We aren’t just playing games. Youth sports is also about social impact, character development, and growth into adult life.
None of this happens automatically when we hand a kid a ball. Instead, it all develops over time as we invest our knowledge and ourselves into our athletes.
How can we more effectively develop social integration in youth sports?
Alison Haehnel, former conference pitcher of the year turned Senior Vice President of Social Integration at Steel Sports, employs a 3-track approach.
In this episode of the On the Whistle podcast, I talked with Alison about how Steel Sports is helping their athletes develop character.
We discussed:
- The 3 elements of social integration — the athlete, the community, and the ecosystem
- What led Alison to get involved in social integration work
- The next steps to developing a social integration program in youth sports settings