Values As A Road Map
“Values-based sport” is an approach that helps to establish an optimal environment that encourages the growth and development of athletes through sport. Explore how to use values as a road map to creating welcoming, safe, athlete-centred environments in the SIRCuit.
Social Emotional Learning
“Social and emotional learning is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.” Learn more about social and emotional learning through…
Life Skills and Higher Quality Programs
Youth in sport programs structured to support the development of life skills perceive the program to be of higher quality and developed greater life skills compared to youth participating in sport that did not explicitly teach life skills. Learn more about positive youth development in this SIRC blog.
The Development of Executive Functions and Social and Emotional Learning Skills Through Sport
One of the biggest stories coming out of the 2018 Winter Olympics was the success of the Norwegian Team, who topped the overall medal count with 39 medals (7.33 medals/million population), compared to Canada’s third-place standing with 29 medals (0.81 medals/million population). In team rooms and in the media, everyone was asking “How did such…
Lessons from the Start Line – Applying Sport Experiences to a Future Career as a First Responder
I was born in 1995 which means I fall under the very prestigious title of a millennial. Not only are we known for the extensive technological integration into our lives, but also for our high unemployment rates and decreased job satisfaction. This pushes many to stay at home with their parents and continue post-secondary education…
Tri-Level Mentoring
Tri-level mentoring is a model in which coaches mentor youth leaders who then mentor their peers or younger youth. In this way, the benefits of effective mentorship cascade to influence positive developmental outcomes for all youth involved in programming. Learn more about tri-level mentoring and effective strategies to support youth leadership development in the SIRCuit.
Fostering Leadership in Youth Sport through a Tri-Level Mentoring Model
Many coaches in youth sport understand the positive benefits of sport participation, in helping youth adopt social relationships, perseverance, and building life skills. However, it isn’t enough to simply thrust a child into sport and hope they develop character. It is necessary for coaches to provide intentional opportunities for youth engagement and empowerment to help…
The Car Ride Home
Parents[1] play an undeniably important role in the lives of young athletes. Parents have been described as socializers of athletes’ sport experiences – providing opportunities for participation, serving as role models, and helping athletes make sense of their sport experiences. Previous research about parent involvement in sport has examined the types of feedback that parents…
Rural children and their communities leading the way toward the enhancement of sports and recreation
The purpose of the study was to engage rural preadolescent children in the development of research questions that are relevant and meaningful to exploring their participation and commitment to sport and other recreational activities. The three objectives were 1) To understand the children’s experience in participation of sport, 2) To discover from the children’s perspective,…
Exploring Developmental Factors for Overcoming Relative Age Effects in Ice Hockey
Relative age effects (RAEs) are developmental advantages experienced by those born in the early months of the year relative to an age-defined cut-off date (Barnsley et al., 1985). In sport and educational settings, RAEs tend to endure, resulting in an accumulated advantage that could affect youths’ overall development (Murray, 2003). This research program investigated the…