In December 2021, twenty seven Up2Us Sports coaches and staff were invited by the Play Equity Fund and Beyond Sport to pilot the Degree Breaking Limits Coaches Education Program. The training program, developed by Degree, is a series of online modules that focus on building the confidence of movement among youth and addressing some of the barriers facing participation in youth sports.
The Degree Breaking Limits Coaches Education Program allowed Up2Us Sports coaches to deepen their understanding about inclusive practices, youth engagement, confidence and opportunity, and disabilities.
Up2Us Coach quotes on the experience:
“I learned a wealth of information from the modules. I was able to take away some useful games and icebreakers that we can utilize within our programming with our youth. We will be incorporating the Coaching Character Exercise with our coaches to encourage them to visualize who they are as a coach and who they want to be. Most importantly, I took away how movement can be a source of healing, building confidence, creating safe spaces and community for youth. Movement allows them to not only strive to be physically fit but helps them become mentally resilient and emotionally stable.”
“I think what has most impacted my team was the training on working with students with disabilities, where I have learned ways to incorporate accommodations into my practice plans with
students who have disabilities. This has been extremely important, as they were the students I was having the hardest time engaging.”
The Up2Us Sports team is honored to have been invited to participate in this important pilot training and improve our own knowledge while offering our feedback and reflections to further improve the training program.
