Why do youth sports exist? Is it about building winning programs? Is it about developing elite athletes? Are there many possible benefits to participation in youth sports or other youth activities?
Whose program is it anyway? Are youth programs primarily for the benefit of parents, coaches or the young people participating? Is that often difficult to discern by observation?
Are youth activities more effective at building egos or building self-esteem? Is that an important question to ask when evaluating them?
Are egos a factor in youth activities and associations? Can the ego of participants sometimes be problematic? Is it often the egos of the coaches, directors or administrators that cause unrest? Are the parents and their egos maybe the most common instigator of problems in youth sports?
Do many parents try to live through children? Can this lead to high expectations of performance for a child and undue pressure? Do some parents struggle with the performance of their children, as it reflects back on them personally?
Is self-esteem a primary objective of youth programs? If so, how is it fostered? Are there specific goals designed to promote self-esteem? Are there aggressive game plans to achieve these goals? Are they designed for all participants or just for the elite?
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” –Maya Angelou
In evaluating youth programs, what are the indicators that self-esteem development is a priority? Is there a positive experience for the back-ups, as well as for the stars? Do participants grow in their life skills and their sports skills? Is there an air of excitement about the team? How do team members feel about the team and about themselves?
How would you describe your experiences with youth activities? As a participant, a parent, a coach, a volunteer or an administrator, what impacted you the most? Were these things positive or negative? What made them so? What was missing? What can you share to help others involved in youth activities? Please include your role or roles!
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