Ohio State University. Office of Outreach and Engagement
Abstract
The Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports Initiative at The Ohio State University (Ohio State LiFEsports) fosters community positive youth development (PYD). Youth growing up in urban settings are disproportionally confronted with a wide range of risk factors and need more opportunities for healthy development. Due to encountering such risk factors, urban youth are more likely to develop behavioral health problems that may compromise their long-term development. Community PYD programs are often designed to promote psychological, social and physical health outcomes. Furthermore, community PYD programs partner with other community partners to provide additional program support and development. Established in 2006 through a unique partnership between the College of Social Work and the Department of Athletics, LiFEsports aims to promote health and wellness for Columbus city youth. Each year, LiFEsports serves more than 900 youth through programs such as the LiFEsports summer camp and the LiFEsports clinics. The success of the program would not be possible without collaborations with more than 20 key university and community partnerships. Key university partnerships with Recreational Sports and Transportation and Traffic Management help to provide facilities and transportation to 23 zip codes. Community partners such as Dannon provide support for 10,500 meals for the 600 youth who participate in the LiFEsports camp during the summer months. Marathon Kids helps campers track the mileage of each group, some completing more than 104 miles. Additionally, community partnerships have been established with After-School All-Stars Ohio, Pickerington School District, and the YMCA. These partnerships have allowed the LiFEsports model to expand into 13 before- and after-school programs where an additional 1,100 youth are served throughout the school year. LiFEsports has been able to positively impact the health and wellness for Columbus city youth due to valuable partnerships. Specifically, LiFEsports youth have demonstrated significant growth in life skills such as self-control, effort, teamwork, and social responsibility as well as physical activity, self-efficacy, and cardiovascular fitness. At the conclusion of LiFEsports summer camp, 74.8 percent of youth indicated it was "pretty true" or "really true" that because of LiFEsports they were more likely to engage in at least one hour of physical activity each day. In sum, this poster will discuss the facilitators and barriers to developing community partnerships as well as highlight the contribution such partnerships have had on youth health and wellness, while also giving an outline of community partners that LiFEsports has been or is currently engaged with. This poster serves to enlighten an audience of student, colleagues and community partners about what it takes to charter successful community partnerships.AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Dawn Anderson-Butcher, Professor, College of Social Work, LiFEsports, CAYCI, [email protected] (Corresponding Author); Jerry Davis, Executive Director of Service and Outreach, LiFEsports Intiative; Tasha Henderson, Student Research Assistant, CAYCI, LiFEsports Initiative; Carly Kimiecik, Student Research Assistant, CAYCI, LiFEsports Intiative; Tarkington Newman, Graduate Research Associate, LiFEsports Intiative; Stephen Moore, Program Coordinator, LiFEsports Initiative.The Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports Initiative at The Ohio State University (LiFEsports) fosters community positive youth development (PYD). Each year, LiFEsports serves more than 900 youth through programs such as the LiFEsports summer camp and the LiFEsports clinics. Due to valuable partnerships, LiFEsports has been able to positively impact the health and wellness of Columbus city youth. University partners, such as the department of Athletics, Recreational Sports and the College of Nursing, provide resources that directly impact youth outcomes. Community partners including Dannon and Marathon kids help showcase the important of healthy lifestyle choices and habits that begin in childhood. Sharing the experiences of LiFEsports, the poster will assist the audience in fostering partnerships in relation to their own organizations and programs. Partnerships will highlight a range of impact on the health and well-being of 900+ youth each year
