Originally posted on Medium.com on May 13, 2020.

With many student-athletes at home and relying on a computer for their academic advancement, we need to take a lesson from successful online learning programs. Many of these programs attribute their graduation rates to the fact that they assign virtual mentors to every student. These mentors regularly check in to see how students are experiencing their remote education. If the student fails to show up, the mentor immediately reaches out to address the reason and to motivate the student to get back online and start learning again.

The mentoring field has taught us that a caring adult is one of the most critical ingredients to fostering goal setting and achievement in children. The presence of a caring adult in a child’s life is also associated with significant increases in a young person’s ability to cope with stress and trauma, whether it be induced by domestic strife, neighborhood violence, or even a national pandemic. But the key to getting these outcomes is that the adult needs to be someone whom the child trusts. For many youth, coaches develop that trust in ways that other adults cannot.

Now, during this current health crisis, is the time for coaches to apply their influence. Coaches should regularly encourage their athletes to hit the screens and complete their courses. They can also offer social-emotional support, health and nutrition tips, and a few athletic skills for their athletes to work on at home. Coach Grayson in Maryland exemplifies how coaches can make the transition to the “new normal.” Grayson, an AmeriCorps member, has been serving as an Up2Us Sports coach for girls in a low-income neighborhood in Baltimore through Harlem Lacrosse. When COVID-19 struck, she understood firsthand the potential health consequences for her kids through her mother, a nurse at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. To be sure her girls remained safe, Grayson started Zoom classes every day of the week to check in with them. From Tutoring Tuesdays and Workout Wednesdays to Featured Guest Fridays, for many of her girls, these daily sessions have been key to their mental health.

I cannot count the number of times students have told me that they passed all their exams, stayed away from drugs and alcohol, and graduated from high school because their coach expected it of them. Coaches — with May being Mental Health Awareness Month, we need you now more than ever to continue to set these expectations for your athletes, even if you do it virtually.

Due to the effects of COVID-19, youth all over the world have been separated from the safety and enjoyment of their teams and coaches. #Up2UsSportsAtHome provides free resources, videos, and virtual training opportunities to help coaches keep their teams physically, socially, and emotionally healthy.