular basis.   I would help these coaches maximize their time with these kids so that these vulnerable youth experience positive relationships with other youth, their coaches and community volunteers.   I would measure the success of these programs through the reduction of violent acts that take place among the youth participants and within our communities.

If I had one penny of every NRA dollar…I'd put it to less talk and more action.

Paul Caccamo Executive Director

Bringing a Positive Change to Sports Culture

We are trying to change the culture of sports.  And we are trying to do so in the face of an industry that is so often obsessed with money, glamour and winning that it frequently undermines the very values it should be championing. Sports are supposed to be fun for kids.  But too many adults are sending kids the messages that it is a corrupt and valueless endeavor.  These adults aren't just the athletes and coaches who perpetrate the egregious behavior, but the sponsors and endorsers who are far too willing to look the other way if another winning season is in sight.

We cannot look the other way.

Fewer children may be participating in sports than ever before because the next generation is turned off by the negative sports culture in which winning is often prioritized above all else.   The real tragedy is not that they might lead to a smaller pool of professional athletes and Olympians one day—but the fact that they result in fewer kids who learn the good stuff from sports….stuff that might just be essential for them to lead successful lives.

Sports provide kids places to belong; mentors who care; opportunities to challenge themselves and take risks; chances to learn new skills; physical exercise; a sense of discipline and the pathways to leadership.  Up2Us is leading the sports-based youth development (SBYD) movement because there is far too much at stake.  Kids need these skills far more than they need another headline about the despicable behavior of their favorite athlete or coach.   Ironically, in most cases, that athlete or coach has all the money and endorsements they need to make a comeback.  But for many kids where sports are a lifeline, the decision to stop playing may impact their academics, social choices and futures.

We’ve all seen the headlines this past month and this past year about the scandals involving coaches and athletes.  They are so ingrained in our culture that we can probably name a dozen of them off the top of our head.   So I’d like to end this blog with a SBYD Sports Trivia:

1. Name a basketball coach who spent 3 extra hours each day mentoring his players to ensure that they all graduated high school on time.

2. Name a high school soccer player who started a peewee league just so the little kids in his low-income community would have a safe place to be.

3. Name a rower who won a scholarship to college, and then turned down a Wall Street job just so she could go back to her inner-city neighborhood and coach girls like her.

4. Name a teenage boxer who was the first in his family to make it to college because his coach was the one adult who always believed in him.

How many of these coaches and athletes did you identify?

How many made the news?

Let's build a movement together.

Congress Needs Sports-Based Youth Development

Dear Members of Congress, I don't care what side of the aisle you are on, but it's time that you get outside and start playing ball. By that I mean baseball, football, soccer, lacrosse, swimming, track...

Yes, Congress, you need sports-based youth development.  Here are the rules: the first is that you need to form teams that are evenly split between your parties.  Second, we are going to incorporate special exercises before, during and after each game that maximize communication, teamwork and relationship building among your teammates.   Third, we will give each of you the opportunity to take ownership over parts of the team, and the rest of you will have to support the leader until it's your turn to be leader.  Fourth, we will emphasize having fun more than competition.   Fifth, you must model sportsmanship by high fiving each other after every game whether you win or lose.  Sixth, you will promise to continue this behavior not just on the field…but on the Floor.

Up2Us is more than willing to come down to Washington DC and set up your sports-based youth development day for all members of Congress on the Mall. Maybe we should take an entire week out so we can really gain the benefits of sports.  After all, Congress, sports is a critical tool for teaching individuals to get along with one another. It teaches teamwork, leadership, discipline and decision-making.   It also teaches you how to celebrate victories together and how to overcome losses. Finally, it helps to develop your brains so you can be more focused when the time comes to pass legislation.

So I say, let’s play ball.   I know that if you accept my invitation, you will overcome the present stalemate that you are experiencing.  You may even come to understand, firsthand, why public education needs to ensure that every child has access to the same benefits of sports-based youth development in their own schools and communities.  After all, they might just be in your seats one day too.

Paul Caccamo Executive Director

School Reform: Coach Style

If you don't know Dr. Ratey's work…well you should. He's a cutting-edge Harvard researcher who is exploring why sports and physical activity have such positive impacts on childhood development. He was intrigued by the subject upon studying one mid-western school district with some of the highest performing students, the highest attendance rates, and the highest graduation rates in the nation—despite being nothing special in terms of per-student spending relative to other school districts.  But, what the school district did have was the most physically active students.   Observing this, Dr. Ratey began to research what impact exercise through activities like sports and physical education have on the developing brain.   What he found is fascinating.

Regular participation in sports causes a specific part of the brain to produce cells at a much more accelerated rate. This is the same part of the brain responsible for executive functions—behavior that enables a child to focus on school work, to exercise self-control and to engage in decision-making such as doing homework. The more fit a child is, the better learner (s)he is.

So now let's turn to school reform.

Dr. Ratey's research suggests that perhaps one of the greatest assets for influencing the academic performance of children in our public schools is the sports coach.   The coach is the one person in each school who, in essence,  “prepares the brains” of the young student-athletes to function maximally in the classroom.   But in all these decades-long discussions about school reform, do we ever hear anything about how coaches fit into the mix?   

I say that it's time we take another look at the requirements, training and support for coaches who work in our public schools. They know their sports already but let's train them on how a child’s brain works and the critical role they play in developing it.   Let's provide them with new tools, methodologies and resources so that they can maximize their impact on the academic readiness of their youth.  Of course, some coaches are already familiar with this subject matter, but many coaches are not.  In fact, some of the lowest performing schools have NO coaches to play this critical role in turning academic results around.   Dr. Ratey would probably agree with me:  no wonder those schools continue to fail our youth.

That’s why I also suggest we put more resources into studying the impact of Dr. Ratey’s work.  Let’s create “sports empowerment zones” within our failing public schools.  Let’s see if we can increase physical activity in these schools through trained coaches, which can also increase attendance, grades and test scores. Up2Us can help by providing coaches to these schools through the Up2Us COACH Across America workforce.  We can also develop unique partnerships with these schools to ensure that every child participates in “academic-sports readiness” through the nearly 700 organizations that are part of the Up2Us coalition.

That’s school reform…

And it doesn't cost a whole lot of money either.

Paul Caccamo Executive Director

Coach Across America Goes to the Super Bowl

As many of you know, Up2Us was featured in a Super Bowl pregame show segment that focused on the powerful impact of Coach Across America. Our idea at Up2Us has always been a simple one. We know that kids look up to coaches more than any other adults besides their parents. Let's equip these coaches with the skills to be able to address the most critical challenges facing kids—from health to safety to academic success. In communities where there are no coaches, let's hire coaches, train them and place them in playgrounds, in parks, in community centers, in nonprofits and in schools where they are needed the most.

However, we cannot do this alone. We need to raise awareness that events like Super Bowl Sunday are not just about a game, they are about change.  And that sports in general are not just about entertainment, but they are about solutions to America’s problems.

What better way for us to trumpet this message then by having a televised segment at the nation's most popular sporting event…but shouldn't this kind of advertising be a part of every sporting event?

Can you imagine if one minute of every professional sports game was dedicated to highlighting a local nonprofit and the work they are doing through sports to solve challenges in the surrounding community?   A captive audience of fans would not only be entertained by the home team but be inspired by the home community. It would also raise the level of awareness that is necessary for the sports-based youth development movement to gain ground and solve the problems that education reform and violence reform have insufficiently addressed.

So, next time you attend that game, hear that national anthem, stand up for the seventh-inning stretch, enjoy the halftime celebration.  Please help me to dream that instead of a highlight, one day there will be a “60 Second Community Sport-light”…that regular feature on the Jumbotron or televised broadcast that you always know to look up at to be inspired.  That “spot” that shows the power of sports, not just to unite us for the game, but to inspire our kids and communities to be the best they can be.

“This week, our team is proud to sport-light a local nonprofit that is using our sport to improve graduation rates in our public schools…Please join me, take a look at the Jumbotron and be inspired…”

Can you hear it?

Paul Caccamo Executive Director

The Year of the Coach

Every child in this country deserves a Coach Across America coach. A Coach Across America coach is an adult whom they can turn to for support and guidance on the many challenges they face growing up.  A Coach Across America coach is trained to respond to that child's challenges within the context of that child’s age, gender, socioeconomic status, and cultural background.  A Coach Across America coach is a lifeline to many of our youth living in circumstances where they have no other responsible adult to be their role model.

Up2Us is dedicated to building coaches through Coach Across America and to supporting the impact of all coaches throughout America.

I've written time and time again in this blog that we must find “new solutions,” if we are going to overcome the persistent challenges that threaten the well-being of our youth.  Real education reform does not start in the school, it starts in the home and it encompasses every step a child takes between the door of that home and the door of their classroom. Children need all kinds of adults to navigate this journey successfully. While parents and teachers may be the “bookends,” it's the coaches who are the "in-betweens."  Coaches fill the parks, the gyms, the pools, the playgrounds, the community centers and even abandoned lots with safe, healthy and engaging activities. They make our cities more vibrant, our neighbors more connected, and our kids more able to succeed.

Coaches are this “new solution” and that is why I am proclaiming 2013 “The Year of the Coach.”

To celebrate this proclamation, I am also announcing the launch of our National Coach Across America Advisory Board. This board will consist of a distinguished group of professional coaches who are willing to speak out on the importance of coaching as a means of addressing the health, violence and academic challenges facing young people across the nation.  The founding members of this board are Coach Roy Williams of The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Coach “P”, Joanne Palombo-McCallie, of Duke University.  While their schools may represent one of the nation's greatest basketball rivalries on the courts, they have united to speak out on behalf of the power of coaching in our communities. Throughout this year, Up2Us will be adding more professional coaches to support our campaign.

As we start 2013, let me thank Mercedes-Benz USA, Nike Inc., the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, the Corporation for National & Community Service and the Department of Justice.  Together, they have helped us create a national workforce of coaches.  And let me say thanks you to Coach Williams and Coach P.  You are both role models for our youth. You help us rethink what's possible.   Why, with the example you set in North Carolina, who knows what’s next?  Let’s get a NY coach to join hands with a coach from Boston! Let’s get a Chicago Coach to partner with a coach from Green Bay!  Ohio and Michigan!???

Rivalries aside, we know sports have the power to unite us a nation…and what greater cause to direct that power towards than our youth.

Happy 2013!

Happy Year of the Coach!

Paul Caccamo Executive Director

A New Solution to Violence in America

Last week, before the horrific events in Connecticut, I wrote this blog to share a unique approach for reducing violence against children in our nation.  Violent acts on innocent lives like the recent shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, have unfortunately become far too common.  Today, our nation may finally be ready to explore steps that can be taken to stop the violence.  As we do so, I hope this blog contributes to the conversation that we need to have in order to build safer communities for our children to thrive and grow. This past month, Up2Us was awarded a $1 million grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).  OJJDP is a federal agency that is part of the Department of Justice.  The main objective of OJJDP is to prevent violence amongst youth.

The grant to Up2Us will support the hiring of dozens of young adults to serve as "coach-mentors” in neighborhoods with high rates of violence.  This will be the first time that sports coaches will be employed at a national level to teach kids conflict resolution, mental health, social inclusion, leadership and positive youth development.

This effort is groundbreaking.

We know that as a nation, we need to address the social alienation and utter disregard for life that becomes assimilated into the mind-frames of the perpetrators of gun violence.  Our schools primarily focus on academic success and often fail to address these other aspects of social development.  In fact, many schools have been forced to cut sports and other programs that give young people a sense of belonging, teamwork and connection.

Up2Us is determined to reverse this trend.  We believe the social skills learned through sports are as critical as the academic skills learned in the classroom.  We believe the "coach-mentor" is as vital to a child's development as the "academic-mentor."  We believe that we must ensure that all youth in this nation have access to the extra-curricular activities that give them a sense of belonging and teach them to empathize with others.  It is this empathy that leads to long-term success in school, in the community and in the workplace.  It is empathy that prevents a person from disregarding another's life.  Sports provide a framework that teaches kids to be empathetic.

Despite the epidemic of youth violence, Americans must remain hopeful.  This is the time to finally invest in new approaches to raising our kids that yield better results for this next generation.  As the Founder of Up2Us, I believe one of these approaches is to build a national workforce of young adults who are trained to use the values of sports to teach kids the values of life.  I look forward to making 2013 a banner year for the emerging field of sports-based youth development.  We need it now more than ever.

Our thoughts and prayers are with every child who is not with us to celebrate this holiday season.

Paul Caccamo Executive Director

"Giving Tuesday"…on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday...

So I'm all for marketing concepts and since every store from Best Buy to the Gap had "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday", why shouldn't we have our day too?  But unlike flat-screen TVs, toaster ovens, and wool V-neck sweaters, our work is so critical that we need support every single day of the year. By "we" I am speaking of the entire nonprofit sector. But I am also talking about the more than 600 organizations in the Up2Us network.  These programs use 67 sports to teach more than 25,000,000 kids the kinds of skills that they will use throughout their lifetime.  Whether it's self-esteem, self-control, courage, confidence or tenacity, sports inspire young people with character traits that build their potential for success as students, employees and citizens.

This year, Up2Us hired, trained and supervised nearly 325 coach-mentors to help our member organizations reach 40,000 at-risk youth, mostly in urban areas of poverty. Coaches and programs in the Up2Us network received more than 7,750 hours in training on how to fight childhood obesity, prevent crime, and promote academics. Up2Us recruited and placed 30 AmeriCorps*VISTA staff who raised an additional $1,600,000 for youth sports programming.  Up2Us provided more than $500,000 in costs savings through discounted supplies and uniforms.  Up2Us also launched the first national data tool for measuring the Social Return on Investment of sports-based youth development on health.

Most importantly, Up2Us has defined a field that merges youth sports with youth development to be the most effective solution to the physical, mental and social challenges facing American young people today.

Like all nonprofits, our work continues tomorrow and the next day, whether they are marketed as "Cyber" or not.  So during this holiday season and throughout the year ahead, we need you to remember that there is no better purchase than helping a child live a better life.

To donate to Up2Us, please visit www.up2us.org.

Paul Caccamo Executive Director

The ABC’s of SBYD for Coaches

"Sports has the power to change the world." Nelson Mandela said it. And with great humility, I would like to modify it:

"Coaches change the world."

No single group of volunteers in this nation have more influence on more young people on a regular basis than their coaches. Next to parents, kids cite coaches as their greatest influences, role models, examples, and, at times, saviors.

Yet we do not train coaches. Can you imagine the impact we could have on the challenges facing the next generation of Americans IF WE DID?

On the last blog, I shared the ABCs of effective sports-based youth development (SBYD) programs. On this blog I'd like to share the ABCs of good SBYD coaching. And heads up--they have nothing to do with sports:

A. Focus on Relationship Building. A team can win a game, support each other in school, even transform a community. But they can't do anything of these things without first becoming a team. A coach needs to be trained on how to create bonds with players and among players. These bonds need to transcend ages, skill levels, backgrounds, sizes, abilities and gender. They need to ensure that everyone feels included and that everyone is respected. They need to encourage risk taking as well as praise. They need to affirm belonging.

B. Determine the Endgame. A coach has the power to drive the team to victory, but only after (s)he determines what victory means for the team in their community. In a community with high rates of violence, the endgame might be that the team supports each other to say no to gangs. In a community with high drop out rates, it might mean supporting one another to stay in school. In a community with high rates of teenage substance abuse, it might mean supporting each other to stay clean and sober.

If coaches determine the endgame, they can design practices where activities and conversations address these issues, to generate codes of conduct among players, and to encourage success. The results will even contribute to a winning season.

C. Have a Plan or Plan(s). A coach cannot accomplish A and B without C! They need to know how to plan practices so they maximize the participation and worth of each player. They also need to plan practices to achieve their endgame. They should consider each component of the practice from the team check-in at the beginning, to the warm up, to the drills, scrimmages, and even the cooling down. Do each of these engage all players? Do they encourage relationship building? Do they inspire leadership? Do they maximize positive communication? Do they encourage risk taking? Do they relate back to the goals of life skills development? Do they reinforce life lessons? Do they encourage youth to affirm their commitment to avoid gangs, drugs, to stay in school?

D. Reflect. Practice shouldn't end when the whistle blows. Being a coach means being the role model for every kid in the team. Coaches should ask themselves, "How did I do?" Did they see the entire team participating? Did they see learning taking place? Do they need more training on how to better design a practice? Do they need more information for addressing a challenge that the team is facing (e.g., violence in their community)? Reflection should not only focus on the practice itself but on the wider community as well. When a coach learns of problems facing youth in the neighborhood (crime, emergencies, natural disasters) does (s)he consider how to address it at the next practice? How to make recovery from it part of the "endgame"? After all, if a coach doesn't address it, chances are no one will. And then each player on the team will lose one powerful ally in helping them navigate through childhood.

Through the Up2Us Center on Sports-Based Youth Development, we are leading a national effort to train coaches on the "ABC"'s, and the "D" of SBYD coaching. Thanks to the support of our funders, we will soon be announcing a second National Coach Training Institute that will be open to all coaches who want to make a greater difference in the lives of their players. We will also be conducting smaller trainings in cities across the country. For information, please email us at info@up2us.org.

Change the World. Like No Else Can. Coach...SBYD-style.

Paul Caccamo Executive Director

The ABCs of SBYD for Programs

Without even trying, sports have more impact on kids’ lives than any other social activity.  How many people do you know who attribute their business success, academic success, and social success to lessons learned from playing sports?   Now, what if sports actually tried? That's what the SBYD (Sports-Based Youth Development) Movement is all about.   By combining sports with the proven concepts of youth development, we can help youth sports programs in every community become even more effective as positive influences on the lives of the youth they serve.

I had the opportunity to spend last week with nearly 150 Coach Across America coaches and youth sports program administrators.  It was all part of the Up2Us Coach Training Institute, which we conduct annually in partnership with Boston University.  We talked about the ABC’s of SBYD Programs.  I wanted to share these with you:

A.  Kids feel safe.  That means physically and psychologically.  Their fields and basketball courts need to be safe.  But youth also need to feel it’s okay to make mistakes and still be respected by their teammates and coach regardless of their abilities.  In under-resourced communities, there are very few environments where a child can try, fail and try again.  It’s critical that coaches ensure that sports fields are emotionally safe places for youth to learn these essential life skills.

B.  Coaches are role models.   Coaches need to recognize the unique role they have in using sports to create positive relationships with every member of their team.  After all, how many other adults get to demonstrate to a young person the proper way to act, react and even counter-act?  Sports provide this unique framework for modeling behavior, and coaches must be prepared to set a positive example that youth will translate on and off the field.

C. Practices are intentional.  Coaches should not just show up, blow a whistle, and tell everyone to do laps. They should be intentional about the goals they have for their team, not just as athletes but as human beings.  While practices can emphasize dribbling, they can also emphasize how to get along with each other, how to do well in school and how to eat right.  It all starts with a coach being prepared.   From starting practice by asking about schoolwork, to ending it with a discussion of respecting one another and saying no to violence, an intentional coach holds the key to directing a young person to make better life choices.

D. Programs are well administered.  This one sounds boring but it’s not.  Little League, Pop Warner and Youth Soccer Associations are some of the most organized sports programs in the country. Why? Because they all have strong administrations.  All sports programs, even in the most under-resourced communities, should strive for a structure that ensures solid systems for outreach, enrollment, funding, training, and evaluation.  Kids, especially in low-income communities, need stable structures to support them.  They also need to know that if they invest in a program, the program will be around in the future to invest in them.

E. Sports Are Part of the Community.  Sports programs are just one aspect of kids’ lives and one piece of “community” in general.  For programs to have even more impact, program administrators and coaches must recognize their role in the larger context of health, business, police, schools, churches—virtually all the players that make a neighborhood a great place to live.  Then, they must engage these community members.  From getting referrals from schools for kids who would benefit from their programs, to working with ministers to encourage parents to attend games, to partnering with the health clinic to offer free blood pressure screening at practices, sports programs have the power to transform communities.

There you have it: these are the ABCs of SBYD programs.

On my next blog, I want to go one step further: I want to talk about the specific competencies that youth sports coaches should have to be effective as youth development leaders.  These are important.  After all, survey after survey shows that next to their parents, kids look up to their coaches more than any other adults in their lives.   Coaches also need to know their ABCs.  After all, for every player they meet, they inspire not just their youth, but their lifetime.  Stay tuned…

Paul Caccamo Executive Director