Part 3: Are coaches and staff trained to meet the needs of returning youth: trauma-informed coaching, safety and health practices, knowledge of the health and economic impact to the community?

Posted on by kcplayequity

INTRODUCTION: ARE REOPENING SOLUTIONS CENTERING THOSE WHO ARE TRADITIONALLY FARTHEST FROM ACCESS?

As part of the King County Play Equity Coalition’s COVID-19 response, we created Equity Considerations for Return to Play Resource for sports and recreation leaders to read and consider as they reopen and return to play. These considerations are not exhaustive but are the first step in viewing reopening through an “equity lens” and taking this opportunity to remedy inequities.

Without an equity lens, the pandemic is likely to exacerbate existing inequities in access to sport and play. Prior to COVID-19, only 19% of King County youth were getting the CDC’s recommended amount of physical activity: 60 minutes, seven days per week. This rate drops to 11% among youth who do not speak English at home, and participation in physical activity, organized sport, and outdoor recreation is predictable by race, affluence, gender and geographic residence. As public agencies, community based organizations, and other youth leaders and representatives plan for reopening and restarting youth physical activity programs, we have a unique opportunity to address these disparities by intentionally reshaping practices and policies.

The Challenge

Key points (from State of Play Report unless otherwise noted)

    • 36% of 10th & 12th graders in King County report depressive feelings, and 20% of these have considered attempting suicide.
      Of parents polled, 86% believe that training coaches on positive motivation is very important to them, compared to 59% who say training in sports skills and tactics is very important.
    • Coaches rank positive motivation and culture building as their top priority for training.
      85% of coaches are either volunteers or paid part-time.
    • Only 4% of coaches are required to train on positive coaching prior to coaching.
    • Of coaches required to receive training prior to coaching, the majority received training in first aid, CPR and concussions.
    • There is a high turnover rate for coaches.
    • Coaches with more experience (10+ years) are more confident in recognizing concussion symptoms.
    • 70% of youth say that coaches make them “enjoy their sport more.”
    • 22% of King County youth do not participate in organized sports because they don’t feel welcome.
    • Youth with physical disabilities experience a lack of programming to suit their needs and little community support to encourage physical activity.
    • PE teachers often lack training in how to instruct youth with disabilities.
      Students with disabilities are not receiving equitable access to physical education and activity, even though federal law requires they receive it. (SHAPE America)

 

Coaches have a significant influence on how youth experience recreational activities and organized sports. Their role not only involves helping participants cultivate physical skills and learn about sports and other recreational activities, but also includes fostering the emotional and intellectual development of each child and creating a positive, supportive and inclusive environment that allows young athletes to thrive. 70% of youth say that coaches make them “enjoy their sport more.”

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, youth faced significant challenges. For example, 36% of 10th and 12th graders reported depressive feelings, and 10% of these admitted to considering suicide. Since the pandemic, there has been an increase in depression, trauma and PTSD in adults and youth alike. Although coaches and parents agree that training in positive motivation is a high priority, only 4% of coaches receive this training prior to coaching. Again, these are pre-COVID figures so that number is likely smaller since the writing of this blog.

Another example is youth with disabilities, who traditionally experience a lack of programming that suits their needs and also a lack of community support. Physical Education teachers need more training on how to instruct youth with disabilities. These challenges are all exacerbated by disruptions of programming due to COVID-19 and also by the fact that many students in King County are not attending school in person but are instead attending school virtually.

As programs and schools begin to re-open, will they have the necessary resources to address the impact the pandemic has had on youth who are already experiencing other challenges? Also, will coaches and teachers have the necessary training to support these students? And how will new guidelines for social distancing and limited capacities impact the experience of youth returning to recreational activities and sports?

Ideas to Consider:

For programs:

    • Create COVID-related return to play training. While attending to students’ mental health is critical, many youth have been sedentary for months. The risk for physical injury will be higher than normal in the first few months of practice. Programs must orient coaches to this new reality to ensure that training doesn’t just pick up where they left off nearly a year ago and put undue stress on players’ bodies and joints.
    • Collaborate with other orgs to host joint trainings and share costs and ideas. One challenge to getting coaches trained is that it’s often costly. Youth development, trauma informed, and player-safety training is not sport specific and therefore could be attended by a wide range of coaches. Organizations could use collaborations to pool resources and coaches together to get content from some of the high quality training available in King County.
    • Pay coaches to attend trainings. Coaches are already typically underpaid if paid at all. Programs must incentivize attendance to trainings to ensure all coaches attend. Particularly if it’s a requirement, setting aside resources for an hourly wage or stipend to attend training is an important way to get coaches there and indicate how much the program values trained coaches.
    • Translate local and national guidance into coach-speak/context specific. A huge barrier for coaches and programs accessing training is the lack of translation in many major training programs. Now more than ever, translation to Spanish (and other locally used languages) needs to be a standard for coach training services seeking to reach underserved populations.

For municipalities:

    • Require youth development-focused training for all coaches and users of facilities. Municipalities have an opportunity to make a statement about the kind of quality youth sports programming they have using their facilities. Youth need positive adult relationships and positive peer socializing more than ever, and it’s only through a trained coach that programs can ensure that happens. Requiring a level of training for all facility users incentivizes that practice and makes it so that any organization using public facilities has a baseline of training and experience on youth development and safety.
    • Use internal expertise to create localized trainings that focus on youth development and equity. Many municipalities have departments focused on safety, equity, and racial justice (King County Equity and Social Justice Office, for one). Many have in-house experts in youth development, mental health, trauma-informed practices, and more. Forward-thinking departments should think about how to connect the expertise within their agency to the large population of youth-serving adults often in their very own municipal agency: youth sports coaches.
    • Fund youth sports coach training as part of education, health, and community development resource allocation. Many funding streams don’t consider sports as a key element of youth development health, learning, and well-being. Municipalities should broaden community development and youth development funding streams to include funding youth sports and coach training and not exclude them. Public agencies must bring youth sports into the fold as a key intervention towards healthier, happier, educated young people.