What a fun year 2017 has been so far! Since our last newsletter, we have hosted three clinics and three Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) sessions. Our youth have enjoyed getting to know one another while focusing on learning S.E.T.S. In addition to our clinics and YLA sessions, we held the first LiFEsports Youth Collaborative, which discussed the role of sport in promoting mental health and student success. Be sure to check out the rest of the newsletter to hear about what we ve been up to and the upcoming events for LiFEsports! UPCOMING EVENTS Football Clinic & Spring Game Saturday, April 15 SERVICE & OUTREACH SPORT CLINICS Since the last newsletter, we have hosted the first of two Local Matters Clinics, the popular Track and Field Clinic, and our Campus Tour Clinic. Our youth and families had a great time, and our youth were able to build on their social skills throughout the clinics. On January 28, we hosted the first Local Matters Clinic of the year at Stillman Hall. Thirteen families participated in a fun cooking session titled Simple Meals. Parents and families helped prepare salsa, guacamole, and black bean dip. Thank you to the Local Matters staff members who helped facilitate the session and led a discussion on My Plate (https://www.choosemyplate.gov/) and kitchen safety. Our popular Track and Field Clinic was held on February 18 at the French Field House. Eighty-six LiFEsports youth were able to practice their track and field skills while building on their S.E.T.S. Thank you to the 12 OSU Track and Field studentathletes who led the day s activities and to the 20 volunteers who helped the clinic run smoothly! On February 25, we hosted the Campus Tour Clinic, in which LiFEsports seventh and eighth graders and their families toured the campus of The Ohio State University. Ten families enjoyed learning about campus, visiting the Recreation and Physical Activity Center, Thompson Library, a residence hall and the Ohio Union. This tour provided our youth with great exposure to college life and allowed them to ask any questions they had about college. Thank you to the three OSU student tour guides who assisted our staff in touring campus! As you can see, our recent clinics have been popular with our youth and families! Be sure to sign up for our Football Clinic and Spring Game on April 15.
YOUTH LEADERSHIP ACADEMY (YLA) CATCHING UP WITH OUR YOUTH LEADERS Our Youth Leaders have had some fun experiences this year. They have been preparing for college and learning about careers and finances. Our recent college visit to Ohio University got them excited for the college experience. Several Youth Leaders have been accepted to college, and we could not be more excited for them as they prepare for their new journey. The fourth YLA session was held on January 21 at Stillman Hall. Fortysix Youth Leaders participated in college readiness problem-solving activities, and 16 Youth Leaders listened to a career presentation from the Sport & Society Initiative. Thank you to our guest speaker, Nicole Kraft, assistant professor in the School of Communication at OSU, for sharing your knowledge with our Youth Leaders! Our fun-filled fifth YLA session was held on February 11. Fortyfive Youth Leaders were in attendance. Our Year 1 Youth Leaders participated in a financial wellness workshop, presented by OSU s Scarlet & Gray Financial. Thank you to the four members of Scarlet and Gray Financial for sharing your knowledge with our youth they will definitely be using your wisdom now and in the future! For the Year 2 and 3 youth leaders, we held a college student panel. Seven Ohio State students spoke about their college experience, transition from high school and helpful tips for finding on campus jobs and scholarships. Our Youth Leaders had blast hearing from current college students, and it got them excited to be college students soon! Fifty-one Youth Leaders visited Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, on Saturday, March 18 for the campus tour visit. They learned about college admissions, toured the campus, and ate lunch in one of the dining halls. To wrap up the the day, the Youth Leaders attended the Regional High School Basketball game before heading back to Columbus. It was defintely a day of learning and a fun trip for everyone!
As you can see, we have been having fun learning about college and preparing for the experience. Many of our Youth Leaders have applied to college, and we want to congratulate the outstanding work of those who have been accepted to college! Congratulations to Tayana Henderson, Jasmine Gregory, Elijah Bland, and Ciera Russell for being accepted to various universities! We could not be more proud of you and all of our Youth Leaders! We cannot wait to see all that these young adults will accomplish during and after college. Our Youth Leaders have been busy, and we are excited to see all of the fun that is to come! Do you want to stay in the loop on all of their exciting activities? Be sure to check out the YLA on Instagram, @osuyouthleaders, to keep up with their activities and to see all of these fun moments in action! ANDREW PIERCE WINS LEADERSHIP SPEECH CONTEST Andrew Pierce, last year s Youth Leader of the Year and current sophomore at Columbus Alternative High School, recently participated in the Leadership 2016-2017 Speech Contest. It is sponsored by the National Management Association (NMA) Columbus Public Service Chapter #220. The competition, which is open to individuals in grades 9-12, gives high school students the opportunity to research, write, and present an original speech on the topic of Leadership. Not only did Andrew shine during his speech, but he took 1st place! He received a plaque and $200 for his outstanding efforts. In May, Andrew heads to Huntsville, AL, for the regional competition. We are very proud of Andrew, who has been involved in LiFEsports since 2011 and is a Year 2 Youth Leader. He brings so much energy and knowledge to our YLA sessions, and he is growing as a leader everyday. We wish him the best of luck in Alabama! TEACHING & LEARNING NEW ADDITIONS TO THE LIFESPORTS TEAM We have had some wonderful additions to the LiFEsports office this semester, and we are thankful for all of the knowledge they have brought to the team. Ellen, Erica, and Danielle have each played integral roles in LiFEsports, so we would like to share their efforts with you. Ellen Williams is a junior pursuing her undergraduate degree in Social Work. She heard about LiFEsports in her Youth Prevention through Sport, Recreation, and Play class at OSU. Already having a passion for working with at-risk youth, she was immediately drawn to the program. This past summer, Ellen was a Chalk Talk Leader at Summer Camp, and she is currently a mentor to one of our high school seniors in the Youth Leadership Academy. After observing Ellen in these positions, LiFEsports was able to offer her a position as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for LiFEsports and the YLA. She conducted her own research proposal and presented at the Denman Research Forum on Tuesday, March 28, where she received first place in her research category! Congratulations, Ellen! Erica Magier is a senior at Ohio State pursuing her bachelor s degree in Social Work. Erica has always had a passion for working with youth and specifically through sport, play, and mentorship positions. She was an overnight camp counselor for three summers and this past summer worked as a clinical intern at Doc Wayne Youth Services, which runs therapeutic sports-based programs and weekly groups. With LiFEsports, Erica is completing her undergraduate individual study. She also assists the team with our sport clinics, with the Youth Leadership Academy, and with other projects for the initiative.
Danielle Moreau is a senior at Otterbein University pursuing a bachelor degree in English Literary Studies and Educational Studies with concentrations in English and Psychology. She is currently helping to write grants for LiFEsports programs while also assisting with our Annual Campaign. Danielle has been a great addition to the team and has been helping LiFEsports while fulfilling her educational grant writing internship. Ellen Williams Erica Magier Danielle Moreau YOUTH COLLABORATIVE On March 7, we hosted our first LiFEsports Youth Collaborative Event at the Fawcett Center. Fifty individuals attended. The program began with a presentation from the Jonathan Alder Community Support Coalition (JA-CSC). After its community lost two high school students to death by suicide, the JA-CSC took action to improve mental health and supports in the community. The JA-CSC discussed the creation and development of the coalition and identified its priorities, obstacles, and successes throughout the past two years. In addition to the JA-CSC, Dr. Steve Graef, an OSU Sports Psychologist, ended the evening by highlighting the JA-CSC s use of intervention frameworks that can be used to support mental health through sport. RESEARCH ELLEN WILLIAMS: S.E.T.S. & THE YLA New LiFEsports team member, Ellen Williams, has been analyzing data from four groups of campers and their respective Youth Leaders from our 2016 Summer Camp. For the youth campers, she gathered pre- and post-test scores on the Self- Control, Effort, Teamwork, and Social Responsibility Scales (i.e. S.E.T.S.) to see which groups growth in these skill sets were statistically significant. She also recorded the data from the Youth Leader s pre- and post-test scores on the Leadership, Communication, and Problem-Solving Skills Scales.
One group was statistically significant in the growth on all S.E.T.S. scales. This group was led by the Youth Leader who had the highest perceived leadership skills. Ellen also found that another group was statistically significant in their growth on the social responsibility scale and was led by the Youth Leader who had the highest perceived communication skills. These results suggest that the presence of competent Youth Leaders contributes to positive outcomes for younger youth. Teaching Youth Leaders practical leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills can enhance youth educational and career opportunities in the future. Thus, training leaders of sport-based activities and incorporating transfer of skills into positive sport-based youth development program curricula may be increasingly important and address issues with social competence among youth living in poverty. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS SCARLET & GRAY FINANCIAL At our fifth YLA session of the year, our year 1 Youth Leaders spent time learning about financial wellness from OSU s Scarlet and Gray Financial. The nationally recognized program, located in the Student Wellness Center, assists and educates OSU students in financial wellness through peer coaching. Students can schedule one-on-one appointments or sit in on workshops, like our Youth Leaders did, to learn about financial goal setting, banking basics, budgeting, credit education, and debt repayment education. Scarlet and Gray Financial assists thousands of students each year by using a goal-driven financial process. For more information on Scarlet and Gray Financial, visit https://swc.osu.edu/services/financial-education-and-coaching/.
ANNUAL CAMPAIGN DONATE TODAY LiFEsports loves sharing our experiences with you. Yet, all of these amazing opportunities and events would not be possible without the help of the amazing members of our community, including you! We are thankful for all of the support we receive, and are happy to announce that Saturday, April 1, marked the beginning of the LiFEsports Annual Campaign. Since 2008, LiFEsports has served thousands of children in Franklin County, and you can help ensure that this Buckeye tradition continues. Our goal is to raise $10,000, but any amount is helpful towards harnessing the power of sports to help build stronger and healthier communities. Interested in supporting our 10th annual LiFEsports Summer Camp? Please visit our link at buckeyefunder.osu.edu/lifesports to donate! Your contribution can help impact the lives of our youth and their families! Your support enables us to provide our youth with the necessary facilities, equipment, transportation and meals during Summer Camp and throughout the year at our sport clinics. Supporting LiFEsports is to give our youth continued experiences with our program, which has empowered them to lead longer, healthier, and happier lives. As we appreciate your support, we encourage you to share this information and to act fast the campaign ends on Sunday, April 30! Be sure to check out our page and to follow us on social media. We will be sharing stories from our LiFEsports team members, of our youth and any campaign updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We encourage you to share the link with our hastag, #LiFEinSummer! We appreciate your support! Be sure to check out LiFEsports social media! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter as @OSULiFEsports, and like us on Facebook at OSU LiFEsports!