Coaches have the potential to positively influence the moral and social development of young athletes. They not only show what leadership looks like, but also help children learn how to communicate, build relationships, and deal with adversity. These are all important aspects of life.
The Empowering Emerging Voices through Education and Sports Training (ENVEST) program, funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Division of Sports Diplomacy, is a program designed to improve coaching skills and the ability of coaches to implement youth soccer programs to improve leadership skills. is intended to improve. Promote respect for differences and inclusion among participants.
“Youth sports coaches often focus on improving the athletic performance of their players,” said Mike Edwards, an associate professor in North Carolina State's School of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. “Our goal is for coaches to understand that they can accomplish more than that.”
Edwards is co-leading the program with Jason Bocalo, the Owens Shelton Distinguished Professor of Global Perspective Leadership at North Carolina State University. Other collaborators include Debbie Acker and Tiffany McLean of the Shelton Leadership Center, Kim Bush and Erin Adair of the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Authority, and the Cape Peninsula Polytechnic Institute in Cape Town, South Africa. They include University's Brendan Knott.
ENVEST brings together 10 coaches from North Carolina Football Club Youth, one of the largest youth soccer organizations in the United States, and 10 coaches from various organizations in South Africa to focus on leadership development, diversity and inclusion, and participate in program-focused cultural exchange experiences. implementation.
“This program aims to foster knowledge exchange among youth soccer coaches,” Bokaro said. “We chose soccer because we want to benefit as many coaches, and athletes, as possible. Soccer is one of the most accessible sports that people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds can participate in. .”
The South African coaches traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, for two weeks in March and participated in various training sessions, workshops and seminars led by North Carolina State's Edwards, Bokaro, McLean and Bush. The coaches also had the opportunity to interact with North Carolina Football Club coaches and the North Carolina State men's soccer team, visit Carter Finley Stadium, and speak with some of the North Carolina State football coaches.
The two-day workshop, led by McLean and Bokaro, focused on helping coaches identify their individual talents and strengths. Investigate how their talents and strengths influence their coaching style. Recognize the influence of cultural and contextual factors related to ethical decision making. more. It also included a virtual reality experience focused on helping coaches understand authority, diverse communication styles, and the power dynamics inherent in the modern workplace.
During their final days in Raleigh, the South African coaches led a coaching session at Washington GT Magnet Elementary School, observed coaches from the North Carolina Football Club, and participated in a U.S.-based coach certification course led by the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association. . They also visited North Carolina Executive Mansion, WakeMed Soccer Park (home of the North Carolina Football Club professional team), and PNC Arena.
North Carolina coaches will travel to Cape Town, South Africa, for two weeks in July to participate in similar training sessions, workshops and seminars. One of the workshops, organized by the South African Football Foundation, will focus on South Africa's experience with diversity and inclusion in team environments in relation to race, culture, language, gender and ability.
“The South African Football Foundation has made a significant contribution in the area of using sport to promote youth development, and some coaches in North Carolina will be able to benefit from that,” Bokaro said. .
Founded by the English Premier League in 2008, the South African Football Foundation improves communities by empowering individuals through accredited skills training and leadership opportunities, and promoting education, health, social integration and participation through sport. It is intended to.
Mr. Bokaro and Mr. Edwards visited Cape Town, South Africa, in 2015 and 2016 as visiting lecturers at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. On their first visit, the professors visited the Foundation's Gansbai Joint Sports Center and experienced first-hand how sports can be used to develop youth.
Gansbay Community Sports Center runs a soccer training program for hundreds of young people in Masahane township, Brompark and Gansbay. Apartheid-era residential zoning laws have divided communities along racial lines. Masahane township is majority black, Brompark is majority multiracial, and Gansbae is majority white.
Observing training sessions at the center, Bocalo and Edwards noticed that each team was made up of white, black, and multiracial coaches. “At first, I thought it was a little inefficient to have three coaches,” Bokaro said. “But then we realized that it was intentionally structured that way to model how three different races can work together to deliver a great program.”
Edwards, who has been a North Carolina Football Club youth coach since 2013, said his upcoming trip to South Africa will help the organization break down social barriers and provide an equitable program that attracts youth from all walks of life. He added that he will provide valuable insight to the coaching staff. Let's enjoy the background together to enjoy the various benefits of sports.
America's youth sports world has been heavily privatized over the past few decades, largely due to demands that parents spend large sums of money to develop their children into potential college and professional athletes. This is the emergence of paid programs that do this. This has led to a significant decline in Little League and grassroots programs, meaning fewer opportunities for disadvantaged youth to participate in sports.
In South Africa, on the other hand, the youth sports environment is much more accessible to participants from all social and economic backgrounds, and the focus is on the holistic development of participants. This is due in part to the significant investments from governments and non-governmental organizations that have led the way. to creating programs like the one offered at Gansbaai Community Sports Center.
“Even though America's most progressive organizations want to implement sports for youth development, it may be difficult to achieve this due to resistance from coaches who feel the pressure to win and produce talent. No,” Edwards said. “We are excited to hear from our South African partners about the struggles they have addressed and overcome in their efforts to create low-cost programs that promote athletic development and the goals we want to promote. You can learn.”
Edwards added that the ENVEST program can have a significant impact on coaches working with youth. North Carolina Football Club Youth has over 800 coaches and his 13,000+ players. We offer TOPSoccer (for athletes with disabilities), La Liga (for underrepresented Latino youth), and DPAL (Community Assistance Program). Meanwhile, South African coaches engage with thousands of young people from across the country.
After completing the ENVEST program, participating coaches are expected to use their learning to enhance their community engagement, leadership, and program implementation. “The idea is for coaches to share their knowledge more widely,” Bokaro said. “We were very strategic about who we selected in terms of choosing coaches who could train others within the organization.”
Coaches will have the opportunity to participate in additional virtual programs to continue their growth. Vocalo and Edwards are working with her girlfriend, Adair, to create a joint online course that leverages videos and other resources to help coaches around the world.
