Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports (LiFEsports)

IMPACT. 1: In 2015-2016, over 1,700 youth engaged in the four-week LiFEsports Summer Camp, 11 sports clinics, Youth Leadership Academy or in programs using the LiFEsports curriculum. Youth improved social skills such as self-control, effort, teamwork, social competence, and transfer of learning. -- 2. Through employment opportunities, internships, volunteering experiences, or academic coursework, approximately 300 OSU students from 14 different academic departments participated in LiFEsports. Additionally, nearly 50 student-athletes also participated in various aspects of the program. -- 3. The LiFEsports program model was presented at international, national, and regional conferences, such as the Social Work in Sport Symposium. Additionally, research on LiFEsports was published in books and journals such as the Journal of Applied Sports Psychology and Research on Social Work Practice.OSU PARTNERS: College of Social Work; Department of Athletics; Department of Recreational Sports; Office of Outreach and Engagement; College of Education and Human Ecology, Department of Human Services; College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; College of Nursing; College of Dentistry; College of Arts and Sciences; College of Optometry; Undergraduate Admission and First Year Experience; Office of Student Life; Sports & Society InitiativeCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: Illinois State University; Michigan State University; After School All-Stars Ohio; All THAT; Boys and Girls Club of Columbus; Columbus City Schools; I Know I Can; Columbus Youth Foundation; Local Matters; Mid-Ohio Food Bank; Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRA); Youth to Youth International; Cardinal Health; Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority; Greater Columbus Arts Council; Huntington National Bank; Pitney Bowes Presort Services; ADAMH Board of Franklin County; Ohio Department of Education; Pickerington Local Schools; Nike; Continental Real Estate Companies; Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC; Plunkett Cooney; Boren BrothersPRIMARY CONTACT: Rebecca Wade-Mdivanian ([email protected])The LiFEsports Initiative aims: "to enhance the quality of youth development, sport, and recreational programs through service and outreach, teaching and learning, and research, thereby increasing positive developmental outcomes for youth.

Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports (LiFE Sports)

IMPACT. 1: 569 youth engaged in four weeks of social skill and sport education and 249 youth attended at least one of six sports clinics. Youth reported improved social skills and sport competence. -- 2. 183 OSU students from 14 different academic departments participated in some Teaching and Learning element of LiFE Sports. 21 student-athletes also participated in LiFE Sports programming. -- 3. The LiFE Sports program model was presented at international, national, and regional conferences, such as the National School Mental Health Conference, the Society on Social Work Research, and the Ohio SHAPE Conference. Additionally, research on LiFE Sports was published in books and journals such as the Journal of Sports Management.OSU PARTNERS: College of Social Work; Department of Athletics; Department of Recreational Sports; Office of Outreach and Engagement; College of Education and Human Ecology, Department of Human Services; College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; College of Nursing; College of Dentistry; College of Arts and Sciences; College of Optometry; Undergraduate Admission and First Year Experience; Office of Student Life; P-12 Project; Facilities Operations and Development; Dining ServicesCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: Illinois State University; Michigan State University; After School All-Stars Ohio; All THAT; Boys and Girls Club of Columbus; Columbus City Schools; I Know I Can; Local Matters; Mid-Ohio Food Bank; Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRA); Youth to Youth International; Cardinal Health; Columbus Crew; Greater Columbus Arts Council; Huntington National Bank; Ortho Neuro; Pitney Bowes Presort Services; Willis of Ohio; Ohio Department of EducationPRIMARY CONTACT: Rebecca Wade-Mdivanian ([email protected])The LiFE Sports Initiative aims: "to enhance the quality of youth development, sport, and recreational programs through service and outreach, teaching and learning, and research, thereby increasing positive developmental outcomes for youth.

The LiFEsports Initiative Service Learning Course: A University-Community Partnership

The Learning in Fitness and Education through Sport (LiFEsports) Initiative at Ohio State aims to enhance youth development, social skills, and physical well-being through sport. The initiative works to create and maintain unique partnerships within Columbus to improve sports-based youth development (SB-PYD) programs. LiFEsports serves 900 youth each year through programming such as a summer camp, and strategic community partnerships to implement before- and after-school programs. One partnership example is the LiFEsports service learning course, a pilot implementation model in a neighboring Columbus school district. The LiFEsports service learning course involves multiple partners such as LiFEsports, the school district, and the YMCA. The collaboration among LiFEsports, the YMCA, and a local school district, allows for multiple levels of learning and serving through SB-PYD. In the model, social work interns and the district social worker oversee the implementation of a service learning course at the high school level. Throughout the year, high school service learners develop leadership skills, learn about SB-PYD, increase community engagement, and serve as co-facilitators of LiFEsports curricula in elementary before-school programs. Service learning, a form of experiential learning, improves academic motivation, develops stronger social skills, and promotes stronger community involvement (Conway, Amel, & Gerwein, 2009). Moreover, academic motivation and school connectedness are strong predictors of academic achievement (Chase, Hilliard, Geldhof, Warren, & Lerner, 2014) and protective factors against high school dropout. Although programming occurs in school settings, the program also aims to positively influence the surrounding community. As such, the service learners complete a culminating event at the end of the year where they present their work to the community through the Healthy Kids Day (HKD) hosted at the YMCA. Here, high school youth practice presentation and leadership skills as they lead activities and present their work to HKD participants. Sustaining the successful implementation of the program involves sharing of resources and responsibilities for the mutual benefit of all stakeholders. The intended audience of the poster are current leaders in the community and the university who seek to enhance the well-being and resiliency of at-risk youth in the community, or who want to better understand the intricacies of a complex collaboration among three stakeholders, including students, professors, community members, or directors at community-based organizations. After engaging with the poster, the audience will understand an overview of the partnership, mutual benefits of the program for the high school service learners and elementary school participants, and for all key stakeholders, and how existing resources can work to positively influence youth of various ages and the surrounding community.AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Erica Magier, doctoral student, Ohio State College of Social Work, [email protected] (Corresponding Author); Tasha Henderson, gradaute student, Ohio State College of Social Work; Rebecca Wade-Mdivanian, director of operations for the LiFEsports Initiative, Ohio State College of Social Work; Dawn Anderson-Butcher, professor, Ohio State College of Social WorkThe Learning in Fitness and Education through Sport (LiFEsports) Initiative at Ohio State has partnered with a local school district and YMCA to create a high school service learning course. Alongside YMCA site leaders, high school students implement sports-based positive youth development (SB-PYD) curricula created by the LiFEsports Initiative at the before-school program at two local elementary schools. Through this model, youth of varying ages are able to benefit from SB-PYD through growth in leadership, sport skills, and social skills such as self-control, effort, teamwork, and social responsibility (SETS). The poster will outline the unique partnership created and how it works to foster health and wellness and create resilient youth in the Columbus community

Afterschool Sustainability

Youth participation in quality extended learning opportunities (ELOs) results in positive academic, physical, mental health, and social/emotional outcomes. Funding is essential to implementing and sustaining quality ELOs; however multiple funding barriers and challenges exist. Understanding the types of funds available for ELOs and the factors that influence sustainability is critical. Through surveys and telephone interviews of ELO providers, this descriptive study identified and examined ELO funding streams, the ways ELO providers use these funding streams, and the barriers and challenges to sustainability. ELO programs often relied on one major funding stream coupled with nutrition supports as well as in-kind resources. Barriers to sustainability included year-to-year funding, transportation costs, reducing community partnerships, and difficulty in diversifying funds. Recommendations to enhance ELO sustainability are offered, particularly in relation to overcoming the challenges to diversification of funding resources and establishing mutually supportive partnerships and collaboration

Developing Today's Youth Leaders to be Tomorrow's College Graduates

Since 2013, the Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports (LiFEsports) Initiative at Ohio State has implemented a curriculum-based leadership program for youth ages 14-18. This program emerged because youth who attended the traditional LiFEsports summer camp (ages 9-14) wanted to "give back" and "stay involved" after they had aged out of the traditional camp. Given their interest and the program's desire to support these students’ to achieve college graduation or other post-secondary educational opportunities, the LiFEsports Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) was developed. The YLA was designed to expand upon the social skills taught at the LiFEsports summer camp and clinics (i.e., self-control, effort, teamwork, and social responsibility) by providing high school youth with additional educational experiences that will help them gain 21st century skills such as leadership, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Additionally, the program strives to prepare youth with the knowledge and skills to be active in their community (citizenship). Over the last five years, the YLA included educational opportunities such as guest speakers, college access education, one-on-one mentoring, financial literacy and college tours and visits. At the conclusion of the 2017-2018 program, two Ohio State faculty members worked with program staff to design and implement a series of focus groups to illicit feedback from mentors, activity facilitators, and the youth themselves as to the impact of the program, opportunities for program improvements, and program successes. This poster will present the findings from these focus groups and how program staff utilized this data to enhance the overall YLA logic model and add additional program design features, such as youth-led committees, academic supports, and career exploration with community partners, to further the program impact on youth. Additionally, strategies will be shared for aligning key community partners to focused impact areas within the logic model and program design.AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Rebecca Wade-Mdivanian, director of operations, LiFEsports, OSU Extension, [email protected] (Corresponding Author); Stephen Moore, program manager, LiFEsports, OSU Extension; Dawn Anderson-Butcher, professor, Ohio State College of Social Work; Jerome Davis, director of staff professional development, Ohio State Department of Athletics; Alicia Bunger, associate professor, Ohio State College of Social WorkThe LiFEsports Youth Leadership Academy (YLA), first implemented in 2013, is designed to support high school youth who participated in the LiFEsports summer camp to achieve entrance and graduation into college and/or post-secondary educational opportunities. After five years of program implementation, two Ohio State faculty members worked with program staff to design and implement a series of focus groups to gather feedback from mentors, activity facilitators, and the youth themselves about the impact of the program, opportunities for program improvements, and program successes. This poster will present the findings from these program evaluation focus groups and how program staff utilized this data to enhance the overall YLA logic model and add additional program design features. Strategies also will be shared for aligning key community partners to focused impact areas within the logic model and program design