How to Mentor Youth Through Sports

For young people, participation in sporting activities can be a fun way to build confidence, esteem, communications and teamwork skills. It can also give them a reason to represent and take pride in their communities. These activities provide valuable social and recreational activities and deter young people from engaging in negative behaviors such as vandalism, gang association and substance abuse. Volunteering with a sports mentoring program can be very fulfilling, but if there are no such organizations in your area, you may want to organize your own. Developing a sports mentoring program is challenging, but if you are successful it will be very rewarding and a great asset to your community.

Instructions

    • 1

      Research your area and find out what sports mentoring programs are available. The YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and local schools would be good places to check what sports mentoring programs are currently available in your neighborhood. If they offer sports that you enjoy or are skilled in, they will probably welcome you as a volunteer. Such organizations require you to undergo a background check to ensure that you are suitable to work with young people.

    • 2

      Find local organizations that might be interested in collaborating with you in setting up a sports mentoring program to add to and enhance their existing programs.

    • 3

      Contact local professional sports teams to see if they have youth mentoring programs or if they would be interested in sponsoring one.

    • 4

      Conduct a feasibility study to determine the need for your program. If you decide that you want to implement a sports mentoring program of your own, you must research the location in which you plan to operate your program. It is important to determine how many existing programs are in operation and how many potential participants you can expect. If there are sports mentoring programs in existence, there may not be a need for yours, and if there are no programs in existence, there may not be the need you perceive. Be realistic; your aspirations and enthusiasm can't overcome reality.

    • 5

      Meet with professionals in the area to get their advice and opinions. School principals, county social workers, the police department, the YMCA and other nonprofit organizations may all have valuable information to help you decide how to move forward. You will need community partners to succeed, and you should seek advice from a broad range of professionals.

    • 6

      Design your program. Decide what sporting activities your program will provide, where you will operate your program and how you will fund your program. If you hope to gain nonprofit status and seek grants and donations, you must develop a comprehensive plan of action. Organizations such as Mentor can provide you valuable information and resources.

      Mentor

      1680 Duke Street, 2nd Floor

      Alexandria, VA 22314

      703-224-2200

      mentoring.org